. . . connecting, listening, building relationships, and ministering authentically in the midst of these relationships.
Last week in Houston five people connected with The Columbia Partnership participated in a panel discussion, with an audience of around 60 people, on Being Missional in Your Church Context: Meeting the Real Needs of Your Neighbors. The focus was around poverty, affluence, contextual ministry, and evangelism in the borderlands of society.
Among the more significant perspectives presented related to preparing to be missional. Congregations need to be aggressive in downsizing their management and program structures to provide greater opportunities for laity to focus on the context around them. The more time, finances, and focus placed on management and programs, the less time, energy, and desire congregations have to connect with their context through in-depth ministry relationships.
Ministry Partner, Dick Hamm, even suggested that fewer people over the age of 60 are interested in contextual ministry because of their desire to keep the inside or home base strong and focused on meeting their needs. At the same time some of the most passionate people about being missional are also over 60. It is just a smaller percentage of people than those under 40 years of age.
It was Gary Nelson, General Secretary of Canadian Baptist Ministries, who suggested that the first thing a congregation ought to do to meet the real needs of its neighbors is to listen to them. When connecting with the context, do not be in a telling mode. Adopt a listening posture. The people in your context have a lot to suggest about their life needs, hurts, and hopes that provide entry points for ministry.
In affirming this point, panel moderator George Bullard suggested that doing to a context that which the church wants to do to them is “push missional” if it is missional at all. Responding to the real needs of real people in real time in the context is ‘pull missional” and begins to reflect the character and nature of people missional.
The distance between some congregations and their context is so great that at times an approach known as “leap missional” is necessary to cross over multiple cultural barriers. “Leap missional” efforts will often not result in people with whom the congregation connects ever feeling comfortable in the existing congregation. A new congregation may need to be planted in the context.
Panelist Ken Kessler, president of The Columbia Partnership, was one of several who suggested congregations may need to rethink Sundays, and commission some missional people to be actively involved in ministry on Sundays rather than attending church programs. PreChristians, unchurched and dechurched persons must be encountered during their own personal “down time” which is often on Sundays and likely out in the context rather than in church.
One of the best launch events for congregation is one know as Operation Inasmuch. David Crocker is executive director of the organization that advocates, and provides materials and training for congregations who desire to engage in one day servant ministry projects in their context that often address the needs of both people in poverty and people of affluence.
Being missional includes a focus on the “e” word—evangelism. Deep authentic relationships with people in your church context often provide the opportunity to talk to them about a Christ-centered faith journey. Being missional is ultimately about meeting the greatest need of your neighbors which is an eternal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Finally, telling the story should be a high priority. People who engage their context missionally should be given regular opportunities to share ministry stories with the congregation live during worship services, or through newsletter or web articles. Meaningful stories as a reinforcement of missional activities may inspire others in the congregation to take the risk of ministry in their context.
