MCN Reflection — Sharon Hamilton: More thots on MC as of April 1

In our meeting of April 1, we again had TV Thomas with us, discussing ideas of the Missional Church.

This type of analysis is important to our planning and decision-making as a functioning group.  Watch for more postings in this series.

Here are Sharon’s questions and comments:

  • What is the Missional Church and what does it look like? Here are points made by TV and others: 
    • It involves passionate commitment to reaching others for Jesus by the whole church.
    • Churches send and support individuals who are doing outreach. The church coaches people on how to be missional. Then these individuals meet outside the church with others (from inside and outside the church) to act this out.
    • Not just events, but a whole missional lifestyle. Ron recommended the 83-page document by Tim Keller, which has lots of practical advice.
    • Kevin Vance gave three ways this could happen:
    • Individuals start a project and bring others into it
    • The church incubates new projects as a whole
    • Lead pastors lead their congregants in being missional
    • Ron floated the idea of perhaps having a Saturday workshop with speakers to explore the possibilities. Question: Is this for pastors, so they can ignite their congregations, or for lay people who are interested in doing outreach themselves (or with their churches)? 
    • My question: Is it only pastors who can lead in this? Can lay people also lead?
  • What is Mission? This seems like a fundamental question. What is the goal and what are we trying to accomplish? Presumably to spread the Kingdom of God by spreading the Good News of Jesus. 
    • Debbie spoke of joining initiatives from secular organizations where God is also working to help people, such as Big Sisters.
    • Given that they are doing good things and meeting needs of people, can this be called “mission” in a Christian sense? These groups are not seeking to lead people to Jesus, and might even have prohibitions about speaking of religious things. This is definitely charity, but is it mission?
    • Tim Keller (in his shorter document) gave the history of the Protestant church, and he claimed that the decline of the mainstream denominations came about because they tried to mimic secular society and downplay their religious basis. If the church is indistinguishable from secular society, why do we need the church?
    • If the church’s main mission (from Jesus) is to make and baptize disciples and teach them to obey what he commanded, then charitable work, however needed and noble, is not the church’s primary mission. However, it can provide an opening.
    • Kevin Vance told about a group that is starting a church at the pub at the U of R. They started with service, but had the goal all along of starting a church. 
    • Note: This can take a long time. We have to be in it for the long term. This is why it has to be a missional lifestyle, not just a project.
  • Same question about the sandwich outreaches that Argyle is doing. They are good, but are they mission? Is there an end goal besides feeding people? Does there need to be? Could this be a way to begin to get Christians involved in outreach? 

Thanks, again, Sharon.

First published here:  2024/04/20