March 8, 2009

Today is International Women’s Day. Originally, I had planned to write a post concerning women and spiritual gifts and the church, but that didn’t work out.

Instead, I want to take this opportunity to thank the women who have allowed God to use them in my life. Certainly, this starts with my wife and my daughter. But there are many, many women that God has used to teach, encourage, comfort, admonish, and grow me toward Christ-likeness.

When I think about these women, I recognize that they are not perfect. But, that’s okay. I am reminded of women like Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, Tamar, Abigail, Bathsheba, Naomi, Ruth, Mary, and many, many other women in Scripture. They were not perfect. They often made very serious mistakes – very serious sins – but by God’s grace and their trust in him, God used them.

Think about the only three women who Matthew names in Jesus’ genealogy: Tamar, Ruth, and Mary. One seduced her father-in-law and became pregnant. One was a foreigner and was not (legally) allowed to be part of Israel. One was almost sent away because she became pregnant while engaged.

This was a motley bunch… a messy bunch… People looked down on them, but God showered them with grace and used them.

That’s the kind of women that we all need in our lives – motley, messy, despised, but grace-filled women. I thank God for this kind of women in my life.

So, while I didn’t write a post for International Women’s Day, I hope this little reminder helps make you thankful for the women that God has used in your life. Perhaps you might even tell them how much you appreciate them.

Here are some real posts for International Women’s Day:

Julie Clawson on the God who sees
Steve Hayes on St. Theodora the Iconodule
Sonja Andrews on Aunt Jemima
Sensuous Wife on a single mom in the Bible
Minnowspeaks on celebrating women
Michelle Van Loon on the persistant widow
Lyn Hallewell on women who walked with God
Heather on the strength of biblical women
Shawna Atteberry on the Daughter of Mary Magdalene
Christine Sine on women who impacted her life
Susan Barnes on Tamar, Ruth, and Mary
Kathy Escobar on standing up for nameless and voiceless women
Ellen Haroutunian on out from under the veil
Liz Dyer on Mary and Martha
Bethany Stedman on Shiphrah and Puah
Dan Brennan on Mary Magdalene
Jessica Schafer on Bathsheba
Eugene Cho on Lydia
Laura sorts through what she knows about women in the Bible
Miz Melly preached on the woman at the well
AJ Schwanz on women’s work
Pam Hogeweide on teenage girls changing the world
Teresa on the women Paul didn’t hate
Helen on Esther
Happy on Abigail
Mark Baker-Wright on telling stories
Robin M. on Eve
Alan Knox is thankful for the women who served God
Lainie Petersen on the unnamed concubine
Mike Clawson on cultural norms in the early church
Krista on serving God
Bob Carlton on Barbie as Icon
Jan Edmiston preached on the unnamed concubine
Deb on her namesake – Deborah
Makeesha on empowering women

November 4, 2008

This post is part of a monthly synchroblog. The topic for November is “leadership”. At the bottom of this post you’ll find links to other posts about leadership.

Today is election day in the USA, and many Americans are thinking about leadership. In the church, Christians often think about leadership as well. In fact, as Hans Küng has stated, leadership defines the church to such an extent that, for many, ecclesiology is simply an exercise in hierarchiology.

Whenever we discuss church leadership, the question of submission arises. Who is supposed to submit to whom? How do those “above” get those “under” to submit to their decisions? I suggest that these questions demonstrate a flawed understanding of the leadership that Scriptures teaches the church.

Starting with Jesus, he said:

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:25-28 ESV)

Thus, according to Jesus, leadership among Christians is to be radically different – not front and center – but among and under. Leaders who follow Jesus’ example are not in front of a group directing them, but among and under a group serving them. Jesus was not talking about “servant-leadership”, but “servants”.

However, the more important point for this post revolves around the idea of “submission”. According to Hebrews 13:17, we are to “Trust our leaders, and submit to them.” This passage, and others like it, are often used by leaders to force, encourage, persuade, even cajole people into acquiescing to the decisions made by the leaders. This practice demonstrates a misunderstanding of submissions.

