By simply reading through the New Testament, we can easily see that Jesus Christ died for and established the church.  Today I’m not going to focus on defining what the church is and is not and assume the existence and continuation of the local as a nonnegotiable in the work of God today (Matthew 16.18, 18.17; Acts 14.23, 27, 18.22, 20.17; Ephesians 1.22, 3.10; 1 Timothy 3.14-15; Titus 1.5-11)

What I would like to focus on today is defining the function of the church.  That is, how should the local church function in the community?

Defining the function of the church is more complex than consulting the Bible, following our historic tradition, or being culturally relevant.  In determining how the church should function in the community, we need to consult all three of these areas (Tim Keller, “Reformed Worship in the Global City, pg. 197).”

At this point I would like to take a glimpse at the role of the Bible, Historic Tradition, and Community Context in determining the function of the church.

The Bible

Not only are we as individuals created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, so too is the church.  In pursuing this end God has not left us alone or to our own devices.  In determining how we as individuals and the church are to enjoy and glorify, the LORD has provided us with an infallible standard, the Bible (2 Tim. 3.16-17).

The Bible does provide us with some basic elements that are nonnegotiable in the life of the church, such as the reading, teaching, and preaching of the Bible, the administration of the sacraments, the making of disciples, and the exercise of church discipline (Edmund Clowney, The Church, pgs. 56, 58-59).  Apart from these elements, the Bible does not provide us with explicit. directions in how the church should function in the community.

That is, how are we to preach, teach, and make disciples in our local communities?  What is that supposed to look like?

Although these questions are not explicitly answered, they are implied in the Scriptures.  This is why John Frame said,

Where specifics are lacking we must apply the generalities by means of our sanctified wisdom, within the general principles of the word.  Where specifics are given, we must accept them and apply them even more specifically to our own particular situations (Worship in Spirit and Truth, pgs. 54-55)

As we look to determine how the church should function in the community, we can liken the role of the Bible to a filter

As we begin to decide how the church should function in the community, everything that we take into consideration must be filtered through the Bible.

This will do two things.

First, if activities are found in direct violation to God’s Word, then they must be outright denied.

Second, if activities will potentially undermine the legitimacy of the church or the veracity of the Gospel, then such practices need to be approached with caution and care.

As we move forward trusting God, following His will as revealed in the Bible, we must consult the following two spheres: historical tradition and community context.

Historic Tradition

The church is not a new or recent invention.  When we consider how the church should function in its community, we must realize that we are not a new sapling planted in the ground.  We are a branch to a large and towering tree that has been growing for nearly 2,000 years.  This is why we must consider the trunk of church history in general, and the branch of the reformed tradition in particular within the PCA.

Looking to a local churches historic tradition as a means of defining worship comes on the throngs of two trends:

(1) Movement away from historic traditions; and

(2) The contemporary desire of people to be connected with history.

There has been a growing trend over recent years where churches have nearly abandoned church history for a completely contemporary flavor. Such a movement not only undermines Biblical Christianity, such a movement will be incapable of providing any level of historic rootedness for those who long to live lives rooted in history.

Today we can easily see that people in our community’s are growing increasingly isolated from each other and the past.   Tim Keller observed that “the post-modern rootlessness…leads…many to seek [a] connection [with] ancient ways and peoples” (Tim Keller, Evangelistic Worship).

In other words, people are being lead by God to search for Him but the church, in general, is failing to answer the right questions.

One precaution we need to keep in mind when considering our history is this:

The way things have been done in the past are not to serve as an infallible standard in determining how the church should do things in the future.

We protect ourselves from holding on to tradition for tradition sake by not only filtering what we do through the Bible, but by taking into consideration our current local culture.

Local Culture

Churches that are defined by the Word and rooted in historical tradition are to be culturally relevant.

Being culturally relevant is not being hip, trendy, and cool.  To be culturally relevant is to express our Christianity in such a way that identifies with our community’s beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior today.

