| Missional Church Model |
| Missional Church Model |
The missional church is the church that breaks out of the building and goes
where the people are. This is what Jesus did. Though Jesus did spend time in
the synagogues teaching that is not all he did. He went out into the culture.
What is needed is to be more like Jesus. Jesus, on one journey, went
deliberately through Samaria (which most Jews avoided) and talked to a
woman at the well which was culturally out of place at the time. Jesus
touched lepers who were the untouchables of the day. Jesus hung out with tax
collectors and prostitutes. Jesus also reached out to people outside of
traditional Jewish culture. Jesus is the perfect example of cross-cultural
ministry. He seems to be absolutely comfortable in whatever culture He is in.
We who are Christian are called to be like Jesus. But we in the church are
sometimes clueless as to how to do that. Even our language and ways of
thinking are foreign and out of sync with the world. Even If you look at some
of our statements of belief, while they are wonderful and make perfect sense
to us, they look like gibberish to the average person on the street. So what is
the answer to all of this. The answer is to become incarnational. What does it
mean to be incarnational? It means to be more like Jesus who left heaven to
be with us.
We now see three aspects of a missional church.
Another way to explain this is through comparing and contrasting two
examples. This is an abridged version of two stories found in 'The Shape of
Things to Come' by Frost and Hirsch (pages 9 and 10). We’ll call this the
tale of two bars.
Bar Number 1
A church buys a bar in the middle of town. While leaving the facade intact
they renovate some of the interior. Oh there is still a place to sit at the bar
but no drinks are served. The stage for the band is now used by the praise
team. They have services every Sunday and perhaps even on Friday and
Saturday nights. This is certainly innovative of the church. They have left
the building. They have put themselves in the middle of the bar scene. But is
this missional? Is this incarnational?
Not really. The patrons are not the same as before. They have lost their
place, their seat of belonging at the bar, a bar perhaps where everyone knows
their name. In a news article covering this new church one of the bar's
original customers bemoans the fact that he will never be able to sit at his
favorite place at the bar.
What really happened here? A church came and carved their sacred space out
of a worldly area. But in the process of doing this they lost the very people
they wanted to reach.
Lets look at bar number 2
Bar Number 2
A church buys a bar in the middle of town. But the church does no renovation
except repair. Every night they serve alcoholic drinks to the customers. The
same customers who came before to the bar before still come. Over time,
relationships form with the church people who work at the bar. The
bartender, a minister, finds many people willing to pour out their heart to him
once they know they can trust him.
Is this dangerous? Yes. But is it incarnational and missional? Also Yes. It
says in the word that Jesus drank with tax collectors and ‘sinners’. So much
so that people called him a drunkard (Matthew 11:19). Jesus turned water
into wine (not Welches Grape juice). (see John 2:1-11).
Perhaps the above idea is too radical for you. I will admit it is dangerous.
What if someone gets drunk and drives afterward. What if they have an
accident? Nevertheless this is the kind of thing that I believe Jesus might
do. Interact and connect with people in everyday life where they are.
Too scary for you??? How about a ‘safer’ example.... How about
volunteering at a community center? Or even owning a community center and
getting to know the people that use it. How about just being a Christian
where you are. How about spending time with people you know that don’t go
to church. Or spending time with your neighbors. But guess what? To truly
do any of the things mentioned above (or creative things you may think of on
your own) you will have to give up something - Perhaps your busy church
schedule. Perhaps your busy church program. Perhaps something else. You
can’t do programs all the time and expect to get to know anyone.
Here are some contrasts…from the book: Breaking the Missional Code by Ed
Stetzer and David Putman
Becoming missional will not be easy. We will have to leave some of our tried
and true methods behind. We will also have to leave some of our language
behind or at least find a way to say what we believe in intelligible sentences.
We will have to learn the language of our culture. We will need to establish
loving relationships with diverse people. We will need to change.
The missional Christian does not ask how many converts they won or how
many arguments they argued. They ask: Have I shared the love of Christ
with someone else today? Our success is not measured in the number of
souls saved but in the number of people we have touched with the love of
Christ.
where the people are. This is what Jesus did. Though Jesus did spend time in
the synagogues teaching that is not all he did. He went out into the culture.
