Before I write any further posts, with more of the points I made while speaking last Sunday (which I rather elaborated on in the first post), I thought I had better clarify the diagrams from that post. I added them at the last minute (well I have to have an image, don’t I?), and didn’t really explain what they meant. Alastair, correctly picked me up on that, in the comments.
Brian McLaren, in his book Generous Orthodoxy, defines Missional Church as: “To be and make disciples of Jesus Christ in authentic community for the good of the world” … the gospel is not “all about me”.
It at this point that he introduces the two diagrams to show the difference between traditional evangelical Christianity and missional Christianity.
In this diagram, the traditional evangelical Christian, the “largest concern is me, my soul my personal destiny in heaven, my maturity and my rewards“. And so, says McLaren, people “won for Christ” with this gospel come to church asking: “what is in it for me?”. And so churches become gatherings of self-interested human beings, where it is incredibly hard to get people interested in mission. [for some great posts on being other-centred see this post from Paul Mayers].
This diagram starts with the saving love of Jesus for the world. The church is a missional community, joining Jesus in the mission of restoring the world, and He invites you and me to part of this community, “to experience His saving love and participate in it“.
This says McLaren, breaks down all false dichotomies like evangelism and social action, as both are integrated in the church expressing saving love for the world:
“Those who want to become Christians (whether through our proclamation or demonstration), we welcome. Those who don’t, we love and serve, joining God in seeking their good, their blessing, their shalom.”
I go: YES. What about you?
Other posts on missional church:
- Alastair has opened up the topic of what is the gospel, which I would like to post on soon too.
- Acts 29 has an article on What is Missional Church?
- Jamie Arpin-Ricci has a couple of posts on The Community Becoming Known as Missional.
- Alan Hirsch has some good thoughts on attractional vs missional debate, which he is partly responsible for after writing his book, The Shaping of things to Come.
What is Missional Church? – Part 3
What is Missional Church? – Part 4
Tags: Brian McLaren, Evangelism, Generous Orthodoxy, Missional Church
thanks for your kind words on my other centred post
For all the helpfulness of the diagrams i still wonder how far we actually do move past ourselves as an individual – it’s interesting that all of them start with ME.
I wonder what it would look like if we reversed the first diargram, maybe
God => others/world => me
To me that would have a more missional feel about it.
There is still something of an individual response I think – but a much greater emphasis that we find our identity in community. So i think there is probably still a place for me, but what i like in the second diagram is that we are in community.
I guess the balance is still retaining the individual and community together. What do you think?
Yes, i’ve been thinking about a whole series of diagrams, which i’ll try and post when my brain finishes crunching on them.
I think the Trinity => world => Me is very much a john 3:16-17 type summary
Clearly there has to be a me point as well so maybe
God me community/kingdom of GodGod
God is active in the worl, so that salvation is not only in the church
God => world => people of God
But clearly the dream would be
God kingdom God/world
oops some of the arrows fell out, annoying