What does it mean to be missional?  Simply speaking, a missional church is one that engages its culture, a people whose entire identity is formed by their calling to carry out the mission of God in the world. 

Even Jesus taught his followers to be missional.  In Luke 10, the story commonly called the “sending of the seventy,” gives us some hints for some missional shifts:

From seating to sending.  Our outreach is not such much about seating people in the pews as it is about sending people into the world.  Missional church members go outside the walls of their church building in order to become missionaries to their culture. 

From organizations to organisms.  Jesus sent the 70 “to every place and town where he intended to go.”  He sent them where he was already going!  Being missional means that we find out where God is working in the world, and then go there.  When we are brave enough to move out of our safe and dependable organizations to follow God’s sending, we may find ourselves involved in a fresh living, breathing organism, teeming with potential for growth.

From ordained to ordinary.  Missional churches do not depend on the professional clergy and staff to carry out the ministry of the church.  Everyone has a role in the missional church.  Ministry flows from their God-given spiritual gifts, their skills, and their passions for serving.  Missional Christians are not waiting to be asked to serve; they are attentive to people’s needs and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 

From programs to participation.  Being missional moves beyond offering our money and lifting up prayers to actually giving ourselves in service to others.  Everything — our worship, our education, our care, our evangelism, everything we do – comes out of our identity as a people passionate about extending God’s mission into the world. 

“The kingdom of God is near…”  This is your mission…should you choose to accept it.