Leaders cannot force people to submit to them. This is not submission, but subservience. Instead, submission can only be given.

We often take instructions given to others and apply them for ourselves. For example, husbands often feel it is there responsibility to force their wives (or at least remind them strongly) to submit. Yet, the instruction is for wives to submit, not for husbands to force their submission (which is not submission but subservience or enslavement). Instead, husbands are instructed to love their wives. What does a husband do if his wife does not submit? He loves her.

The same can be said of leaders. We are told to follow or submit to those who are leading us. In reality, our submission demonstrates who our leaders are. Leaders are never told to force or even try to persuade others to submit to them. What are leaders to do if others do not submit? Keep living as an example of a disciple of Jesus Christ. We cannot choose whether or not people submit; we can only choose to obey for ourselves.

To look at it another way, is someone a leader if no one is submitting? If someone chooses not to submit (or follow) then I am not their leader – it doesn’t matter what “position” I hold, or what they say about me being a leader.

When Jesus began to teach about leaders among Christians, he pointed his followers to the “Gentiles” and said, “It shall not be so among you.” Today, most leaders in the church model themselves after the prevailing Gentile cultures and norms. But, this is NOT the type of leadership that Jesus taught.

Its time for believers to start following servants, not those who place themselves in the front of the group because of position or education or knowledge. And, its time for leaders to stop trying to force people to submit (which is not submission), and instead simply live their lives as examples of Jesus Christ. We persuade people to follow Christ, not our decisions and our leadership and our vision.

Submission is something that can only be given; submission cannot be taken.

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Below is a list of other bloggers who are taking part in the synchroblog on “Leadership”:

Jonathan Brink – Letter To The President
Adam Gonnerman – Aspiring to the Episcopate
Kai – Leadership – Is Servant Leadership a Broken Model?
Sally Coleman – In the world but not of it- servant leadership for the 21st Century Church
Alan Knox – Submission is given not taken
Joe Miller – Elders Lead a Healthy Family: The Future
Cobus van Wyngaard – Empowering leadership
Steve Hayes – Servant leadership
Geoff Matheson – Leadership
John Smulo – Australian Leadership Lessons
Helen Mildenhall – Leadership
Tyler Savage – Moral Leadership – Is it what we need?
Bryan Riley – Leading is to Listen and Obey
Susan Barnes – Give someone else a turn!
Liz Dyer – A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Polls…
Lionel Woods – Why Diverse Leadership is Good for America
Julie Clawson – Leadership Expectations
Ellen Haroutunian – A New Kind Of Leadership
Matt Stone – Converting Leadership
Steve Bradley – Lording or Leading?
Adam Myers – Two types of Leadership
Bethany Stedman – A Leadership Mosaic
Kathy Escobar – I’m Pretty Sure This Book Won’t Make It On The Bestseller List
Fuzzy Orthodoxy – Self Leadership

October 21, 2008

The November Synchroblog topic will be “Leadership”. The Synchroblog will take place on November 4 – election day in the US. I’ve written about leadership a few times in the past, and I have been working on another blog post about the relationship between leadership and submission. I’ve decided to finish that blog post for the leadership synchroblog. I look forward to interacting with you about that topic, and reading and interacting with the other bloggers on other topics related to leadership.

By the way, the leadership topics do not have to be about politics. As you can probably tell, my topic will not be concerned with politics. If you would like to take part in this synchroblog, or to sign up to receive emails about future synchroblogs, go to this web site and submit the form.

