Missional Church
A Vision for the Sending of
the Church in North America
From Sending to Being Sent
Understanding North American Culture
From
Sending to Being Sent
During the 20th century Christianity has become a truly
worldwide movement.
Churches have been established on every continent and
among every major cultural group.
Christianity in N. America has moved away
from its position of dominance
We have lost numbers of people
We have lost power and influence
Religiosity
in N. America
People are still religious
But less and less are joining the Christian Church
Religion in N. America is changing
More pluralistic
More individualistic
More private
This is a significant challenge
for those who take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to heart
North America is the Mission Field
In urban areas Christian churches now represent a minority
movement
The concern from this point forward is the way we are
responding to this Challenge.
Basic
Thesis of this study
The answer to the crisis facing the Church in N. America
will not be found at the level of method or problem solving.
It has to do with who we are and what we are for.
The real issues are
spiritual and theological and this will be our focus.
Who are
we?
A move from a Church centered understanding of mission to God centered
Mission is more than an activity of the Church
Mission is God’s initiative
rooted in God’s purposes to restore and heal
creation.
God’s
initiative: Mission is
sending
Began with God’s call to Israel
blessed to be a blessing
God’s work of salvation in Jesus ministering,
crucified and resurrected
Sending of the Holy Spirit to call forth and empower the
church as the witness to God’s Good News in Jesus Christ.
Moves to the promised end of time
God as a "missionary God"
The Church as a "sent people"
"As the Father has sent me, so I
send you" John 20:21
Mission is understood as being derived
from the very nature of God. It is thus put in the context of the doctrine of the Trinity,
not of the doctrine of the church or of the doctrine of salvation.
The classical doctrine of the Mission of God as
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God the Father sending the Son,
and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit
is expanded to include yet another "movement":
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sending the church into the world.
The Problem:
Neither the structures nor the theology of Western
Traditional churches is missional
they are shaped by the legacy of Christendom
we view mission as one of many programs
Affirmations:
Missional is Biblical
Missional is Historical
Missional is Contextual
Missional is Eschatological
Missional is practicable - It can be put into practice
The Church is The Body of Christ
As with Jesus, the church always takes particular form,
shaped according to the cultural and historical context in which it lives
Shaped from two directions
Under the power of God, the gospel shapes the culture of a
society
thus the church knows to expect a transforming impact on
its context
"Where the
Gospel is the World is different"
The church is called to express the gospel within the
terms, styles, and perspectives of its social context
The
Challenge of Ambiguity
"The church knows to expect a
life full of ambiguities because it is shaped by its context as the gospel reshapes the
context. Such a calling never leaves the church in a finished, settled, or permanent
incarnation."
We are called live faithfully to the gospel in a fully
contextual manner.
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