Clarification is essential here. Being mission minded or mission friendly is not the same as being missional.
Let’s distinguish the two.
Mission minded is typically programmatic. Mission is viewed or treated as a program. Lots of churches have a “missions program.” It’s something done at a certain time in a specific place. A typical church will support missions educationally, financially, with short-term projects and even send others. Mission is seen as something you do rather than the way you live. Now, please hear me, being mission minded isn’t bad, it’s just incomplete.
Being missional on the other hand is about living God’s redemptive mission as a “missionary” sent every day right where you’re located. Life is defined by following Christ on mission daily. You view your workplace, school, neighborhood or community as “your” mission field. It’s not about sending someone else, you’re the one living sent. You’re the missionary learning about people and creating ways to connect in order to live and share God’s redemptive mission. It’s highly relational hands on gospel stuff.
See the difference?
Baptist churches are historically mission minded, but not necessarily missional. Missions is seen as an important program but, fewer live missionally in their context. Frankly, being mission minded isn’t enough. We’re called to live sent. As Jesus was sent, so we are sent. We’re sent to join Jesus on His redemptive mission.
The BGAV (Baptist General Association of Virginia) is full of stagnant and declining Baptist churches. Here’s a question for every church member? Is your church more mission minded or missional? Is missions a program or is your church living sent in its neighborhood? What about you? Are you more mission minded or missional? Is missions something you do at church and then go back to your life or are you living sent every day on God’s redemptive mission in your neighborhood? Being mission minded isn’t enough. You must join God on His mission. That being said, if more Christians (Christ followers) in local churches were living missionally, I firmly believe we’d see less stagnant and declining congregations. We’d see transformation, passion, excitement and growth.
As a general association of over 1,400 congregations, we must move from viewing missions as something we do, to becoming a more missional organization – living intentionally sent.
If you’re more mission minded, are you willing to make the shift to becoming missional? You must move from seeing missions as something you do, to living sent as a way of life. We can’t just talk about sentness, we must live sent. It might get messy, but that’s a good thing.
Where has God already connected you? Where are the existing relationships and opportunities that are natural for you to engage. Begin there.
How can I live sent every day? How can you live God’s redemptive mission right where you will be today? Do something intentional today.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (ESV) (Emphasis added)
