Want to Be a Missional Church? Try the 3 "I"s

Churches that are truly are about Christ's mission to have all people "come unto the knowledge of the truth" 1 Timothy 2:4, rightly divide Law and Gospel in their preaching and teaching as well as center their ministry on the Grace of Christ. But, not all churches that do that are missional. There are 3 "I"s that describe churches that are. Ed Stetzer shares these in the foreword to The Multiplying Church.

Incarnational: Missional churches get connected deeply with their local communities. They focus on living, and demonstrating true Biblical community and are not so focused on buildings. They don't shy away from people who are far from God but meet them where they are to listen, understand and apply the love of Jesus.

Indigenous: Missional churches "take root in the soil of their society" and make every effort to relate and speak to their surrounding culture. Indigenous doesn't only refer to a language or ethnic group, but to subcultures in their communities. This leads some to different styles of music, preaching and programming. Have you noticed how many Cowboy churches are turning up in Texas? I wonder if there will be a Lutheran one! Who would have thought that right here in the Texas District of the LCMS we would have so many ethnically indigenous churches even 10 years ago. (Hispanic, Pakistani, Arabic, Indian, Korean, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Eritrean, etc.)

Intentional: In Missional churches, there is a great degree of intentionality about how the eternal truths of God's love and forgiveness in Jesus Christ is shared. The how of Worship style, evangelistic methods, pastor's attire, etc. are determined by their effectiveness in reaching a population in a specific cultural context. Sometimes churches which have made such decisions get criticized for such decisions. They do so anyway, because they are convinced that they have been sent to a particular people group with its own cultural nuances. If you worry about this one, try reading Romans 14:1-15:7. Paul dealt with some of this critique as well.

How could your church become more Incarnational, Indigenous and Intentional in reaching people far from God?

Culturally Relevant Mission is Dangerous to Discuss

Writing about cultural relevance is risky. Some folks think that by advocating that the church is called to culturally relevant mission, one is caving in to popular culture. Others may assume that by writing about cultural relevance your are just trying to demonstrate that you haven't lost touch with that culture. But exploring how the church relates to culture seems a worthwhile endeavor to me.

Cutting Edge, Vol.12:2 p.7 expressed it in a way that caught my attention: "Mission is the objective; cultural relevancy is the process. The purpose of the church is not to be cool, cute, popular, or any other adjective that would indicate we are "in." When the church makes cultural relevance its priority rather than a way of doing mission, it becomes syncretistic and thus sells her soul on the altar of cultural relevance." At the same time, "the church must understand the culture and the people in that culture. She must use the symbols of meaning in the culture she is in to communicate the message of the Gospel, without losing the prophetic role of speaking into the culture."

So the church sits on the edge. We contend for the truth of scripture. Jude 1:3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. At the same time we are called to contextualize the truths of scripture. 1 Cor. 9:22-23 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Paul in Athens did both. Acts 17:22-29 First he contextualized, saying"Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Then he contended for the truth "Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." After telling them the truths of God he contextualized and contended once again saying "As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill."

We are called to both contend and contextualize to communicate the truth of salvation in Jesus in the culture where God has placed each of us as missionaries and where he has placed each church as a mission outpost. If we desire to be about the mission of God, we never cease being students of our culture as well as Scriptures. Who studies and keeps your church up-to-date about the changes in your culture?

The Gospel Gone Viral

We have been praying for God to begin a Church Planting Movement among the churches, pastors, leaders and lay folks here in the Texas District. One thing I have been learning through my experiences and through my personal reading of leaders like Bob Roberts, author of The Multiplying Church is that a Church Planting Movement (CPM) looks more like a virus than a strategic plan.

In fact, the term Church Planting Movement (CPM) came about as more of a description than a prescription. Bob Roberts described how David Watson coined the phrase. Roberts wrote that "Watson then shared about being at the table with a group of other missionaries when the term crystallized. They were trying to describe what they were seeing take place in the East. 'It was never meant to be the key. It was descriptive.'"

