For the past few years, I have read a ton of books.  Whether it is while I was in Bible college or just to read.  The one topic I have read the most on the last few years is on the topic of missional church. 

In my application of my theology and practice in ministry... even before I graduated last year from Bible school... my way of doing ministry was pretty simple.  Just do what Jesus did and said was important to him.  So that is what I did.  I saw how Jesus treated the poor, those in need, those that were hurting and my goal was to do what Jesus was doing.  After all, he said that we would be able to do much great things than him, because of the Holy Spirit being with us. 

So my family and I both did this.  We did this... even before I ever heard what the word missional truly meant. 

This word missional is a word that has become one with loaded meanings... one with that is now a buzz word... one that churches across all spectrums are identifying with.  But what does it really mean to be missional?  How do we live out a missional life?  How do we as a church, regardless of size, mega or small... old or new church plant... how do live out this new buzzword?

Today, I want to start off with what does the word actually mean and give you some examples of what missional church and life means. 

What is missional? 

The word actually does mean for one to act as a missionary would act.  But what does that mean?  What does that look like?  As somebody that has been and currently serving as a missionary... it means something like this:

1. •we focus on the community that God has called us and sent us to serve,
   

2. •it means that we relocate and live amongst the community, the people that God has called and sent us to,
   

3. •it means that being a missionary... we have to learn to communicate the Gospel in ways that does not water down the message, but actually contextualize it in such a way that it is relevant to the lives of the people around you.
   

4. •it means, that we are going to have to earn the right to be heard by BEING Jesus, DOING what would have done, so that way we can TAKE Jesus to everybody.  This means that our lives and our actions are going to speak to others about Jesus... and when we do this... we will earn the right for people to listen about Jesus.  This is a process... this is not some cute formula for making disciples... it is about the long term aspects of making disciples. 
   

An example of what missional is?

Here is a story of a family that God had really laid the poor in their community on their hearts, even more so, God called the family to minister to the poorest community in their city.  No churches in this community were actively focusing on meeting the needs of this neighborhood and the churches that were there, literally, did not have anybody walking to their churches.  They were all driving in from the upper middle class areas in the city and county and were not receptive to the church neighbors that would show up. 

This family, relocated into the community.  Started to build relationships with the people of the community, they took their kids out of the “rich” Christian school in the city and put their kids in the poorest school district in the city.  They would volunteer at the school, at the soup kitchen & homeless shelter, they would find the homeless camps together as a family, they found a great need for winter coats... so they did a HUGE winter coat drive for this community and partnered with the middle & elementary schools to distribute coats to kids as they needed them and also did larger coat distributions.  The family worked local churches to do servant evangelism in the community, to coordinate prayer walks, adopt a block... where small groups, churches, youth groups would adopt a block in the neighborhood to pray for, serve, give feedback on needs of the residents of that block.  Created a food pantry out of their home for people in the neighborhood, networked their neighbors with resources & assistance from government & other church agencies. 

They did all this... and as they did this, they earned the right to be trusted, to be heard and they started a small group to minister to their neighbors and to share the Gospel in action and in word. 

This is just one example of how a family can live missional lives.

But what about a church?

Here I see it pretty basic.  It is about not focusing on the needs of the physical church building... and getting people to come to their building. 

It is about our churches, living out what it is that we preach on Sunday morning.  I saw a quote the other day said some like... the world doesn’t need to hear another sermon; but they need see more sermons in action.

Local churches need to get to being known for:

1. •BEING Jesus- our churches need to be about much more than just being a building that is providing Christian services for people to consume.  We need to create disciples that are being Jesus in their neighborhoods, at their work sites, that are living out Philippians 2 and have the attitude of Jesus Christ, especially that need him the most. 
   

