Becoming Missional

I'm reading a great book now and have to comment on it. The book is "Breaking the Missional Code." I would highly encourage anyone in the Church of Jesus Christ to read it. I get a little passionate below. Don't take my passion to think that I have this all worked out. I don't. But I recognize that I need to be open to change.

For quite some time now, I have had the opportunity to hang out with different people and groups that are very missional in their philosophy of how the Church must change to impact the world for Christ. And while it may sound like just another seeker or emerging or whatever idea, it is not. Being "missional" is a mindset which drives pastors and leaders to look beyond a specific program for answers. It is the recognition that we live in a post Christian era and therefore realize that we are all missionaries, just like the Saint's and Elliot's of days past. Yes, we have heard that we are missionaries in the church, but we really do not act like missionaries. We are so fearful of our culture that we totally separate ourselves from it instead of seeking to understand it so we can present the Gospel of Christ in a relevant manner. We "do" the same programs our grandparents did, not wanting to truly assess whether or not they are producing the results we want them to produce. One example is the Sunday School program. We want to teach our people the Word and so we have Sunday School. An excellent reason, but is this the best method to accomplish that goal? I would suggest that we probably keep this program because it has been a staple in our programs for years. Most of us don't know the history of the Sunday School movement or how God birthed it. It has a wonderful heritage! But it is only a method. And methods are rarely, if ever sacred. What we fail to recognize is that we may be able to achieve the same results of knowing the Scripture in a setting that would be far more conducive to reaching the lost. A home group or cell group could easily meet both needs and provide a place for true community to take place. As the Church of Jesus Christ we must find ways to be relevant to whatever our local culture is while remaining true to the message and teachings of the Scriptures!

One of the most exciting potentials about military ministry is the opportunity to do this very thing. I will have the opportunity to be a part of a culture that is different from any other in this country. And so, I will have the opportunity to ask my God how he wants to use me to reach this culture in a way that points people to Him while impacting them where they live. But my future ministry is not the only place this can take place. We can do this now! But we must understand our culture. What do our neighbors struggle with? Are they super busy? Are they working through a divorce? Are they religious in heritage? What type of religion? We must be prepared to ask the question, "How can we better understand their problems and issues so that we can point them to the joy and hope of Jesus?" Each of our answers may be a little different, because we all live in different places. But we can do this! We just need to recognize that we don't live in the 1950's anymore. We must be willing to change our method in order to present the truth of Scripture to all people of the 21st Century.


Rob