Throughout history, when CPM's are truly taking place they are highly organic in nature. They are actually only the result of lives being transformed through the cross of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Whole families, villages, cities and societies are changed. It is what happened to he jailer in Acts 16:30-34 . Had not whole households been affected, the Gospel would not have spread at the viral rate it did in the early church. The epidemic spread of the Gospel necessitated the planting of churches to disciple all the new believers! It was a Jesus movement first.

Viruses don't happen by addition but by multiplication and fractaling. In third world countries, it has not been that an individual comes to faith in Jesus Christ and then decides to plant a church. Rather it has been true that Jesus revolutionizes the life of an individual who tells their family and friends with so many people coming to know Jesus that churches become necessary to disciple, care for and equip the new believers who go to the next village and do it all over again.

This kind of growth doesn't happen merely by addition, but by rapid multiplication. Individual disciples share what God has done in their lives through Christ, discipling their their friends and families. In that kind of church learning to tell how God's story of redemption in Christ has intersected our life becomes the norm rather than the exception for church members.

Then the Gospel goes viral.

Looking at where it might next plant a church is always on the agenda of the local church rather than wondering if planting a church is something we might do once in our history.

Then church planting goes epidemic. It can happen!

Is Mission Optional for the Christian? C.F.W. Walther Says NO!

C.F. W. Walther, the founding President of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod says an emphatic NO! (Thanks to my friend Pastor Steve Wagner for surfacing the following quote from Walther)

"For if the entire Christian church is the real mission society which God Himself has established, then all those who ignore mission work and do not care anything for it are not true and living members of the church, that is, not true Christians. They break the oath of allegiance which they have made to Christ at their baptism. They want to carry the keys of the kingdom of heaven in their hands and yet do not want to open heaven to those who are still outside…They want to be God's wheat, and still are not fruitful grains of wheat. They want to have faith, yet have no love. They have no compassion in their hearts for the distress of the heathen, and thereby show that even though they are baptized, they still have a heathenish heart and that they themselves are in darkness and the shadow of death." C. F. W. Walther, "The Mission Society Established by God" in The Word of His Grace, Occasional and Festival Sermons.

• Being a Christian means being engaged in the Mission of Christ – It is not an optional activity for an individual Christian or a community of believers in a congregation.
  

• We often say that what matters is being faithful. That is true. Jesus says "If you continue in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." John 8.32. But Jesus' word includes the Great Commission to "go and make disciples of all nations" Matthew 28:19. Dr. Walther reminds us that if we are not faithful to that Great Commission, we have broken "the oath of allegiance" made at our baptism.
  

• Walther also warns against desiring to have faith and doctrine down pat but not having love for those who are far from God. In fact he calls this attitude having "a heathenish heart" which puts one in the "shadow of death."

• Walther's admonition to the church of the late 19th century is to make sure we are opening the Kingdom of heaven to those who are still outside in darkness. He warns the church of then and now that if we turn in on ourselves, even if we think we have our faith and doctrine just right, we are unfaithful servants.

The good news is that we have all that we need to be the "real mission society" that Walther speaks of. We have God's Word in all its truth and purity. We have the promise of a secure salvation, won for us by Jesus in His death and suffering. We have abundant life now and forever because of His resurrection. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit who promises to work faith in human hearts. We also have an abundant supply of people far from God with whom we can share the Gospel. We have financial and technological resources that Walther could only have dreamed of.

The only things that can stop us from being missional are our own fears, prejudices and needs to feel comfortable with people just like us in our own local congregations. It is only our sinfulness that gets in the way.

I don't know about you, but I want to be part of "the real mission society which God Himself has established" as C.F.W. Walther put it. I pray for opportunities to share the love of Christ with others. I pray too that we will continue to plant many new churches here in Texas and throughout the world.

If that is your desire as well, please pray right now that God might use you and your church to be part of God's plan to save people who are far from God!