2. •DOING Jesus- too many of our churches today, are more wrapped up in doing what the world says makes sense... we spend too much money on beautiful, slick buildings, programming, sound & video systems and it takes money away from doing what Jesus would have done.  I understand the needs for these things... but do we need to spend hundred’s of thousands of dollars on making our buildings sound better?  Yes we need sound & video systems... but reality is... when all that is said and done those things will fade away and Jesus is going to ask us with what he gave us.  Did we reach out to the poor, to the hurting, to the drug addicts, to the poorest schools, to the elderly, to the widows, the single moms... or did we sacrifice reaching out to them for a new sound system?  Did we miss an opportunity to reach a single mom and her kids because we did not have the ministries, the resources or even the heart to meet her needs when she needed us [the church] the most?  We need to do what Jesus would have done... he gave us three years of his life in ministry to use as a model.  How we do this... is based on your culture.  If you have a large sports culture, then sports ministries are great... if you have a poor community that cannot afford to put their kids in a youth sports league... don’t do one and expect them to pay.  Jesus would have said, come and play ball with us.  It is pretty clear in the Bible, about God’s heart for the poor and those in need... there are over 2000 scriptures in the Bible and how we should treat and minister to the poor.  Pastors, how are going to respond, when God asks, how did you respond to the poor around you, your church, in your neighborhoods? 
   

3. •TAKING Jesus to everybody- Too many of our churches today, are segregated culturally, financially, racially and the last time I looked at the Bible... we are suppose to go out of our way to bring the poor, the hurting, the single mom with four kids, those addicted to drugs, those that cannot read and write... and bring them into our fellowships.  Those are the ones that the Father wants at the banquet... at our church services. 
   

The word missional is a broad word... that has a HUGE impact on us as individuals, our families, our churches, our communities... the question to you... what are going to do with it? 

Here is the list of the other bloggers that are going to be participating in today’s “Missional Synchroblog” where 50 bloggers will all be blogging on this one topic... “What is missional?”

Alan Hirsch         http://www.theforgottenways.org/blog/

Alan Knox           http://assembling.blogspot.com/

Andrew Jones      http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/

Barb Peters         http://retrofited.blogspot.com/

Bill Kinnon          http://www.kinnon.tv/

Brad Brisco         http://www.missionalchurchnetwork.com/

Brad Grinnen      http://lanceandbrad.blogspot.com/

Brad Sargent      http://futuristguy.wordpress.com/

Brother Maynard http://www.subversiveinfluence.com/wordpress/

Bryan Riley         http://charisshalom.fjministries.com/

Chad Brooks       http://www.outsideisbetter.net/

Chris Wignall      http://www.catalystfoundation.blogspot.com/

Cobus Van Wyngaard http://mycontemplations.wordpress.com/

Dave DeVries     http://www.missionalchallenge.blogspot.com/

David Best         http://swimminginthedeepend.blogspot.com/

David Fitch         http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/

David Wierzbicki http://www.davidwierzbicki.com/blog/

DoSi                  http://www.dosi.p-shuttle.de

Doug Jones        http://www.perigrinatio.com/

Duncan McFadzean http://whatsyourpointcaller.wordpress.com/

Erika Haub         http://erika.haub.net/

Grace                 http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com/

Jamie Arpin-Ricci http://missional.blog.com/

Jeff McQuilkin     http://www.jmcq.blogspot.com/

John Smulo        http://johnsmulo.com/

Jonathan Brink   http://www.jonathanbrink.com/

JR Rozko           http://lifeasmission.com/

Kathy Escobar    http://www.kathyescobar.com/

Len Hjalmarson http://www.nextreformation.com/

Makeesha Fisher http://swingingfromthevine.com/

Mark Berry         http://markjberry.blogs.com/way_out_west/

Mark Petersen    http://markpetersen.wordpress.com/

Mark Priddy        http://www.allelon.org/neighborhood/

Michael Crane     http://urbanphile.blogspot.com/

Michael Stewart  http://www.exagorazo.blogspot.com/

Nick Loyd           http://nickloyd.com/

Patrick Oden       http://dualravens.com/ravens/

Peggy Brown       http://abisomeone.blogspot.com/

Phil Wyman         http://squarenomore.blogspot.com/

Richard Pool        http://richardandfaith.blogspot.com/

Rick Meigs           http://www.blindbeggar.org/

Rob Robinson      http://pilgrimguide.wordpress.com/

Ron Cole             http://thewearypilgrim.typepad.com/

Scott Marshall     http://scomarsh.blogspot.com/

Sonja Andrews    http://www.calacirian.org/

Stephen Shields  http://faithmaps.blogspot.com/

Steve Hayes       http://khanya.wordpress.com/

Tim Thompson    http://www.feralpastor.blogspot.com/

Thom Turner      http://www.everydayliturgy.com/