Jack,

I loved the post about Hope Community. It addressed an issue that I keep raising in the missional dialogue. In a previous generation, ‘missions’ was understood to be about crossing cultures geographically with the Gospel. So, what churches did at home was evangelism…while what they did across the oceans, was missions. Such identifiers are, for the most part, no longer functional in North America. Now ‘mission’ is not about geography, but about relationships. So, when Hope Community reaches beyond itself into communities who have little or no knowledge of Christ, even in Wisconsin, with a disciple making priority, they are exhibiting a missional posture.

Missional churches are involved with both neighbors and nations. They see themselves as existing to accomplish Christ’s mission of making disciples, locally and globally. Any church must minister locally so that Christ’s prayer is more closely realized in its own community, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done…” As Kingdom outposts, their ministry must seek the spiritual transformation of those within the congregation’s immediate sphere of influence.

This leads to the BIG issue. For too many, a missional posture is measured by what the church does corporately (when it is gathered) in mission and ministry. As I understand it, this is actually second order mission. The real indicator of a missional posture is first order mission; members who individually understand themselves to be God’s missional people, have identified their personal primary mission fields, and are living as representatives of His Kingdom among their work associates, students at school, neighbors, team mates, and family members. Missional church is not first about “corporate performance of mission or ministry services,” whether locally or globally. Instead it is about God’s people living as His missionary representatives, seeking spiritual transformation of those persons they encounter daily; those with whom they have ongoing relationships. The reality is, in this generation, members are all over the world in business and leisure. We already have relationships scattered throughout the globe. How we “mission” those relationships is the best indicator of our missionality.

A final check relates to congregation’s being strategic in pursuit of God’s missional purpose. More than mission activity is required for a true missional posture. It is possible to be very active without being intentionally strategic. A key question that remains on the heart of missional churches is “How are we involved in bringing the Gospel to those who have never had opportunity to hear about Jesus and His saving work?” At some point we realize, strategic mission investment means making disciples among those who would otherwise have no access to the Gospel, not simply among those who have not accepted the Gospel. But be clear, it is not either-or, for the missional church. It is both-and; global and local – glocal.