Missional...like a flock of geese

In late September or early October Canada fly south in V-Formation to get to winter feeding grounds. Then they turn around in the spring and do the whole thing over again. Hundreds, thousands, millions of these geese form into perfect V shaped squadrons at altitudes 3,000 to 29,000 feet.

Two engineers calibrated in a wind tunnel what happens in such a V formation. Each goose in flapping its wings, creates an upward lift for the goose that follows. When all of the geese do their part in the V formation, the whole flock has a 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. Each then depends on the other to get to the destination. That phenomenon is called LIFT.

The same thing can happen when a genuine missional movement gets going in the body of Christ or even in one little corner of it like the Texas District Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

God's Word given through Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:21-22 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" {22} On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable

As more and more local churches catch a new vision for church planting to connect new people groups and new generations to Jesus for eternity, we can experience the same kind of lift exhibited and experienced by Canada geese in V formation. Networking, encouragement and a Kingdom vision will overcome fears, turf protection and the wiles and discouragement of Satan. I'm praying for powerful mission lift from the Holy Spirit as churches work and encourage each other in advancing the Kingdom of God.

Real Love in the Christian Church

I work with many churches. When I ask folks what they most value in a local church, one of the comments I hear most often is "I want a church that is really a loving place!"

When people say that, I think they most often mean that they want the church to be a place where they are loved, valued and accepted. That's important but it is not enough be truly loving in the best sense of the word.

Antoine de Saint Exupery, French writer of the early 20th century made a statement which I found profound:

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."

And what direction should those of us who value real agape love in the church be looking?

Hebrews 12:2-3 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. {3} Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In a church that wants to be about the mission of Jesus, it is not enough to love each other enough to gaze into each other's eyes. That's a phony community and if that is enough for folks in a church, they really miss out on what real love is all about.

The direction we look together is on Jesus and His cross. That cross becomes the center of the lens in which we look at the world. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

That's a description of real love. We love those who are hearing God's word so much that we delight in sharing God's word and our lives with them in an every expanding circle.

We see those far from God's Kingdom with the love of Jesus...those who are right in our local corner of the world and those who live on the other side of the globe. That kind of love breaks our hearts for those who are still not aware of the vast love the Father has for them. It leads us to action, praying for those lost and creating relationships that allow for the Spirit to penetrate hearts and sharing God's news directly with them through witness of care and spoken words.

Then we know and live real love.

The "Holy Dissatisfaction" of Missional Living

I haven't had a Susan B. Anthony dollar in my pocket for quite a while, but she said something which people who want to live for Christ's mission might find challenging:

"Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation...and bear the consequence."

Paul said something similar: 1 Corinthians 4:10-13 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! {11} To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. {12} We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; {13} when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

Missional Living in individuals and local churches creates a "holy dissatisfaction" in followers of Jesus that creates a willingness to be "anything or nothing" as Susan B. Anthony said which often does lead to being "dishonored...cursed...persecuted...slandered...the refuse of the world" as Paul said.

"Holy dissatisfaction" is the unwillingness to stand by and feel OK while people without Jesus are destined for hell. What does that "Holy Dissatisfaction" look like?

Paul put it so well when he said 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. {23} I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

On the bottom of all of my Emails is the following: "Without Jesus Christ, people will miss the best in this life and everything in the next." I really believe that and I pray that God will continue to cultivate in me a "holy dissatisfaction" for those without Jesus. I pray He will do that for you as well.

Like Paul, we need to do whatever it takes to reach lost souls.

• not to be edgy, but for ultimate Kingdom purposes
• willing to risk failure in order to reach people
• willing to be misunderstood or criticized even by fellow Lutherans or Christians
• fully committed to the concept that "Eternity Matters Most!" (from my friend Patrick Miller, Mission Planter at Water's Edge, Frisco)

That takes prayer and ultimate action to go beyond feelings and words. Each of us individually needs to be ready to "give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15. Each congregation needs to be ready to say as Paul did in 2 Corinthians 10:15-16 "Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, {16} so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you."

What Do You Think About Fast Growing New Missions?

