Our missional assignment

This post is from the defunct blog "Dying Church"

The North American Church is suffering from severe mission amnesia. It has forgotten why it exists. The church was created to be the people of God to join him in his redemptive mission to the world. The church was never intended to exist for itself. It was and is the chosen instrument of God to expand his kingdom. The church is the bride of Christ. Its union with him is designed for reproduction, the growth of the kingdom. Jesus does not teach his disciples to pray, "Thy church come." The kingdom is the destination. In its institutional preoccupation the church has abandoned its real identity and reason for existence. God did not give up on his mission in the Old Testament, when Israel refused to partner with God. God is a reckless lover. He decided to go on with the mission himself. We do not need to be mistaken about this: if the church refuses its missional assignment, God will do it another way. The church has, and he is. God is pulling end runs around the institutional North American church to get people in the streets. God is inviting us to join him on mission, but it is the invitation to be part of a movement, not a religious club. (Reggie McNeal, The Present Future)

Comments

[Micah 6:8]

Our Missional AssignmentHere is an interesting exert that I found on the Dying Church. The North American Church is suffering from severe mission amnesia. It has forgotten why it exists. The church was created to be the people of God to join...

[terry]

great stuff...check out the forthcoming book by mark driscoll entitled: "the radical reformission-reaching out without selling out." it looks good. sounds like it will cover this issue of rediscovering the ancient ethos and reforming mission in the church, etc.

[bill]

Darryl, can you e-mail me and tell me more regarding McNeal's book?

[J. Michael Matkin]

One caution; using this generalization "the North American Church". We are painting a huge number of people and congregations with a very large brush, and I've yet to see anyone who has that accurate a handle on all that is happening. There seems to be a tendency with American Christian reform movements to want to use 'us/them' language with regards to the existing church. For ten years I have been calling for many of the things we're now seeing in the emerging church movement. Still, I would have a great deal more sympathy for a lot of the rhetoric I'm hearing out of the emergent movement if I heard more identification, more 'we' language (like Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9).

[Darryl]

"One caution; using this generalization 'the North American Church'." That's a very good reminder.

[ed]

I've been trying to get lots of time in the word (esp. the OT) and just look and listen for this aspect of God's faithfulness to himself. At the end of the day I'm coming to the same conclusion - God will use hearts that are open and willing and humble - hearts that long for God to be God in everything - but I see another pattern as well - God seeks out leaders and asks them to this life those who follow find a faithful, grace-fillied/giving God -those who don't, well, they're too busy doing their own thing building their kingdoms. - Here's my point - we as pastors, we as leaders have the opportunity to live for this each and every day. To preach it, to teach it, to bring alive the ethos and show people the way to live it out themselves. But constantly I'm also aware of something else - to do this is to surrender and it's to give up. It's to give God full control and not be afraid of the risks. I have a feeling many more of us get this stuff & talk about it these days - but it's still in our heads - when it comes to making it real and creating an ethos in our churches we're still only admirers and talkers of "what could/should be". How many of us God has called to be prophets to the church have really moved on to living this way? Until we do, we can think, talk, blog about it all we want, it makes us feel good - but it has little kingdom value. Is it easy, no. I speak as one trying hard to make the transition. And the transition hurts and brings to life all my fears - but more and more I'm finding - what are the choices? It's always God's way or ours. To have God's way, means daily, even moment by moment death to me. Taking every thought captive is hard stuff! Part of me is really tired of talking, dialoguing about, even reading about this stuff - in as far as I read, talk, dialogue - but really don't do much about becoming the vessel God wants to use to make the church everything it could be in Jesus Christ. Still dying!