(e)mergent Voyageurs

What does it mean to be missional? I don't want to be so presumptuous to answer this huge question. There are so many great resources out there, not the least of which is the excellent missional hub "Friend of Missional" (and the newly launched and developing Missional Apologetics), so I'll try to reflect a little on what it means to me to be to be missional. Some have dismissed it as a mere catch phrase, but the concept and conversation surrounding being "missional" has been incredibly valuable, even exciting, in my life and ministry.

While the Oxford English Dictionary defines missional as "Relating to or connected with a religious mission; missionary" (Wikipedia), and while this is fairly accurate for a dictionary reference, the concept of missional is far more complex and dynamic. Sadly, because of its popularity, it is often misused- sometimes it is thrown in describe a community, a ministry, etc. regardless of how truly missional it might be; sometimes it is used as a variation of missions or missionary. Both miss the deeper meaning of the term.

Missional is an adjective, meaning it is a descriptive word, a word that describes a noun. As insignificant as this may seem, when mission or missions is a noun, it is a specific thing or field, but as an adjective it is liberated to broaden its scope to define the fullness of life. I truly believe that being missional is a centrally defining aspect of Christianity. It is written in the DNA of our faith. Too often we talk about missions or missionaries as though it is a specialized for the chosen few rather than the universal vocation of every believer.

This is not to suggest that every Christian is called to be a "career missionary" in the sense of it being their full time, defining job. Some are called to this kind of ministry (as I believe I am), but most Christians are called to be "missionaries" within the contexts of other jobs, communities, etc. And that is the beauty of "missional"- it allows us to describe, to redefine the seemingly mundane with the dinive purposes to which God is leading all of Creation.

Neither does this suggest that we should be rid of cross-cultural missions endeavours. While I believe that we need to see the local church (worldwide) invest time, resources and relationship into the communities in which our lives are rooted (and further, begin to root our lives in the local communities that God calls us into, especially those too often abandon by the church), I also believe that in an age of dangerous ethnocentrism and individualism, the church, now more than ever, need to be embrace our global diversity. Further, just as missiology matured into encouraging indigenously led and defined local churches, they are not begin to mature into the realization that every church must also be a church of the nations.

Much of the missional movement is still largely focused on programs, outreaches and projects, which makes sense, as the creative possibilities for missionality have exploded. Take, for example, our very own Dusty Cover project, creating a business/public space that opens doors to relate to, learn from and serve our community. It's a missional project which I am very excited about. However, I think we have to be careful that we don't miss how the more intrinsically defining aspect of our life can be- must be- missional.

For years, I have been a passionate advocate for creating authentic community. It has been a guiding focus of pioneering our minsitry here in Winnipeg. Just Michael Frost noted in his excellent, must-read book "Exiles" (which I reviewed here - 1, 2, 3, 4), the works of M. Scott Peck on the topic (namely "The Different Drum") were particularly encouraging. However, there was always a component missing in my learning and practice in this journey. Since, I have shifted the focus of my writing and teaching from "authentic community" to "missional community".

Without a doubt a missional community (like a missional individual) will occupy themselves with missional activities. But more than this, the very nature of the communities we create, the very way in which we relate with each other and those around us, can be missional. Just as God exists in His perfect Oneness as Three-In-One, so too we make manifest the Good News by living in redemptive unity with each other. Being a community is not simply an inevitable aspect of many saved individuals worshipping and serving together, but a central tenant of the faith. It is in the church, in the community of believers, that we die to our fragmented, disconnected selves and find new life as one Body- again, a form of oneness in multiplicity.

This is by no means all that missional means to me, but it touches on the aspects that have been on my heart and mind of late. What do you think?

Emerging Church, Missional, Community