September 18, 2008

I really enjoyed the synchroblog yesterday on the topic of maturity (see “Maturity and Education“). I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes from some of the authors:

“i think if i was summing spiritual maturity i’d say it’s “moving toward a more and more undivided life.” that what’s on the inside is on the outside. it’s giving up comfort & control. it’s living in the tension of Jesus ways & ours ways & asking help to tilt more toward his.” – Kathy Escobar

“It doesn’t mean that we don’t still disagree; it means it doesn’t matter that we disagree, it doesn’t change that we are family.” – Erin Word

When my Grandma Verna who lived to be 103 and was a true elder, turned 99, I asked her the question that I’d asked her every year on her birthday for as long as I’d been an adult: ‘Gram, what did you learn this year?’ She said, without hesitation, ‘I had to re-think my theology again this year. I always thought that it was my job to worry and pray and try to keep all of you (her extended family) on the straight and narrow path to heaven. Now I know that all I have to do is love you. That’s all I have to do!’ – Beth Patterson

“If someone still spends more time complaining about their circumstances than being thankful, edifying and joy-filled in their speech, then there’s good evidence that an infantile faith remains. It demonstrates that we have forgotten (or fail to believe fully) that God is loving us, blessing us, and taking care of us.” – Bryan Riley

“In stark contrast to the typical haphazard lifestyle most people embrace, maturity is taking pleasure in each sphere of relationship while making intentional choices for the betterment of each.” – Joe Miller

“And when I surrendered to being loved, I realized a startling truth. Love would change me from the inside. And the more I received His love the more I could reflect that love to the world around me. And the cool thing was there was no law against love.” – Jonathan Brink

There were other great blog posts. Take the time to read them all. Also, think about joining the synchroblog next month. Read Phil’s post “What is a synchroblog?” for more information and for a link to the page where you can join the synchroblog.

So, what is maturity?

September 17, 2008

This post is part of a monthly synchroblog. The topic of this month’s synchroblog is “Maturity in the Light of our Faith”.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post called “Mutual Hermeneutics“. In that post, I started a discussion about biblical interpretation, and the tendency of modern believers to place the responsibility of interpreting Scripture in the hands of trained professionals. In a follow-up post called “Toward Mutual Hermeneutics“, I made some suggestions that I think would help believers move from a professional-only hermeneutic to mutual hermeneutics.

In the comments of the second post, David from “Love Each Stone” started a good discussion concerning the relationship between education and spiritual maturity. David suggested in one comment that “The contrast and comparison between “mature believers” and those with “training and expertise” is an interesting discussion that would probably be worth a whole separate post”.

A few days later, I found myself consider the topic of maturity again – this time for this synchroblog. Originally, I wanted to write a post on the topic of the role of the church meeting and edification in spiritual maturity. I am very interested in this topic, and I’ll probably write a blog post (or perhaps a series) on this topic later. For now, though, I wanted to continue the discussion on the relationship between training or education and spiritual maturity.

Let me start my stating that I teach in a college part time. When I finish my PhD – hopefully within the next calendar year – I hope to find a job teaching full time. I am not against education. I believe that education can be good, helpful, and important. However, education is not the same as discipleship, nor is education the same as spiritual maturity. And, I think that modernity has equated (or misunderstood) education for spiritual maturity to the detriment of the church.

Let me start by quickly examining a passage of Scripture that is often used to defend the necessity of education:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

I quoted the KJV here because it is the only major English translation to translate the command as “Study” (other early English translations also used “study”: the Bishops Bible of 1595 and Tyndale’s translation of 1534). Yet, that word “Study” has stuck in our (or at least mine and those I’ve talked with) memory and affected the way we understand what Paul said. Now, look at the ESV:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)

Thus, Paul was not calling Timothy (and others) to study, but to diligence. The difference is in the change of meaning in the word “study”. Similarly, Paul was not telling Timothy to study the Bible in order to be approved, but to do his best (be diligent) in the way he lives according to the gospel. (For “rightly handling” see Prov 11:5 where it is translated “keeps his way”. For “word of truth” = “gospel” for Paul, see Eph 1:13 and Col 1:5.)

So, right away, let’s get this passage out of our system. Paul was not telling Timothy to be educated by studying the Bible. He was telling Timothy to make every effort to live his life according to the gospel. In so doing, Timothy would be like an approved work who has no need to feel ashamed.

But today, we place such an emphasis on education that it has become almost synonymous with spiritual maturity. When someone graduates from Bible school or seminary, they are often hired right away by church organizations, with the assumption that the degree indicates maturity. Since the church does not know the individual personally, they only have the degree and a few hours of acquaintance.

