Being the Missional Church

I have had several conversations lately about what it means to be missional. Michael Frost answers that question. Please take the time to watch this. I look forward to hearing your comments.

Comments

Michael Cooper said…
....we have to many stinkin names! well i'm a fundamental, conservative, baptist, 5 or 4 point calvinist depending on my view of limited atonement, missional, somewhat charismatic in my worship...oh yeah Christian. I dont know man i'm probably going to offend someone but let's get over all these "add ons" and just read the book of Acts. That's the church! Preach the Gospel to every living creature. I might be just narrow minded or young or whatever else but it doesn't matter if your missional or baptist....preach the Gospel. None of the stuff is going to matter on the day of judgment. Let's be the Church. With the capital C.
February 7, 2008 at 9:59 PM
Buddy Holt, PhD said…
I think you are making the same point. I definitely see a distinction from what this man is describing and what I see within the walls of the building that we have incorrectly named "the church".

I agree with you, yes, preach the Gospel, but I also agree with him, that we should ensure that we live the Gospel that we preach. The testimony of our lives opens the door for the testimony of word.

For example, I personally know men who can preach a storm to a stranger on the steet, but those closest to them know them as angry, critical and incredibly unchrist-like in their character.

The commission is to preach. This is true, but its more, the call is to preach with our lives and with our words with the intent to connect the person to the Father through Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform the soul of the individual into a true disciple of The Master.

I think reading the book of Acts is good, but I think this really is an invitation to live the book of Acts, because it is all going to matter on the day of judgement.
February 7, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Michael Cooper said…
oh without a doubt. We have to live like Christ before we can ever preach Christ to anyone because if the conformity into His Son isn't there...ohhh beware come judgment day. We have to live the Gospel out in our own lives. I'm just saying that the names are to much for me to handle.
February 8, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Johnny said…
I've watched this vid a few times now, and also find myself returning regularly to Mike Frost's EXILES: Living Missionally in a Post Christian Culture, and have found it really challenging, and a massive wake up call.

Glad to see this preach stimulating debate.

Peace & blessings

J
February 9, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Buddy Holt, PhD said…
Johnny,

Thanks for stopping by. After seeing this video I went out an purchased Frost's book "The Shaping of Things to Come". I am looking forward to reading it. I will look for EXILES this week.

I see the Lord stirring the church on so many fronts and I am excited to see what will happen in our age once the church moves off the pew and into the harvest. I believe the times are ripe for the next 'great awakening'.
February 9, 2008 at 11:30 PM
Mike said…
I finally got around to listening to his lecture. I agree with a lot fo what he says, but it's funny to me that what he calls missional thinking I would call evangelical.

I'm not sure which of the two terms, missional or evangelical, is the newer but I really see no difference. At least in my mind. Everything should revelove around reaching out to others where they are in life and building a foundation of Christ in their lives.

It has been my conviction over the past year to year and a half that we need more reaching out with the gospel outside the church than inside the local body. The local body or church needs more teaching and equipping of the saints for their ministry. I think our missional or evangelical thinking is and has been backwards.

In short, if missional is reaching out to people where ever there are people and proclaiming Jesus, then I'm one or want to be one....lol
February 17, 2008 at 7:30 AM
Buddy Holt, PhD said…
Mike,

I would agree with you that this really does define what it means to be "evangelical". Unfortunately, the term evangelical has been redefined. When most think of what that word means, it conjures images of white steeples, hard pews neatly in a row, and a sheltered group of people who have locked themselves into a closed community and left the world outside with no real desire to ever see the two converge.
February 17, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sweeping Under the Doormat...

Image
I was reading tonight some material and came across the story of a young woman who was attempting to join Spurgeon's church in London one day, and she was asked, "What makes you think you have become a Christian?" Not understanding all the Bible doctrines of conversion and regeneration, she simply responded, "Because now I sweep under the doormat!" I really like that answer. The walk we are called to is not about the appearance that we can put on, as if by any stretch you or I could do anything to impress God. So who do we put those famous Sunday appearances on for that we hold to so tightly ? Why do you insists on wearing that suit and tie on Sunday? Who are you hoping is going to be "scoping" that new Easter dress and hat you just purchased? Does God marvel at those things? Is he impressed? I talked with another man this weekend, who told me he couldn't go to church this past Sunday because his only pair of jeans have holes in them and they are...
Read more

Into the Mystic

Image
I always liked the Van Morrison song, "Into the mystic", but gotta admit, I don't understand what in the world it is about. Aside from that, when I hear the word "mystic" or more directly "mysticism", it conjures up in my brain images of beaded, peace sign tatooed, nature fetished hippie types, hugging trees for some undefined type of "spiritual experience". Pretty weird, huh? I really need to work on these stereotypes I have floating around in my head. As I have been reading more and more on the missional vs. emergent thing, this whole concept of "mysticism" keeps popping up. What I can't seem to get my brain around is if the term has been adulterated in practice within the emergent movement to be more reflective of my bad stereotype or is it really about making doctrine secondary to feelings? I am not making a statement, it is really the question I have, since there appears to be such disparity between the different congregati...
Read more

Bringing others to Worship

You know our desire should be to bring others to worship in more than a metaphorical sense. I’m talking literally . It is like pulling teeth to convince someone of their need to overcome their fear and begin witnessing...but how easy is it to just simply invite someone to church? I had a great idea this morning. How would it be if in our affluent nation, every Christian who drives, would with God’s help purchase a 15 passenger van and submit himself/herself in accountability to others (who also have their 15 passenger vans) to fill them up with people that they know who are unchurched, in order to bring them to worship. Let’s bring it down a notch, what if every person in your church with a drivers license, did this? Every chauffeur would be exposing people to the Gospel, building community, and using their time and resources every week in an active ministry. They would be making disciples of those who routinely ride with them by encouraging them to purchase their own van and to do the...
Read more