MC: What's it take?
The bottom line is that we are about developing a movement of communities utterly convinced of the gospel and unwaveringly committed to declaring and demonstrating that gospel to a broken world.
Unofficial Definition: Aside from Jesus, Missional Communities are what Missio Dei Communities live or dies with. We are unwaveringly committed to shaping and sending followers of Jesus into the world to live out the Missio Dei.
Official Definition: A Missional Community (MC) is a core of people who are being transformed by the gospel that commit to living out God’s mission together by demonstrating and declaring the gospel in tangible ways to each other and to their world.
In order for this to happen we need to equip and unleash dynamic leaders who faithfully live everyday life with gospel intentionality. These leaders must be committed to leading gospel communities on mission doing the same. We want to use the blog this week to talk about how we see this happening.
But let’s start with some discussion. What would you say is a key ingredient for a Missional Community?
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Mike Baumert on Oct 20, 2009 10:13am
I saw a great article on the Resurgance network the other day that laid out three core drivers for the trinitarian church as a whole (using big fancy, beautiful words): Orthodoxoligical (bringing proper glory to God in all things), Logocentric (centered on the Word incarnate, Jesus Christ as well as the inspired Word of God), and Pneumadynamic (empowered and led by the Spirit). Seems like some great ingredients to start with.
http://theresurgence.com/missional-ecclesiology-trinitarian-church
Amy Sellner on Oct 20, 2009 11:09am
I was thinking about this on Sunday: An MC must grow, and growing takes both dying and new birth. Multiplying a close-knit MC into two groups hurts, and feels like a small death especially if the group is then separated by a long distance. But a seed has to die before it starts to grow a plant. As the body of Missio Dei grows, we'll keep adding new life and also saying goodbye to others as they leave and spread the mission through the Spirit's power. It'll feel a little bit like dying and rebirth all the time, but I think that's how it should be.
Mat Wright on Oct 21, 2009 9:50am
I'm thinking our MC's need to be intentionally looking to grow by inviting non-believers to join us in our community, service, and communion. As they're in our company we ought to adhere to the stuff Mike's talking about, and be prepared to engage what Amy mentioned as we find new, exciting, fruitful ways to join with others to be good news to the world.
Paul Barker on Oct 22, 2009 12:53am
The Gospel. The Good News of Jesus Christ. Without it there would be no mission! It tells us what our mission is and shows us how our God is missional. We can see through the true story and through the coming, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus how to be missional. This should be our mission and we should never part form it. Simply living out it's implications is missional. Simply living redeemed, transformed lives is missional. Yes, talking, planning, prayer, and collaboration goes into mission, but it all starts with a missional life defines and lived out by our identities.
Recently, I have been in a "Jesus, plus..." mentality, thinking that mission is added on to Jesus and His ministry. May we not leave what makes us missional in the first place! And live by it, through it, and with it. What that looks like...you tell me!