As a church we cannot and must not reject nor idolize either our history or contemporary culture.  In forging our identity as the church, we must look to express ourselves in such a way that seriously takes both of these streams (Tim Keller, Reformed Worship in the Global City, pg. 198). The way we function as a church should never be determined by the way we have always done things or the way that the church is currently doing things.

The style and expression of the local church is subject to considerable variety throughout history, our state, country, and world.  The church doesn’t exist within a historical vacuum, but rather in an ever-changing human culture.  It is for this reason why the church will always differ throughout time and place (Robert Webber, Planning Blended Worship, pg. 21).

In the End

The local culture will influence the churches style language, dress, music, and activities.  When we filter our historic tradition and community context through the authority of the Bible, we will ensure that our manner of worship is both comprehensible and intelligible, thus fostering an environment of edification amongst Christians and conviction and repentance amongst non-Christians.

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Moving towards missional ministry is more than duplicating someone else’s techniques that are successful in their community.  Anyone that has been around the church for any period of time knows this happens very frequently with little to no fruit.

Writing on this very topic, Ed Stetzer and David Putnam in Breaking the missional Code, observed,

Sometimes a pastor will get excited about a model or a method learned at a conference.  Then the pastor will come home and import that model into the community.  Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.  Most of the time, it does not work as well.  Why? Because the methods and models that God uses in one place does not mean he will use them in another place (pg. 21).

Assuming that a person is called by God to reach the particular people group they are attempting to disciple (Matt. 28.18-20), the reason why models and techniques don’t work in every area is because they are designed and implemented to reach a certain person and meet a particular need.

It is for this reason that we, as the church, must move beyond duplicating someone else’s work to prayerfully pursuing our local communities by learning from the very people we are trying to disciple to assessing our community’s needs.  This process is considered community exegesis (ex-e-ge-sis).

Exegete Your Community

To exegete a community is to study your community, learn about the people, interpret your findings, and calibrate your ministry efforts in making disciples of the people and meeting the needs of the community.  Though time consuming, this process should be done before beginning a new extensive work.  In other words, keep doing what you’re doing or begin to meet people and start the discipling process.

In referencing Stetzer and Putnam again

Pastors can exegete their communities and discover what their local objections are…In order to break the code, you must seek to understand the culture before you choose your model.  As you decipher your own community, you may discover similar methods and models that have been used effectively in other like-minded communities (pg. 24).

Basically what they’re getting at is this: If you man-sweat Tim Keller – like I do – and try to replicate what he’s doing in New York City in Podunk, WV, then you’re efforts will most likely be in vain because the people and community are totally different.

Where to From Here?

If the glitz and glamour of the city is not for every town throughout the U.S., what is the local church to do?  That’s simple: examine ways God is working in similar communities as your own (Stetzer and Putnam, pg. 24-26).

Ministry conducted through the local church is to be organic, not duplicated.  Ministry through the local church is to be based upon the call of God for a particular people in a particular place.

Resources for Exegeting Your Community

In exegeting your community, I recommend the pithy advice from a church planting novice, what it means to be a missional community from the Austin Stone Church, and how to exegete a culture.

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I imagine if we were to browse the web and read any number churches mission statements that nearly all of them would have something about reaching, saving, or discipling non-Christians. Regardless of the descriptive word used, it’s imperative for the church to ask,

What is a disciple?

What does a disciple of Jesus Christ look like in our community today?

What are the qualities and characteristics that make a disciple?

Once this end is determined, then I believe the church can begin better determining the means in making disciples of non-Christians. Importance of Defining the Process of Discipleship In furthering people along in becoming fully committed followers of Jesus Christ, then I would suggest for churches to clearly define the process by which disciples are made. How does one go from a non-Christian, to participating in the life of the church, to a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ?

This is why I suggest that the entirety of what the churches do in every area of ministry be geared towards accomplishing this end. In other words, every facet of ministry should be unified in their mission and process. As a result, children’s, youth, young adult, and adult ministries need to be aligned with the same mission and process (Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger, Simple Church, 168).