However, while a degree may indicate a certain amount of knowledge – hopefully – the degree does not indicate spiritual maturity. The degree does not indicate that the person demonstrates love toward those who are “unloveable”. It does not indicate that the person knows how to deal with “opponents” with grace, patience, and gentleness. The degree does not tell us that the person is hospitable or willing to share what God has provided. Even passing classes in theology, hermeneutics, New Testament, Old Testament, Hebrew, and Greek does not indicate that a person knows how to interpret the Scriptures, much less live according to them. Graduation does not make a person spiritually mature.

Of course, our church system is based on the assumption that an educated person is spiritually mature. Most church leaders (pastors) would not spend the time getting to know people and letting the people get to know them before they accept a position in a church organization. Similarly, for the most part, the people would not wait to determine a person’s spiritual maturity level before recognizing this person as a leader. We expect our leader’s to be ready-made by Bible colleges and seminaries.

Its time to move beyond the assumption that education equals spiritual maturity. It may mean that the system has to change – so be it. The church needs leaders who are spiritually mature more than they need educated leaders. Again, I’m not disparaging education. Instead, I’m simply pointing out that we need spiritually mature pastors more than we need educated pastors.

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Here is a list of bloggers who are taking part in this month’s synchroblog on the topic “Maturity in the Light of our Faith”:

Phil Wyman at Square No More with “Is Maturity Really What I Want?“
Lainie Petersen at Headspace with “Watching Daddy Die“
Kathy Escobar at The Carnival in My Head with “what’s inside the bunny?“
John Smulo at JohnSmulo.com with “Christian Maturity“
Erin Word at Decompressing Faith with “Long-Wearing Nail Polish and Other Stories“
Beth Patterson at The Virtual Teahouse with “the future is ours to see: crumbling like a mountain“
Bryan Riley at Charis Shalom with “Still Complaining?“
Alan Knox at The Assembling of the Church with “Maturity and Education“
KW Leslie at The Evening of Kent with “Putting spiritual infants in charge“
Bethany Stedman at Coffee Klatch with “Moving Towards True Being: The Long Process of Maturity“
Adam Gonnerman at Igneous Quill with “Old Enough to Follow Christ?“
Joe Miller at More Than Cake with “Intentional Relationships for Maturity“
Jonathan Brink at JonathanBrink.com with “I Won’t Sin“
Susan Barnes at A Booklook with “Growing Up“
Tracy Simmons at The Best Parts with “Knowing Him Who is From the Beginning“
Joseph Speranzella at A Tic in the Mind’s Eye with “Spiritual Maturity And The Examination of Conscience“
Sally Coleman at Eternal Echoes with “vulnerable maturity“
Liz Dyer at Grace Rules with “What I Wish The Church Knew About Spiritual Maturity“
Cobus van Wyngaard at My Contemplations with “post-enlightenment Christians in an unenlightened South Africa“
Steve Hayes at Khanya with “Adult Content“
Ryan Peter at Ryan Peter Blogs and Stuff with “The Foundation For Ministry and Leading“
Kai Schraml at Kaiblogy with “Mature Virtue“
Nic Paton at Sound and Silence with “Inclusion and maturity“
Lew Ayotte at The Pursuit with “Maturity and Preaching“

September 2, 2008

In just over two weeks, there will be a synchroblog on the topic “Discussing Maturity in the Light of our Faith”. This is a broad topic that can cover physical maturity, spiritual maturity, emotional maturity, etc. I will probably write about how the gathering of the church should lead toward spiritual maturity.

If you are interested in taking part in this synchroblog, then please read Phil’s post called “Next Synchroblog – Sept 17 – on Maturity“. There is a link at the end of his post to a page where you can sign up to take part in the synchroblog.

August 15, 2008

We interrupt the regular scheduled blog posts…

Normally, I schedule blog posts several days in advance. I schedule a post for midnight. Then, if I have another post – usually shorter and usually linking and responding to another blogger – I will schedule it for sometime between noon and 2:00 p.m. (I’ve been testing different afternoon post times to see if the post time affects the number of readers and comments. So far, there is very little difference between one time and another.)