What is needed is to be more like Jesus. Jesus, on one journey, went
deliberately through Samaria (which most Jews avoided) and talked to a
woman at the well which was culturally out of place at the time. Jesus
touched lepers who were the untouchables of the day. Jesus hung out with tax
collectors and prostitutes. Jesus also reached out to people outside of
traditional Jewish culture. Jesus is the perfect example of cross-cultural
ministry. He seems to be absolutely comfortable in whatever culture He is in.
We who are Christian are called to be like Jesus. But we in the church are
sometimes clueless as to how to do that. Even our language and ways of
thinking are foreign and out of sync with the world. Even If you look at some
of our statements of belief, while they are wonderful and make perfect sense
to us, they look like gibberish to the average person on the street. So what is
the answer to all of this. The answer is to become incarnational. What does it
mean to be incarnational? It means to be more like Jesus who left heaven to
be with us.
We now see three aspects of a missional church.
- The missional church leaves the building.
- The missional church is cross cultural.
- The missional church is incarnational.
Another way to explain this is through comparing and contrasting two
examples. This is an abridged version of two stories found in 'The Shape of
Things to Come' by Frost and Hirsch (pages 9 and 10). We’ll call this the
tale of two bars.
Bar Number 1
A church buys a bar in the middle of town. While leaving the facade intact
they renovate some of the interior. Oh there is still a place to sit at the bar
but no drinks are served. The stage for the band is now used by the praise
team. They have services every Sunday and perhaps even on Friday and
Saturday nights. This is certainly innovative of the church. They have left
the building. They have put themselves in the middle of the bar scene. But is
this missional? Is this incarnational?
Not really. The patrons are not the same as before. They have lost their
place, their seat of belonging at the bar, a bar perhaps where everyone knows
their name. In a news article covering this new church one of the bar's
original customers bemoans the fact that he will never be able to sit at his
favorite place at the bar.
What really happened here? A church came and carved their sacred space out
of a worldly area. But in the process of doing this they lost the very people
they wanted to reach.
Lets look at bar number 2
Bar Number 2
A church buys a bar in the middle of town. But the church does no renovation
except repair. Every night they serve alcoholic drinks to the customers. The
same customers who came before to the bar before still come. Over time,
relationships form with the church people who work at the bar. The
bartender, a minister, finds many people willing to pour out their heart to him
once they know they can trust him.
Is this dangerous? Yes. But is it incarnational and missional? Also Yes. It
says in the word that Jesus drank with tax collectors and ‘sinners’. So much
so that people called him a drunkard (Matthew 11:19). Jesus turned water
into wine (not Welches Grape juice). (see John 2:1-11).
Perhaps the above idea is too radical for you. I will admit it is dangerous.
What if someone gets drunk and drives afterward. What if they have an
accident? Nevertheless this is the kind of thing that I believe Jesus might
do. Interact and connect with people in everyday life where they are.
Too scary for you??? How about a ‘safer’ example.... How about
volunteering at a community center? Or even owning a community center and
getting to know the people that use it. How about just being a Christian
where you are. How about spending time with people you know that don’t go
to church. Or spending time with your neighbors. But guess what? To truly
do any of the things mentioned above (or creative things you may think of on
your own) you will have to give up something - Perhaps your busy church
schedule. Perhaps your busy church program. Perhaps something else. You
can’t do programs all the time and expect to get to know anyone.
Here are some contrasts…from the book: Breaking the Missional Code by Ed
Stetzer and David Putman
- From programs to processes
- From models to missions
- From attractional to incarnational
- From uniformity to diversity
- From professional to passionate
- From seating to sending
- From decisions to disciples
- From additional to exponential
- From monuments to movements
Becoming missional will not be easy. We will have to leave some of our tried
and true methods behind. We will also have to leave some of our language
behind or at least find a way to say what we believe in intelligible sentences.
We will have to learn the language of our culture. We will need to establish
loving relationships with diverse people. We will need to change.
The missional Christian does not ask how many converts they won or how
many arguments they argued. They ask: Have I shared the love of Christ
with someone else today? Our success is not measured in the number of
souls saved but in the number of people we have touched with the love of
Christ.
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Missional Church