The authors of Simple Church provided this poignant illustration, Imagine if you were building a house. If the team of contractors and builders agreed only on what was being built, you would have a problem. They would also need to be unified on the approach, on the plan. Otherwise the contractors and builders would be competing with one another for time, money, and scheduling preference (ibid., 168)

If existing and future ministries are not aligned and focused upon a common vision and mission, then these ministries will inevitably move in a direction off center, thus creating a complex environment. With the existence of a great diversity of ministries and missions these ministries will not be interdependent upon one another but rather competing with one another for time, people, leadership, and finances.

Benefits of a Simple Church Implementing a unified mission, vision, and process throughout the entirety of the local churches ministry will have a positive impact upon the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall ministry.  From the Simple Church research, Rainer and Geiger discovered the following benefits: Understanding is increased amongst church members.  Unity is promoted amongst a diversity of ministry. Families experience the same process (181-182).

Not only is this the case, but increasing understanding and unity amongst the congregations will enable them to point non-Christians in the right direction, such as, “This is where I should invite a non-Christian, this is how I can help someone become involved, this is where someone needs to go to begin the discipleship process.”

Additional Information on Aligning Ministries under the Same Mission and Process If you’re interested in learning more about strategically aligning ministries with the same mission, vision, and process, I recommend:

The 8th Chapter of Leading Congregational Change, by Jim Herrington, Mike Bonem, and James Furr.

The 9th Chapter of Shaped by God’s Heart, by Milfred Minatrea

The 6th Chapter of Breakout Churches, by Thom Rainer

The 5th Chapter of Good to Great, by Jim Collins.

[Question: Do you think local churches would benefit from simplifying things?]

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Writing in the 4^th Century, St. Augustine once quipped,

“He cannot have God for his Father who refuses to have the church for his mother.”

As we place our faith in Jesus Christ we are organically interwoven into His body, the church (1 Cor. 12.13; Eph. 1.22-23; 4.15; 5.23).  It is for this reason that one cannot have a relationship with Christ and not His church. 

With this being said it is important for the local church to have a high threshold of membership that is clearly defined and laid out.  By clearly defining the membership process, churches will be better prepared to move non-Christians to discipleship, members, and service. 

What Does it Mean to be a Member of a Church?

With so many organizations vying for people’s commitment to membership, such as the local YMCA, Kroger, Blockbuster, Hunting and Fishing Club, and Country Clubs, it’s important for us to clearly communicate, “What is Biblical membership?  Why is it important?  What are member benefits?  What are membership expectations?  What are member expectations of the church?”

One of nine Missional Practices observed by Milfred Minatrea is possessing, “A High Threshold for Membership.”  Minatrea believed that the following five elements make-up a high threshold for membership:

1. They are concerned for nominal church members
2. Membership is not casual
3. They are a unified community
4. The church has clear expectations for members
5. Members have clear expectations of the church (Shaped by God’s Heart, 30).

If these are the five elements that characterize rather or not a church has a high threshold for membership, the following question must be asked by the local church, “Do we possess a high threshold for membership?” (In answering this question I would recommend using Minatrea’s analysis in Shaped by God’s Heart)

Why Membership is Foundational to Missional Ministry

Possessing a high threshold of membership is foundational to missional ministry for two reasons:

(1) Are current members committed to the mission, vision, and values of the church?

(2) Are non-Christians easily integrated into the life of the existing members?  .

Let’s look at these briefly

Are Current Members Committed to the Mission of the Church?

If the first aspect is not true, then changes to existing ministry philosophy and structures in moving towards a missional ministry will not be readily embraced – in all likelihood – by the congregation.  However on the flip side of this coin, if the congregation does embrace the mission of the church then they will – in all likelihood – readily embrace changes in moving towards a missional ministry.

This is why it is important for the leadership of the local church to instill a unified ethos within the congregation through the membership process.    What Minatrea discovered during his research is that churches who possessed a high threshold of membership didn’t “enforce” their expectations upon their congregants with a heavy hand, but rather instilled them as normal and expected (ibid., 38).

 He went on to say,

“Perhaps the difference with high threshold membership churches is the difference between acceptance of nominal Christianity and the expectation of normal Christianity” (ibid., 38).