Sometimes, members and leaders of existing churches watch what is happening in new missions that are growing and wonder if what is happening there is "Kosher" (i.e. really Lutheran) or not.

Shawn Lovejoy noted in his blog that sometimes the comments about growing missions sound like the following:

• "They must be watering down the Gospel"
• "They're probably just telling people what they want to hear"
• "All they care about is building a big church. They don't care about people"
• "All they care about is drawing a crowd"
• "I've heard they sell beer in their lobby" (Well - probably not that one, but one never knows).

I must say that I rarely hear those comments first hand, but sometimes hear them repeated by someone who has heard someone else make them.

Luther's explanation to the 8th commandment tells us "We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way."

I see this cutting two ways. As mission planters here in Texas find the Lord blessing their labors in introducing people to Jesus so that their eternities are changed forever, I trust that their motives and methods are intimately connected to Jesus' Great Commission. I know that for those front-line mission planters "Eternity matters most!"

Second - I also trust that those who express concerns like those listed above truly also love the Lord and those not yet connected to Jesus.

Each of our planters works hard to share a Law/Gospel message of sin, grace and redemption in such a way that it impacts the particular culture where God has placed their new church. It is hard work. Pastors' of existing churches do the same.

So, I celebrate wherever I see signs of God's mission breaking out to permeate culture, ethnicity and generations. I pray God's blessings on those planters, pastors and leaders as they trust one another to carry out the mission of Jesus.

Nurturing a 2 Corinthians 10:15-16 Vision for Mission Expansion

In 2 Corinthians 10:15-16 Paul writes "…Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, {16} so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you."

How does God want your church to be involved in the expansion of God's Kingdom on earth? Many churches never get beyond the walls of their building, the A-Z list of their own members or the hoped for move-ins of Lutherans to their community when they think about the influence they might have for Jesus Christ.

How would you define that term "the regions beyond you"?

Global - Most Christians can easily identify with God's global mission. Supporting World Missions will always be vitally important. Your congregation's tithe or better is an important way to expand influence in the regions beyond you. Many congregations also are beginning to personally connect with God's global mission by creating opportunities for people to travel to those countries to serve, encourage and teach.

Regional - The phrase "regions beyond you" suggests stretching to expand the kingdom. Church planting used to a way of life for many Lutheran Christian congregations which sought to serve growing under served communities. That vision is getting recaptured by many Texas District congregations along with the District itself. The 2009 budget has committed $2,670,237 to partner with churches that become involved in mission planting. Has your congregation begun to stretch its vision, looking as Paul did to the "regions beyond you"? Where might you begin to think about planting a church in the regions near you? Call your Mission and Ministry Facilitator if you want help exploring that possibility. If we really believe the words of Jesus in John 10:10 "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly," we will want to be faithful in exploring how we might be part of planting churches in our sphere of influence so that the Gospel of Jesus is shared.

Local – The "regions beyond you" might not only be geographical but might suggest a cultural, ethnic or linguistic divide that missional churches will need to cross in order to expand the influence of God's Kingdom. This is not only true in large cities but also in small towns and regional areas. Many of our congregations are situated in places of such change. For them, "regions" may people groups who are across the street and just around the block. Because this kind of reaching feels uncomfortable to some, many congregations and leaders are fearful of disturbing the comfort level of current members. Some congregations and leaders, however, have begun to identify with the vision given to John in Revelation 14:6 "Then I saw another angel … and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people." What people groups are in arm's length of your church that you have yet to stretch toward? Be bold in raising that question in your congregation.

Personal – "Regions beyond you" is also personal. Paul didn't just pray for the opportunity for the church to expand its influence – he was part of the action himself! That is what God wants for each of us: 1 Peter 3:15 "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"

Just Who Are the UnChurched?

This morning as I left home and then returned from worship and Bible Study at my church I noticed what I notice nearly every Sunday that I am home. Very few cars leave my neighborhood on a Sunday morning. Most of my neighbors are Unchurched. They are the kind of folks every new church plant and every existing congregation wants to reach.

