Missional...Really?

The buzz word in today's Christian community is Missional. In books, blogs, and conference sermons, today's Christian leaders are crazy about being missional. It doesn't take much to realize that the word missional comes from the word mission. The roots of this word are found in the idea of being a missionary. Taking the gospel from the church to the community.

But while many Pastors, church leaders, and conference leaders use this word to describe themselves and their ministries, are we really going people or churches? Are we missional or just creative attractional ministries? It seems there are many who can talk the talk of missiology, but few who actually are building churches that are missional in focus...many with missional attitudes but are clearly attractional in nature. What are some characteristics of missional churches?

Certainly, there are things that are missional about attractional values and there are things that are very attractional about missional attitudes. The question really lies are we actually sending people, incarnationally, in the community or are we trying to build an attractional place for the community?

J. Andrew Kirk describes the importance of this idea in his book, Shaped by God's Heart, passions and Practices of missional Churches,

"The Church is by nature missionary to the extent that, if it ceases to be missionary, it has not just failed in one of its tasks, it has ceased being the Church."


Doug Ehrgott with Horizon International makes this beautiful observation concerning missional churches and lives.

“A missional ministry is one based on obedience more than outcomes."

My observation:
Many church leaders are more interested in the statistics of success than they are the impact in the kingdom. Some live in fear of obediently changing...while others are constantly looking for the next model they can adopt to life and ministry. Our call of missional ministry begins with simple obedience to God's call of mission (Matt. 28; Acts 1:8)

Differences and Descriptions of Attractional and Missional Churches:

- Attractional ministries are characterized by a sense that “Professionals” do ministry in a place.
- Missional ministries are characterized by a sense that people do ministry EVERY place

- Attractional ministries are where people come together to worship
- Missional ministries are where worshippers go into the world

- Attractional ministries focus on people coming into the “church” event
- Missional ministries focus on people being the church in the world

- Attractional ministries celebrate people coming in
- Missional ministries celebrate people going out

- Attractional ministries focus on masses seeing Jesus
- Missional ministries focus on masses showing Jesus

- Attractional ministries are about the need of salvation for mankind (man centered)
- Missional ministries are about the reign and glory of God in salvation (God centered)

Truly missional ministries/lives perceive mission as the essence of their existence. It’s not size, growth strategy, or creative ideology. It’s centered on the spread of the gospel to the nations for the glory of God.
So are you living a missional life? Are you leading a missional ministry? Or are you just missional in word…but not in deed.