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?