Missional is a Different Thing Than You May Think

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of churches have gone "missional"? Now, the church always has been missions minded, as the great commission is to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth and make disciples of all men. But apparently, that's NOT what "missional" means. Now, all of the sudden, churches (and these are established evangelical churches), are announcing that they are going "missional." So when you read of this term, you should know that this is a red flag. It doesn't mean that they have a heart to send missionaries out, or equip their members with the Word, to preach the gospel to the lost. No, the new "missional" means something entirely different than you might think, which you will see in a minute. But first, let's look at how the emergent authors and leaders are defining the word "missional"...

Scott McKnight, who likes this term, says it means this:

McKnight says, “It matters a lot less what we call what we are doing than doing what we are to do, and if we do that, it might not matter a whole lot what we call it.” (Emergent Village)

Wow, that's really as clear as mud now, isn't it? Okay, but what is it they are doing? What does it mean to be missional?

Alan Hirsch says it's this...

Missional church is a community of God’s people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God’s mission to the world. In other words, the church’s true and authentic organizing principle is mission. -Alan Hirsch, The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church, p. 82

Allen Roxburgh's Allelon says it's this...

Missional leadership is about cultivating a way of life among a people. It is not primarily about programs or tactics, but is about forming people rather than organizational or planning processes. (http://allelon.org/)

Brian McLaren has some really bizarre things to say about being missional here. Like, that Christians are lost too. Say what?

One could google and search all day and find some pretty interesting things being said by all the emergents, but what missional ACTUALLY means now, as it relates to the emergent church, is this:

Missional - 1. Working to make the world a better place instead of focusing on the Fundamentalist concepts of Heaven and Hell. 2. Being like the world to make friends with the world.

That's the opposite of what the Bible says. Of course, you have to read and listen to about 900 hours worth of emergent conversation to discover what they really mean with their slippery definitions, but for a quick short cut, you can find that one, and quite a few other emerging terms and what they actually mean, here:

Emerging Church - Glossary of Emergent Terms For Those New to the Conversation
www.apologeticsindex.org

Here's a chart that may be helpful as well...

New Age Terms in the Church
www.crossroad.to

Moral of the story? Keep your eyes and ears open. You never know what may be emerging in your church.

p.s. My spellcheck program is telling me that 'missional' is not a word. It wants me to change it to 'missions' or 'missionary.' Perhaps spellcheck is right.

~ ~ ~

MISSIONAL: ACCORDING TO JESUS
(Your mission, should you choose to accept it...)

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Mark 16

~ ~ ~

*Also very much related regarding the emerging church:
Following Jesus Christ without the Bible
www.letusreason.org