Missional Church

Introduction to Church Growth

Missional & Incarnational

What is Missional?

The missional church is a church that sees its mission to represent Christ and operates as being sent into the world to reach the lost.

OR

“A community of God’s people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God’s mission to the world.”

Alan Hirsh, The Forgotten Ways

Missional & Incarnational

Missional Church

Community centered on God’s missionOutward focused community of believersPeople centeredCulture engagingIncarnational in nature

Missional & Incarnational

Characteristics of Missional ChurchesEvangelizing is not something we do it is what we

are.Contextual - Attempts to make Christianity

meaningful in peoples’ cultural contextPeople recognized as created in the image of God

Not just prospective members People of worth even before saved

Incarnational for attraction & Communication Living and sharing the gospel where life is taking place

for people Involved in life’s communities

Church Planters Pt. 2 – Tim Keller

Missional & Incarnational

Contextualization -- communicating the gospel in a new context in a way that is understandable to the recipients in order for them to do theology, develop church life, be involved in ministry that is biblically based and culturally appropriate.

Missional & Incarnational

Characteristics of Missional ChurchIncarnational for attraction & communication

Incarnational – refers to missionaries’ (Christians) practice of missions as Christ was incarnate as a person by incarnating themselves in the new cultural context by identification with the people through personal interaction by learning the language and culture to better proclaim the gospel.

What is incarnational mission? – Alan Hirch

Missional & Incarnational

Characteristics of Missional ChurchIncarnational for attraction & communication

Attraction – refers to the Christians and the church body worshipping in a community and finding ways to draw people into the church community rather than the church going into the community.

Foundation of Missional Church

Missio Dei

God’s Mission provides the foundation for why the church exists and how it defines its purpose.

Mt. 16:16-18

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

Why was humanity created?AccidentGod was lonelyNeeds to be worshippedTo glorify GodGod of love (relationship)

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

Mission began by God Mission continues with God’s reconciling work Mission ends with God

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

What are the challenges in the world?Pride, hatred and power

Wars, Genocide, Terrorism

Immorality and self-centered desires Amoral lifestyle, Life unrelated to God, poverty

Disease and natural disasters Cancer, AIDS, Earthquakes, Sunami

Worldview differences Pluralism, Secularism, Materialism, Consumerism

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

How does God view His creation? Communicates and interacts with His creation Provides guidance Provides means to approach Him People in need of knowing God and reconciliation God so loved the world that …..

How should Christians view the world?

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

How should Christians view the world? World created by God People created in God’s image People loved by God Sin is a problem for all cultures of the world People are worth redeeming Reconciliation to God is God’s desire Believers are sent into the world as Jesus was

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

What are believers responsibility to the world? Practice the two greatest commandments Represent God’s love in the world Represent God’s life style in the world Share God’s truth in the world Share God’s answer to people in the world Work to do good for greater justice and people’s

wellbeing

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

“It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission.” ---Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, p. 62)

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

The Bible displays the story of God’s mission. A story of God’s work in the

world to reconcile humanity to Himself.

Mission Terminology

Implications of the Missio DeiGod is the theological foundationGod is the source of powerGod provides the messageGod provides the means of salvationGod defines the mission

Missio Dei (Mission of God)

Why study the mission of the church and its growth?

Mission is God’s action in this world People are the center of God’s concern (mission) His followers are participants in His mission The church’s role is to be missional as God is Entering God’s mission is central to who we are as

Christians

Mission Terminology

Implications for missionsGod’s people enter the mission of GodBelievers live and share the messageBelievers strive to see the world as God

does, in need of reconciliationGoing and being sent (Mt. 28:18; Jn. 17:18; 20:21; Rom.

15:20)

Ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-21)

Mission Terminology

Missionary

The term missionary comes originally from the Greek word “apostles” through Latin “missio” to English meaning sent ones.

Mission Terminology

Biblical use of apostlos (missionary) Used to describe the twelve selected from Jesus’

disciples Used of Paul Other people in N. T. sent out by churches

Barnabas (Acts 14:14)James, the Lord’s brother (1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19)Janias and Andronicus (Rom. 16:7)Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25)

Mission Terminology

Missionary today Generally used for Christians sent out cross-

culturally It is a term that can apply to any Christian sent out

for ministry Types of missionary

Cross-culturalDomesticNon-residentVocational (tent-making)

Mission Terminology

Ten misunderstandings about missionaries Super spiritual Misfits in their own cultures Adventure seekers Always good with languages Always of a strong calling from God Bigoted, cultural imperialists (Poison Wood Bible, Mitchner -

Hawaii) No longer needed Always go overseas Live in the bush Sign their lives away

Mission Terminology

Missiology

“The formal study of Christian mission in its theological, biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic dimensions as well as it present and future aspects” (Kaiser).

Mission Terminology

Elements of Missiology Biblical – the biblical foundation and mandate –

reveals God’s mission Theological – understanding the word & applying it Historical – history of it practice Cultural – the context in which mission takes place Strategic – principles, strategies, methods used Present and future oriented – present & eternal

dimensions

Theology – The “discipline which strives to give a coherent statement of the doctrines of the Christian faith, based primarily on scripture, placed within the context of culture in general, worded in contemporary idiom, and related to issues of life.” (Erickson, 1985, p. 21)

Faith seeking understanding (Anselm of Canterbury 1033-1109; Bevans argues this is theology)

Mission Terminology

Missional & Incarnational

God

Missio DeiHoly Spirit & Disciples

ChurchChurch

Church

WORLDIncarnational

Attractional

Missional

Church growth takes place within

this dynamic of cultural engagement

as missional, incarnational and attractional . . .

Video – Missional Community

Church growth takes place within this dynamic of cultural engagement as missional, incarnational and attractional in displaying the Lordship of Christ, making disciples and planting churches.

Mission Terminology