Just give me a definition Why Missional Church Is So Hard to Define

The power of the image we see is that it then becomes really hard to see anything other than what we are predisposed to see.

Confusion Arises… Confusion arises because we try to combine the attractional imagination with the missionary imagination. The words mission and church are, therefore, used together to define a church that attracts, worships, equips, and then sends. People conclude that being missional is not much different from what they have been doing.

Missional Church Definitions Originally—intended to create a space in which we could get a new imagination for what God wants to do in and through the church Now—it has become a label used to describe practically everything a church does

What Missional Church Is NOT… … a label to describe churches that emphasize cross-cultural missions … a label used to describe churches that are using outreach programs to be externally focused … another label for church growth and church effectiveness … a label for churches that are effective at evangelism

What Missional Church Is NOT… … a label to describe churches that have developed a clear mission statement with a vision and purpose for their existence … a way of turning around ineffective and outdated church forms so they can display relevance in the wider culture … a label that points to a primitive or ancient way of being the church … a label describing new formats of church that reach people who have no interest in traditional churches.

People ask for definitions of missional church They believe that a definition must precede implementation. From this perspective, the lack of a clear definition is the result of: Lack of information Speaker doesn’t know what he/she is talking about It is not real

OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT Mystery Why this people out of all the people of the world? The only explanation is in God’s sovereign choosing. Memory Memory forms a distinct people who are parallel culture in the midst of all cultures Mission She is to be an alternative society for the sake of the world as a demonstration of where god is taking the whole creation. The church lives as an alien and stranger in its own society because the Spirit forms it as God’s new society