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?
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Well, we have to realize that this is a post-Christian culture, and that the denominational battles that were waged in the 20th Century resulted in a MAD Church (Mutually Assured Destruction).
We have to realize that Lutheranism is a tint, not a genus.
We have to realize that people don't go to church for a reason, and we have to address that reason.
We have to tell the GOOD News... not the nice news.
We have to look at successful Missional Churches worldwide, and look to the core of their success, not their outer form.
Finally, we have to live our lives in a way that shows the world that the Living Word of God dwells in us, and not as just carbon images impregnated onto paper.
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