They may be unchurched but they are not a monolithic group of people. Barna Research does the most extensive research about just who the unchurched are.

Perhaps the most surprising thing they discovered is that 62% of unchurched adults consider themselves to be Christian. Another startling finding is that the number of unchurched has increased by 92% in the past 13 years going from 39 - 79 million.

The evidence points to an incredible need for a new mission focused church planting movement as well as the urgency for existing churches to become truly missional.

Here is what the research uncovered.

Definition

The following is how we define an unchurched adult for our research: an adult (18 or older) who has not attended a Christian church service within the past six months, not including a holiday service (such as Easter or Christmas) or a special event at a church (such as a wedding or funeral).

How Many?

• There has been a 92% increase in the number of unchurched Americans in the last thirteen years. In 1991 there were 39 million unchurched Americans compared with 75 million currently. (2004)

Who?

• Although they comprise slightly less than half of the national population, men constitute 55% of the unchurched. (2006)
• The average unchurched person is 41, which is younger than the national norm of 45. (2006)
• One-fifth of American adults (21%) are single-never-married, whereas nearly one-half of the unchurched fit that definition (48%). (2006)
• The highest concentration of unchurched adults is in the West where 43% of adults are unchurched and the Northeast (40%), compared to 28% residents in the South and Midwest who are unchurched. (2006)

Spiritual Commitment

• More than three out of five (62%) unchurched adults consider themselves to be Christian. (2006)
• 44% claim they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today. (2006)
• In a typical week, 19% of unchurched people read the bible compared to 47% of all adults who do so. (2006)
• In a typical week, 66% of unchurched people pray compared to 84% of all adults who do so. (2006)
• Three-fifths (61%) of the churched population has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, compared with one out of every five unchurched adults (21%) who has done so. (2006)

Beliefs

• 64% of the unchurched say that Satan is not a living being but is a symbol of evil. (2006)
• 63% of unchurched adults state that a good person can earn his or her way into Heaven. (2006)
• Slightly less than half (48%) of the unchurched define God as the perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who continues to rule His creation today. (2006)
• 51% of the unchurched assert that when Jesus Christ lived on earth, He committed sins. (2006)
• 27% of the unchurched firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches. (2006)

Handing off the Missional Baton

I spent yesterday in training with Will Mancini in utilizing The Church Unique process (Church Unique; Jossey-Bass, 2008) of helping churches discover their Kingdom Concept, develop their Vision Frame and create their own vision pathway.

Will's vocabulary includes seeing Mission as Missional Mandate. The etymology of mandate from the Latin means "to give into one's hand" the way a relay runner hands off the baton in a race.

Exactly what are we to hand off as we state the unique Missional Mandate for each church? In John 20:19-22, Jesus tells his disciples "Peace be with you" which sets the stage for the hand-off of His mission. In v. 21 he says "as the Father has sent me, I am sending you." For the disciples, that Missional Mandate had a unique look which first included sharing the Gospel with their Jewish brothers and sisters between the borders of the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It soon expanded to Greek speaking Jews in places like Antioch and rapidly expanded to the Gentile world of Asia Minor, Africa and Europe.

Each new church start and existing church of Christ followers is also handing off a baton to those who become part of its mission. You and your church are in a unique local setting. Generic photocopied mission statements from other churches won't be adequate for expressing the uniqueness of God's Missional Mandate for your church. What is the unique baton expressing Christ's Great Commission your are handing off? Missional Mandates always express how your church will help people move from A--->B. Think of Jesus' Mission. One expression of it is found in Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Another is found in John 10:10 "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." In each of those expressions of His Mission, Jesus tells how he wants to move someone from lostness to being saved; from emptiness to a full and abundant life.

What baton has Jesus handed off to your church to carry out Great Commission ministry using the unique strengths and assets with which He has blessed you? What do you believe God wants to have happen in the lives of your members and attenders because your church exists?