Missional Theology
The First Presbyterian church newsletter is published semi-monthly with articles written by the pastoral staff and membership, including a section entitled Pastoral Perspective. Listed here is an updated copy of a recent article submitted for this column. For a more printer-friendly version, you can also view the PDF file by clicking here. In this same vein, I hope to have articles and perspectives posted here in the future regarding missional theology.
Pastoral Perspective – On the Church’s Calling, for Christ in Mission to the World
Inwardly Strong, Outwardly Focused: Called to Risk and Trust as Christ’s Faithful Evangelist
I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you all with power through His Spirit
in your inward being. –Ephesians 3:16
For those who want to save their lives will lose it. But those who give up their lives for my sake, and
for the sake of the gospel, will find true life. –Mark 8:35
After having recently attended the inaugural conference of the Presbyterian Global Fellowship held at our denomination’s largest congregation, Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, I was reminded of a particular passage in Part II of The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Chapter III in the Book of Order’s section on Form of Government, entitled “The Church and Its Mission”, contains a piece that addresses the nature of our missional calling as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Based on the New Testament Scripture on the Great Commission toward the end of the Gospel of Matthew (28:16-20), the first piece that comes to mind tells us that,
“The Church is called to be Christ’s faithful evangelist, [as we are] going into the world, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all he has commanded.” [G-3.0300 c. (1)]
The church—the “called out” ones—we, the people of the triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), is/are called to go out into the world... And as I relayed along with the lectionary texts in preaching the sermon at worship in the park last Sunday, we the church are called to be “Internally Strong, [and] Externally Focused.”
We are meant to be inwardly strengthened with God’s power through prayer in order for us to be outwardly focused on our apostolic/missionary calling to minister to those outside in the world around us. Furthermore, as members of the body of Christ,
“The Church is called to undertake this mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.” (G-3.0400)
We are provided both biblical and constitutional warrant as derived from Scripture to prayerfully discern God’s leading and guidance, and to seek the Lord in pursuing certain initiatives for this new season of our journey and life together in this family of faith.
In light of this, I invite us to consider anew and take note of signs of the church’s activity in the world, as may be evidenced throughout this, prior, and/or subsequent newsletters. While we seek to encourage and build one another up inwardly in love (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Galatians 5:13), I believe we would best do so by also ensuring we are outwardly paying attention to our missional calling, thereby being effective in building community through Christ. For His glory and the expansion of His kingdom, with you, I am
In His Service,
Pastor Rex
The Rev. Terry Mann of Fountain Park Church explains “being missional”…
In recent weeks and months I have received a great blessing. I hear more and more folks using “being missional” in discussions regarding Fountain Park ministry, program and budget planning. This is a tremendous advancement from 2-1/2 years ago when Fountain Park was still struggling to understand its less than one year existence and had practically zero understanding of the true meaning of the word “missional” much less knowing what it meant to BE missional in a suburban setting.
In all honesty, there is not a lot written and researched on being missional in a suburban setting. Consider this. The 5-6 blogs I put up last fall on being missional in the suburbs STILL get hits reading them every day. Sad as this may read, almost all work on being missional I have been able to uncover is discussed in an urban setting. Now, please read these next few sentences slowly and thoughtfully. I have no issue with urban ministry. I actually love urban ministry and wish I were in it some times. In 1994, my first look at a ministry change was to a ministry in downtown Chicago. It was not until three years ago that I finally realized that God was not going to allow me to pastor a church in an urban setting – as much as I wanted to. He led me into the suburbs in every discussion with churches at that time. I am here because this is where God has ordained that I should be, not because it is my life’s goal. I was never a suburbanite until I moved to Pittsburgh. I have learned and am learning to love it and learning how to eat shrapnel and enjoy it for what it is. (More on that in a minute.) This plays into why we as a suburban church are trying to develop partnerships with urban missional congregations.
What this means is that, proportionately speaking, there are few of us out here who are moving into this arena of discussion . . . and we do not all agree on every issue!! So, on some level, we are on the cutting edge. Before you get too excited remember this . . . the cutting edge is where the shrapnel is. I have always thought it best to be just behind the “cutting edge.” People on the cutting edge in every area are the ones who get electrocuted, die in experiments, and in general invent all sorts of ways that do not work. They are the most misunderstood and least appreciated until they are dead and gone. The cutting edge, quite frankly, is not safe. It is extremely dangerous. Ask the explorers who ventured across the seas in the 1400’s and 1500’s. Ask the folks who landed at Jamestown in the 1600’s. Ask the first pioneers who crawled into a covered wagon with their family and began the long journey west in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Ask the Mercury Astronauts. Ask the members of Apollo 13. Ask the families of the Challenger.
I am not, and never have been one to play it safe. I see no reason to change now. Jesus never took the safe road. Paul never took the safest route. John the Baptist was not a “safer.” Mary, the mother of Jesus, surely did not take the easy road. Nor did John, Thomas or Priscilla.
We, along with some others in the United States, are on the shrapnel end of things. It is misunderstood. We are often assumed to be just another take off on what is happening elsewhere. Fellow travelers, these are not just tweaks in ministry we are talking about. Being missional is not just the latest church growth fad. It is an entirely new (old) way of thinking. It is apostolic. It moves, changes, and evolves with every new location.
As happy as I am about the language of being missional being used in our venue, I am likewise a bit saddened by its misunderstanding.
Being missional is indeed about caring, reaching out to, and ministering to those commonly referred to as “seekers.” But it goes so far beyond that.
A lot of the discussion I am hearing centers around being missional in this sense: “What do we do in order to have others come to us?” “How should our program look to be attractive?” Friends, that is not being missional. That is being attractional. Huge difference.
Attractional says, “How do we get them here?”
Missional says, “How do we go to them?’
Attractional says, “Here we are.”
Missional says, “Where are you?”
Attractional says, “Come, let me help you.”
Missional says, “Let me be with you.”
Attractional says, “What is appealing?”
Missional says. “Where should I be investing my time?”
Attractional says, “Come.”
Missional says, “Go.”
Both care about those without Christ, but the core movement is opposite.
Now, before you say so, let me. Being missional will indeed be attractional, – at least on some level. When folks see you coming to them, see you caring for them where they are, without a hidden agenda; that is indeed appealing! BUT and this is a big BUT, the key . . . is that being missional starts with the church going to them not us striving to get them to us. Please understand this difference. It is at the core!
As we look to our summer ministry and our future staffing and planning, let us not forget that we should ask how we “go,” not how we get them to “come.”
I am . . . enjoying the roller coaster ride!
http://fountainpc.com/ViewNews.asp?ID=121
What does this statement mean?
"missional community" – [FPC] cannot be simply a church that expects people to come to us. We must be seeking ways to become involved in the surrounding community. The "old way" of doing church involved a focus on structures and real estate. The idea was the "if we build it, they will come" model. The missional church must take issue with that. It may involve a facility to do ministry, but the idea is that we are intentionally living our lives in and among those around us in such a way that they desire the Jesus we serve and are willing to be with us as we are with them. Facilities are a means to relationship and a means to ministry, never the focus of the staff, the leaders, or anyone who belongs to [FPC]. A missional church's focus is to continually ask where they can be among the folks in the community.
http://fountainpc.com/viewcontent.asp?sectionID=1&contentID=2