Mark 12 – A Church with Missional Communities That Nurture for Mission in the World – of 13 Marks of a Faithful Missional Church in the 21st Century American West
Sully Notes are meant to provide you with direct quotes from some books I've read in the last year, so you can get a taste of the overall theme of the book and then begin to chew on what your life might look like if you applied what you read.
This series of special Notes are touching on a subject growing in recognition and discussion within the 21st century American church. What is the missional church? Is it something we do or who we are? What does a church look like that is living out the mission of God in their cultural context? How does a church remain faithful to the good news of Jesus, the Spirit of God, the Scriptures, the church throughout human history and around the world, and the mission of God that the church is called to join, while also meeting the questions, needs, and desires of the people God is sending us to in the cultures and contexts we live in today? I have found no better book to answer these questions than in Michael Goheen's A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story.
For these 13 posts, my goal is to share the final chapter of the book – Chapter 9: What Might This Look Like Today – with you. In this chapter, Goheen shares from his pastoral and professional experience in answering the question, "Ten Things I'd Do Differently if I Pastored Again." The list grew from ten to a lucky thirteen. I think all thirteen are essential for considering how Emmaus City will be a faithful church for our city – Worcester, MA.
Each blog post will feature one mark that will take about 5 minutes to read. Here is the full list featuring links to the previous posts:
- Mark 1: A Church with Worship That Nurtures Our Missional Identity
- Mark 2: A Church Empowered by the Preaching of the Gospel
- Mark 3: A Church Devoted to Communal Prayer
- Mark 4: A Church Striving to Live as a Contrast Community
- Mark 5: A Church That Understands Its Cultural Context
- Mark 6: A Church Trained for a Missionary Encounter in Its Callings in the World
- Mark 7: A Church Trained to Evangelism in an Organic Way
- Mark 8: A Church Deeply Involved in the Needs of Its Neighborhood and World
- Mark 9: A Church Committed to Missions
- Mark 10: A Church with Well-Trained Leaders
- Mark 11: A Church with Parents Trained to Take Up the Task of Nurturing Children in Faith
- Mark 12: A Church with Missional Communities That Nurture for Mission in the World
- Mark 13: A Church That Seeks and Expresses the Unity of the Body of Christ
Mark 12: A Church with Missional Communities That Nurture for Mission in the World
"If we take some time to reflect on the 'one another' passages in the New Testament and the depth of commitment to one another they demand – on the importance of corporate prayer, on the difficult task of understanding our cultural context, on the need for training for our missional callings in the world or training our children, or on ways that we can be deeply involved in the needs of our neighborhoods – it will become immediately evident that these things can be accomplished only if we develop more ways for Christians to meet together in missional communities.
The challenge is for small groups to become instruments of God's mission oriented toward the world. Too often small groups become ingrown, gatherings in which the blessings of salvation are selfishly enjoyed or focused on social activity unrooted in the gospel. Two practices will help small groups orient toward their missional calling. The first is to maintain the continuing presence of four elements: prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and outreach or an orientation to the world. A focus on the first three only will leave us open to the danger of self-centeredness; an exclusive emphasis on the last carries the danger of activism. The second is to struggle toward an ecumenicity that transcends various congregations. If small groups, or missional communities, are defined by believers in particular locations rather than only those who belong to a local congregation, the danger of cozy, inward-looking groups will be reduced.
Various kinds of groups can enable the church to be more faithful in its missional calling. The first is the neighborhood group. It can bring together believers in the same neighborhood to study Scripture, pray together, fellowship, and look for ways to reach out together. It is essential that the horizon or orientation to the world infuses the group's ethos. For example, a missional community might canvas the neighborhood to ask if there are things that its members might pray for or needs with which they might assist. Even more radically, a neighborhood group might begin to share much more of its members' own lives together – eating, shopping, entertainment, and so on – with the intent of inviting unbelievers in the neighborhood into this common life that they share in Christ.
A second type of group is the action group, which will be organized around a particular outreach, either evangelistic or mercy and justice. These groups will be much more intentionally organized for mission, but they must not neglect prayer and Scripture. A third type are professional groups. These groups gather together people in various fields and professions to study Scripture, pray together, and discuss what it means to be faithful to one's calling to live out the gospel in that sector of life. A fourth type is the interest group. Formed on an ad hoc basis, this kind of group may spend a year together with the specific focus on how to become better parents, how to understand one's culture, how to pray, and so on. A final type is the work group. This small group consists of believers who work in a particular location, for example, a lawyer's office, a particular factory, or a bank. These believers gather in that workplace to pray for their colleagues and the work environment and to discuss ways to be a light in that context. Care needs to be taken with these groups that they are seen as blessings to the workplace, not as sectarian meetings that disrupt it." – pgs. 223-225
Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Go ahead and connect. For other updates, like and follow Emmaus City on Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment