Questions to think about:

Is “missional” a real word?
Yes. It may not be in every dictionary, but the Oxford English Dictionary says the word has been around for almost 100 years. Missional is an adjective that describes the way in which we do all of our activities rather than identifying any one particular activity. Within the last few years it has come into more common use. To be missional is to align all of the program, function and activities of the church around the mission of God in the world.

What is the difference between a missional church and a church with a mission program?
A church with a mission program usually sees missions as one activity alongside many activities of the church – Sunday school, worship, helping people, hospitality and other programs. A missional church focuses all of its activities around its participation in God’s mission in the world. That means: It trains people, it worships and it practices mutual support and serves the community around it while the world watches. A church with a missions program sends others to witness on their behalf. A missional church understands that it is the congregation itself that is sent by God to proclaim and to be a sign of the reign of God. Just as God sent Jesus, now Jesus sends the church.

What’s so new about the missional church? Aren’t we already missional?
Many local congregations have already begun the journey to become more missional, but have never recognized themselves as such. Some congregations are becoming more missional and are eager to share the story of their journey. Other congregations make a distinction between witness outside the church and the rest of congregational life. The vision of a missional church invites all of the being and doing of the church to become shaped by what God intends for the world.

Does being a missional church mean starting a lot of new activities? We’re already so busy.
A missional church does not necessarily do more outreach activities. In fact, a missional church may do fewer things, but do them better. To be a missional church means to discern how this particular congregation’s calling is aligned with God’s mission in the world. To be a missional church means to orient all of the life of the church around God’s mission.

Isn’t this just another church growth thing?
Many missional congregations are growing in numbers. But the missional church vision is not a technique or a way of increasing market share; it is a way of understanding the true calling of the church. It is a way of life for the church. Rather than merely focusing on a congregation’s size, the missional church vision calls us to focus on God's kingdom and calling. For a congregation, that means to be a living sign and foretaste of God’s new creation. It also means inviting people to become a part of God’s new community.

Does being a missional church mean that evangelism is more important than Christian education?
No. It would be a mistake to invite people to become citizens of God’s kingdom without equipping them for life in it. The purpose of the church is to proclaim and be a sign of the reign of God. A missional church is intentional about both its witness and service to those outside the community of faith and how its life together gives people a glimpse of God’s new reality.

What connection does the missional church concept have with the unique situation churches are facing in North America?
Key to the identity of a missional church is being an alternative society within the dominant culture. When the church proclaims and is a sign of the reign of God – whether by loving enemies or welcoming those on the margins – it will be a contrast community in the eyes of the world. Many Christian traditions that had previously enjoyed a privileged status in the dominant North American culture no longer do. The missional church perspective offers important clues on how to be the church when not at the center of things.

Can the church simultaneously be both nonconformed to the world and engaged in witness to Jesus Christ in the world?
Yes. Missional congregations demonstrate full engagement in witness to the world, but in a way that is different from the world. That witness is grounded in Jesus Christ, who calls us to be “in the world… but not of it”

Isn’t that risky?
It usually is. Churches that are in the world, but not of the world, take a lot of risks – physical, financial, social. They are not universally liked. These churches are able to take risks for the sake of the reign of God because they depend on the Holy Spirit for power to serve and to witness. These chruches spend a lot of time praying. They also know that, even if they experience rejection in the short run, the final victory belongs to God.

GROW the saved, SAVE the lost, CARE for the downtrodden!