HEALTHY CHURCH: The Mission of God
Does your church have a mission from God, or does the mission of God (Missio Dei) have your church to carry it out? You may think this is not important but be careful to put first things first. Many churches have decided how church should be done, and frankly, it does not resemble the church Jesus started or that you study in the New Testament. Jesus made it clear about pursuing lost sheep, coins and children in Luke 15. Verse 4 says, “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?”
In Missional Church, Darrell Guder said, “We have come to see that mission is not merely an activity of the church. Rather, mission is the result of God’s initiative, rooted in God’s purposes to restore and heal creation. Missions means ‘sending,’ and it is the central biblical theme describing the purpose of God’s action in human history… It continues today in the worldwide witness of churches in every culture to the gospel of Jesus Christ.” It appears that churches today are relying on centripetal methods (pulling in) when God called His churches to adopt a centrifugal (sending out) approach. Matthew 28:19 is about “as you are going.”
If your only method is attractional, you require people to come to you on your turf to hear the gospel. God’s mission has churches, not churches that have a mission. The New Testament standard is clear, and your church is called to take Jesus to every tribe, tongue and culture. His mission is much more than getting people to attend a service. This is not minimizing the importance of church or saying you should not invite people to come. The problem is when you put all your eggs in the evangelistic-attractional basket when God has called us to a missional-incarnational approach.
Three key elements in living sent are Christology, missiology and ecclesiology. They determine how you should approach living on God’s mission. Christology places all the focus on the founder of our faith, Jesus Christ. When you begin to talk about carrying out His mission, you must always begin with Him. Learn the “how to” from looking at what He did. We are to love and live like Him in the culture He placed us in by being the salt and light. The main way that God helps people find Him is by placing you in people’s lives so they can see Jesus in you. Christology asks, “Who is Jesus, and what has He sent you to do?”
Start developing your missiology. What forms and strategies should your church employ to most effectively expand the kingdom in the place where you have been sent? God’s mission must determine your methodology in carrying out that mission. It’s time for a reality check. How much of what you are doing truly resembles what Jesus did? In other words, does Christology shape your missiology according to the Great Commission to make disciples? Are you actively discipling others so they will disciple others? Are you actively pursuing people who are far God and building redemptive relationships with them?
Your ecclesiology flows out of your obedience to Christ in carrying and living out His mission. Ecclesiology is described as, “What expression of a New Testament church would be most appropriate in your context?” Remember that this is built upon your spiritual and theological foundation as it is applied to your context and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our BMA Doctrinal statement states, “A New Testament church is a local congregation (Acts 16:5; I Cor. 4:17) of baptized believers in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:41) who are united by covenant in belief of what God has revealed and in obedience to what He has commanded (Acts 2:41, 42).”
Please note that there is no mention of the style of music or the location where a church is to gather. There is no indication of how small or large a congregation must be. It does not specify how many buildings are needed or even if a church must have its own facility. Pews, hymnals, musical instruments, baptistries, offering plates, PowerPoint presentations, steeples, and so on are not included. None of these are required to be considered a New Testament church. Throughout the centuries, churches have gathered in catacombs, under trees, by the riverbank, and in homes. Churches are defined by their obedience to the Great Commission.
The temptation is to define your church by what it has, much more than by its obedience to the mission of God.God’s mission is why you exist, and it must come first. God has always been on mission to pursue man and redeem them since the fall in the Garden of Eden. When you start with the church, the mission can easily get lost, but when you start with God’s mission, a vibrant church will likely be found. Healthy churches realize that God’s mission has never changed, and to be the church Jesus wants you to be, you must align yourselves with His mission. Inwardly focused churches are not healthy churches.
Are you challenging and training your people on how to live on mission for God? Can you answer the following questions well:
• What kinds of people live in this community?
• What is the best way to meet new people in your community?
• What are your community's demographics in age, gender, income, education, religion, family life cycle, and socio-economic status?
• Do you really understand the makeup of those living around you and what makes them tick?
Missionaries study their culture to understand better how to reach their culture, and a missional church is willing to do the same.
David Hesselgrave teaches the Pauline cycle and states that step two (Acts 13:14-16; 14:1) is that the target audience is contacted. If you want more information on the Pauline Cycle and other resources to embrace the mission of God, please email please email me (larry@bmaam.org) or Heidi (heidi@bmaglobal.org).
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Larry Barker
Director of Church Planting and Church Health Larry Barker submits a weekly column titled, Healthy Church Solutions, designed to strengthen and encourage the local church.
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