With this in mind, possessing a high threshold of membership is not only important in clearly defining a process in becoming a member, but it is more important to instill a unified ethos into new and even existing members. 

Minatrea observed, “one means of achieving unity in a missional community is to state clearly what is expected of members” (34).  Personally, I don’t see that change can be accomplished by espousing it from the pulpit, printed materials, or the web alone.

Moving to a missional model will need to be engrained into the lives of the existing members.  If God is emerging a new vision, mission, upon the existing values of the local church, it is important for the church to clearly communicate this to its existing members.

This is why I would suggest for the leadership of the local church to consider having the existing members go through a new membership process in order to instill the emerging values and ministry philosophy.  At this point in time the existing members will have to reconsider if the church is to be their home in the future. 

Are non-Christians Readily Integrated Into the Life of the Church?

In an analogy of praying in faith, someone once shared the following. 

In the midst of a drought two farmers prayed to God for it to rain.  Afterwards, only one of the farmers went out to prepare his fields, whereas the other farmer did not.  Which farmer prayed in faith?  As we are praying for the rains of revival to sweep out across our communities, we need to be like the farmer who went out and prepared his fields. 

Consequently, it is important for the local church to develop a process by which non-Christians are easily integrated into the life of the church.  If not, it may rain and the church will not be prepared to harvest.

Clearly Communicate the Membership Process

I think it’s important for the local church to clearly define, develop, and communicate their membership process.  It is important to clearly communicate the membership process so that the existing members will be better equipped and empowered to in involving non-Christians. 

How?  By having multiple entry-points designed specifically for non-Christians that serve as a means of funneling them into the life of the church, existing members will best know where to go with people more desirous of exploring Christianity or beginning the discipling process. 

Baby Steps, Baby Steps, Baby Steps

Gary Poole, author of Seeker Small Groups, expresses the importance of creating “next steps,” saying,

“It is essential for us to make clear ‘next step’ options available.  Without them, the potential impact of each weekend [and weekday] element would be significantly weakened.  Those who come to weekend services or respond at a ‘decision weekend’ need to know what to do next.” 

He went on to say that the people of Willow Creek ‘frequently utilize next step cards during [their] weekend services or distribute ‘New Christian’s Kits’ to people who indicate a decision to trust Christ” (253)

Obviously the entry-points and next steps that churches employ should be birthed within the Vision Community, I just wanted to draw attention to this one vastly overlooked point: What’s Next?

From my limited experience and observation, I think that the church generally struggles with follow-up.  Consider Christmas and Easter.

Christmas and Easter are arguably the two most attended Worship Services by non-Christians throughout the year.  With this being the case, the church should be prepared for such an increase in attendance by not only having next steps available, but by having a committed team of people willing to follow-up with first time guests. 

If you’re really desirous of connecting with people with the intent of seeing the grace of God bringing them to salvation, show it by following-up and letting them know how glad you were they visited and how you can serve them in any way.

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The churches level of involvement with the community is generally indicative of their involvement with non-Christians.

Even though a church’s involvement with the community serves as a gauge in determining their involvement with non-Christians, there are many other factors to consider why non-Christians do not readily identify with a particular local church – apart from the obvious, they’re not Christians.

6 Questions in Gauging Members Individual Involvement with Non-Christians

This list is not exhaustive, but the following factors may serve as a means of gauging the involvement of individual members of the church with non-Christians:

1. Are members rooted in the basics of Christianity?  If so, have they been trained in evangelism?
2. Have members been equipped and enabled to establish and maintain authentic relationships with non-Christians?
3. Have members identified their primary mission field (i.e., Their circle of influence)?
4. Are members encouraged to be involved with non-Christians?
5. Are members encouraged to participate in “secular” groups (where it is assumed that non-Christians are)?
6. Finally, has the church established a clear plan in reaching non-Christians?

With these questions asked, there are ways that people may be inhibited from being evangelistic.

