Missional Church

I've been giving some of my wishes for the MDIV curriculum at Wesley.

Pastor, Church, and World
Cultural Contexts of Ministry
Bible as Scripture
Introduction to Theology

Here are some of my dreams for the Missional Church course, the first of 6 praxis courses in our curriculum.  The course covers four broad domains: evangelism, service, church multiplication, and global missions.  As the name of the course suggests, it is oriented around becoming part of the mission of God more than an "attractional" philosophy oriented around getting people to my church.  To be missional is to be oriented around God's mission in the world through the church rather than around the narrow interests of my church.  Find out what God is doing in your area and get on board.

Of course there is a balance here, like the balance between giving to others and having healthy boundaries.  I shouldn't worry if someone is better fed at another church than mine.  But if my church can do something great through God's grace, it probably should do it, even if it draws people from other churches.

Some of my passions for this course are that it demolish some of the (thoroughly unwesleyan) misconceptions of twentieth century fundamentalism. For example, social justice is a core biblical value, found in the Law, the Prophets, the Writings, the Gospels and Acts, and the Letters.  And the problem with the social gospel of the early twentieth century was not its interest in helping those in need--this was not the part of the social gospel that was bad.  Rather, its problem was that this was all it had left of Christianity.  It had lost its faith in Christ and God and it's social message was all that was left, rather than the social message being contrary to faith.

This course should embody the current emphasis of the Wesleyan Church on church planting and multiplying.  My colleague Bob Whitesel tells me that "internal" church plants are generally more successful than external ones, that plants do better when they remain in connection to a mother church.  The options have multiplied, as venued ministry becomes more and more common.  These are not just about attracting more people but are a sign of flourishing.

The scene of global missions has changed dramatically.  For one thing, North America is not the only one doing the sending these days.  Christianity is shifting to the two-thirds world. Short term mission trips need to be carefully conceptualized.  Usually, we have little if anything spiritual to contribute, but we can contribute our resources on every level.  A successful trip, in my mind, is one in which we are changed and our love for one another is clear.  Death, however, to the paternalistic mission trip.