In response to Chris's 4/4/05 blog...

Chris asked: So, if any of you reading this think you can come up with a statement describing and defining the missional church, I want to challenge you to do so by posting the statement as a comment here. But lets just make a few rules: No cheesiness or idealistic themes - I've already got that stuff. No complicated concepts - something every Christian (even non-Christian) can understand. Nothing too long - 4 to 5 sentences tops

IN 4-5 SENTENCES:
A church should be deemed missional by two charcteristics:
1) Philosophy
2) Actions

-A missional church has an implied and taught philosophy that every believer is called to PARTICIPATE in God's mission. This shifts a church from a supportive "come-and-see" mentality to a "go-and-be/tell/do" mentality.

-A missional church places the priority of evangelism and ministry in the hands of it's members. This means that every member of a missional church should be participating in loving and meeting needs of unchurched peoples. (We should begin to see conversion happening outside of Church walls, [which then become a gathering place for sending].)


IN ONE SENTENCE:
A missional church is a gathering of believers who participate in God's mission because they understand themselves as a sent people.


I know each of these statements might be able to stand alone, but most likely would lead to a a follow-up question by an audience, such as: isn't that what all chuches are about? Emphatically, no. Sadly, many evangelical churches talk good game when it comes to preparing believers for God's mission, but they do not take serious enough, the practice of being missional (or always on mission). Many of these churches see the Church institution as the place of ministry and conversion. Missional churches see the church body as the place of ministry and conversion. Whoa--there is my one sentence answer!

IN ONE SENTENCE:
Missional churches see the church body as the place of ministry and conversion.