2 Hindrances to Evangelism Effectiveness

(1) A lack of individual urgency and necessity in being evangelistic (Which I can personally attest to); and

(2) A lack of organizational systems that both encourage and hold accountable individual members in being evangelistic.

Obviously, if we don’t personally have a sense of urgency in evangelism, a churches effectiveness will be capped until our hearts are inspired to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

Organizationally speaking, if we have a desire for evangelism, yet the church is structured in such a way where their processes of ministry do not align themselves with the community or busy everyone to the point that they don’t have any additional free time, then these desires will be short lived.  Moreover, if a church is structured in such a way that people are not gracefully held accountable to evangelize, then observing someone’s transition from being non-evangelisitc to evangelistic will be minimal at best.

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Reaching into the local community is an essential facet of fulfilling the local churches mission, especially in connecting with and discipling non-Christians.

In moving towards community involvement, Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk, in The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to reach a Changing World, rightfully observed:

Missional congregations are formed out of the interaction between the Christian narrative in which they live and that has been passed down to them, and their listening interaction with the narratives of the people in their community (88).

In following their advice, the leaders of a local church would be encouraged to assess what are the needs of their community so that they can strategically plan on how to best go about meeting them.  Consistently spending time involved in the community will best position the church to connect with non-Christians with the intent of creating relationships.

It has been said before,

Spend time getting to know lost people.  Churches cannot expect members to develop   authentic relationships with lost persons if the church continuously asks members to give every discretionary hour in their agenda to church activities (ibid., 86).

In minimizing activity, focusing on a few core practices – especially consistent involvement in the community as an incarnational presence of Jesus Christ – the church will become more effective in establishing relationships with non-Christians.

Besides, if we “continuously ask members [of the church] to give every discretionary hour in their agenda to church activities” (ibid., 86), how can we rightfully expect the congregation to create such relationships?

Why the Church Should Not Develop New Community Ministries

Even though this is the case, I strongly believe that the church should not develop new ministries to meet these needs.  Instead, what I believe is that the church should look to align itself with existing “secular” organizations – where it is assumed that non-Christians are.

By aligning herself with existing secular organizations, there are many things accomplished:

(1)    The church meets practical needs in the community,

(2)    The church will make new relationships with those it serves and serves with, and

(3)    The church will save time, money, and human capital by not developing and funding a new ministry.

The only time I think that the church should actually consider forming a new ministry would be if there is an observable need that they are passionate about that is currently not being met.

Evangelism is More Than “Witnessing”

Evangelism is more than witnessing.  If anything, speaking about Christ to a non-Christian is merely the beginning.  Evangelism is to serve as a living and loving incarnational presence of God that strives to express His love towards others irrespective of their profession of faith.

[Question: How does this affect us as individuals?]

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In order to determine the effectiveness of the local church in identifying with and ministering to non-Christians, I don’t think we have to look any further than the way their leadership is organized and the processes of ministry they employ.  Actually, I don’ think we have to look any further than a churches monthly calendar to know whether or not they are observing many new disciples of Jesus Christ.

Why?

Simple, if a churches calendar is chalked full of internal social activities and studies then you can rest assured that their influence in the life of non-Christians may be minimal at best.

Why?  Well, you guessed it, simple.

In order for a local church to make disciples of non-Christians they must identify and dwell with non-Christians in their community, on their grounds.

So, if a churches activity is more internal than external then I imagine that a significant number of non-Christians would identify with such a church as their faith community because the church does not identify with them and their community.

With this being the case there are two areas that we – as the church – should look to address as we move towards missional ministry:

(1) The churches involvement in the community; and

(2) The churches involvement with non-Christians

I’ll look to pick-up these separate topics later as I delve into missional ministry.

[Question: Do you believe that such a connection can be made between a churches calendar and evangelism effectiveness?  Why or why not?]

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Before writing on moving a local church to missional ministry, I felt that it was important for me to provide a quick disclaimer: I have little experience in this area and a lot of reading. 

What’s the moral of the story? 

What follows is a snapshot of how I would approach serving at a local church with the intent of making it more “missionally” minded.  This is why you may want to put what follows in the “for what it’s worth category.” 

Moving Towards Missional Ministry

Transitioning a church from an internal focus to a missional mind-set is not done by changing existing programs, adding new ones, or hiring someone to oversee Missional Ministries alone.  These actions do not guarantee that a new philosophy of ministry will be readily embraced by any given local church.  Let me explain.

Understand How a Churches Culture Changes Before Changing It

A churches culture (i.e. Their shared beliefs, values, practices, and behavior) is not changed by reworking the organizational structure or programs.  Rather, a churches culture is transformed by focusing upon the culture, not the organization and practice. 

For instance, the authors of Leading Congregational Change concluded from their personal work:

We have learned that unless the culture of a congregation is changed all the sound programs and organizational changes that have been implemented evaporate.  As a result, the congregation eventually reverts back to previous habits…Something deeper than [programs] is required to change the situation.  A cultural transformation is needed (Jim Herrington, Mike Bonem, and James H. Furr, Leading Congregational Change, 66)

For a church to transition to embracing a missional ethos, such a change will take place over time by applying constant pressure to it, not quick and swift action. 

Learning Patience and Process from Diamonds

Take coal for example. 

On one hand, a piece of coal is changed into a beautiful diamond through the application of constant pressure overtime.  On the other hand, this same piece of coal will be shattered if a person were to hit it with a hammer or apply intense pressure through a vise. 

Is this analogy of coal completely applicable to our current topic?  Probably not entirely, but I do believe that we can learn something from it.

Making changes to services and programs quickly apart from the readiness of the congregation could cause irreparable damage, whereas pressure applied over time will do best in creating more of a positive response to changes.  Of course there will be those who are early adopters and those who never adopt change, so in creating change within the local church concern should not be with these two groupings of people who generally comprise of a smaller percentage.  Attention and effort should be given to the group in the middle by leveraging off of the enthusiasm of the early adopters, so that by the grace of God we can see people changed in their disposition towards a missional ethos. 

In order to orchestrate such a change within the culture of a church, I suggest for you to look more to an evolutionary process of molding their ethos through a collaborative effort rather than quick actions through changes in ministries and facilities.  For such an evolutionary change to take place we cannot and must not expect it happen by merely convincing the congregation to adopt leadership solutions (ibid., 76).  Cultural transformation occurs when a portion of the congregation participates together in enacting such change.  As a result, churches should to look to create a Vision Community.

Vision Communities

A Vision Community “is a diverse group of key members who become a committed and trusting community in order to discern and implement God’s vision for the congregation” (ibid., 41)

Keeping in mind that creating cultural change within the congregation is bottom-up, the Vision Community should be involved within the process from the beginning to end so that they can serve as the “informal” spoke person to their circle of influence within the congregation.

The members of the Vision Community must be aware of the reason for change and be desirous of them.  It is recommended that 10% of the congregation make-up the Vision Community and that it should be comprised of the following people:

1. Diversity reflecting the make-up of the congregation.
2. People of influence within the congregation.  These people may or may not be “formal” leaders.  
3. Spiritual maturity
4. Ability to make a meaningful contribution.
5. Willing to support the right changes
6. Appropriate staff representation (ibid., 42-43)

The development, selection, expectations of individual members, and time commitment should be established up front.  For, this process will not enact change after one, two, or even three meetings and patience will be required.

Patience and the Role of the Vision Community Leader

Roxburgh and Romanuk observed from their experience,

We cannot stress enough how important it is to take time with this process.  Awareness and understanding are like gestation and birth.  There must be a long time period for life to be formed, and in most instances the birth requires its own process.

They consider that the leader of the Vision Community will serve as a symbolic midwife who facilitates and assists the “birth process that must follow its own mysterious ways.  If the ground is prepared and the leader cultivates the proper environment, shaping a space rather than forcing a strategy or plan, the process of missional formation will encourage a congregation to organize itself and change will emerge.”

It is not important to go into the process that the Vision Community will undertake during their time together, but rather to emphasize the importance of creating open dialogue with the team which will ultimately impact the rest of the congregation.

Missional ethos changes need to take place overtime and cannot be accomplished by changing existing ministries, implementing new ministries, or reorganizing internal structures alone.  Such changes are fruits of cultural transformation, not the root. 

This can be likened to car problems. 

Cultural Transformation and Car Problems

When our cars have problems we can take them into a mechanic in order to have them fixed.  This is a purely technical solution to the problem. 

Now, what if the problems that need continual repair are caused by the driver?  What if the driver is particular hard on the clutch, thus requiring work on the transmission?  What if the driver is negligent of maintenance, such as changing the oil, which can result in a myriad of issues? 

The technical problems can be fixed – hopefully – but the problems will not be resolved until the behavior of the driver is adapted (ibid., 98).

From their consulting experience, Jim Herrington, Mike Boenm, and James Furr observed,

Implementation – without the direction provided by vision, without the support provided by a vision community, without the enabling of empowerment – cannot be done effectively any earlier in the process.  If it is done earlier, it is just as likely to be a catalyst for life-threatening conflict as for life-giving change (Leading Congregational Change, 78)

Consequently, as noted above, organizational changes made without the foundational support of an ethos – that readily embraces those changes – will inevitably evaporate and the people will revert back to the dictates of their previous attitudes and beliefs.

Implementing Change

There are a myriad of ideas that can be suggested in making adaptive changes to the church culture.  Ultimately what needs to be done will arise from the framework of the Vision Community.

Ideas that are developed within the Vision Community are to be implemented on the peripheral (i.e. Non-staff person and formal leader.  Decentralized from the center core of leadership) of the congregation and need to be considered experimental in nature, not permanent.

For “people are less resistant to a short-term experiment than they are to a ‘permanent’ change…[and] experiments signals that the leaders do not claim to have all the answers.  Experiments give people more room to innovate, learn, and improve with less risk of repercussion” (ibid., 98). 

Ideas proposed and implemented from the Vision Community should be done with a limited time commitment, say six months, and followed up with an extensive evaluation.

If you liked this post, you may also be intersted in  Church rePlanting: Resources for Facilitating Church Revitalization

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Missional Church is quite the buzz word now, brining in over 4,430,000 hits in a Yahoo search.  Although this phrase is becoming widely used in some circles, it is still loosely defined and misunderstood.  Alan Roxburgh once commented,

[“Missional”] is used to describe everything from evangelism to reorganization. . . . In a very brief period of time a new form of language entered the common conversation of the church… At the same time, it is still not understood by the vast majority of people in either leadership or the pew. This is a stunning accomplishment: from obscurity to banality in eight short years (Quoted in The Missional Church Primer for the EPC)

What we will discover below is that missional is more than programs, it’s a way of life.  It is for this reason that I will look to define missional as a missional ethos.  Since missional ethos is based upon two separate thoughts – missional and ethos – I will look to define these individually and bring them together in the end.

What Does it Mean to be Missional?

Personally, I believe that the best definition of missional was made by Milfred Minatrea, who said that missional denotes a church that considers missions as not sending and supporting others, but being and doing.  Minatrea said that “mission is therefore participative rather than simply representative” (Shaped by God’s Heart, 11)

How Does this Practically Work-Out in the Local Church?

Practically speaking within missional churches, missions are a part of the ethos of the congregation and are not “perceived as an expression of the missional church.” Therefore, missions are more than supporting Local or Foreign Missionaries, or having a Missions Committee.  Missions is seen “as the essence of church” (ibid., 11), which indicates the active participation of every member in reproducing themselves by making disciples of Jesus Christ.

What is Ethos?

Ethos is defined as “shared fundamental values; the fundamental and distinctive character of a group, social context, or period of time, typically expressed in attitudes, habits, and beliefs.”

What is a Missional Ethos?

In the end, a missional ethos is the shared fundamental value in attitude, habit, and belief, among the congregation in actively participating in making disciples for Jesus Christ.

[Question: Do you believe that you possess a missional ethos?]

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