However, today, I am not working. So, I am “live blogging”… meaning, I am writing this post on Friday afternoon, and I will publish it as soon as I’ve finished writing it. Scary… cutting edge… unheard of… I know, right!

Here are a few blog posts that I have appreciated:

Alan Bandy, from “Café Apocalypsis“, is now working in the PhD department at SEBTS. He has written a very helpful article called “Retrospective Tips for Completing a Ph.D. Prospectus and Dissertation“. This is a very timely article for me, because, God willing, I will finish my PhD seminars, take the comprehensive exams, and turn in my prospectus by next Spring.

I recently linked to an article by my friend Renata about community during the everyday aspects of life (see “A great example of community“). Now Eddie, at “Pressing On“, has written about community while walking around a lake in a post called “Church at Greenfield“.

Finally, Phil, at “Square No More“, explained what all this synchroblog stuff is about in a post called “What is a Synchroblog?” Read his post, go to this link, and join us in the next synchroblog. Synchroblogginess makes your blog cool.

August 13, 2008

This post is part of a monthly synchroblog. This topic of this month’s synchroblog is “Poverty”.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. (James 1:9-10 ESV)

If I had written about poverty a year ago (and I probably did), I would have written from a theoretical position. While my family has never been “rich”, we were also never poor. Similarly, I had never spent time around people who generally would be considered poor, except for a short time in Nicaragua.

In fact, as I think back, my life generally resembled the lives of the children of Israel. God consistently admonished them through the prophets because they did not care for the fatherless, the widows, the foreigners, the oppressed, and the poor:

They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them. (Isaiah 1:23 ESV)

They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. (Jeremiah 5:28 ESV)

Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you. (Ezekiel 22:7 ESV)

Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. (Zechariah 7:9-11 ESV)

Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals – those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned… (Amos 2:6-7 ESV)

While the children of Israel kept the feasts and Sabbaths and offerings and sacrifices, they did not show mercy to those in need.

This is a good picture of my life until a few months ago. I met with the church. I gave money. I sang songs and prayed. But, what about those in need? I “cared” for the poor, but I didn’t care for the poor. I “loved” the needy, but I didn’t love the needy. There was a huge disconnect between what I said or through about myself, and what my life demonstrated.

Then, God began to transform me. It all started when I began to view the church as people instead of structure, organization, or leadership. As God began to turn my heart toward people, he also began to turn my heart toward “the least”. And, for the last several months, God has given me opportunities to truly demonstrate his love toward the fatherless, the widows, the foreigners, the poor, and the needy.

Something interesting happened as my family began to truly serve the needy. As we sought to bless others, we found that God blessed us through them. You see, these poor and needy people are often more rich than we are in some areas. And, we have found that we need them in our lives more than they need us. In fact, for our family, there is no “us” and “them” anymore. They are part of our family.

So, I’ve learned from friends who have less financial resources than myself. I’ve grown by listening to people who have no family members to care for them. I’ve been helped by single parents struggling to provide for their children. I’ve been taught by people who are struggling physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

I believe that God has much in store for his children – those who are poor and those who are rich. For those of us who are rich (in finances, in possessions, in education, in health, in relationships, etc.) to learn from those who are poor, it takes much humility.

When God commands his children to care for “the least”, he does not command this simply for the benefit of “the least”. Instead, he understands what his children need. I’ve missed out on so much of what God is doing for so long. God is with “the least”; and when we serve them, we are serving him. In fact, we serve him through the poor, the needy, the oppressed, the fatherless, the widows, and the foreigners much more than we do through singing and listening to preaching. Don’t believe me? Then learn what this means: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13; Hosea 6:6).

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Here is a list of bloggers who are participating in this synchroblog on poverty:

Sonja Andrews: Fully Known and Fully Loved
Phil Wyman at Phil Wyman’s Square No More
Adam Gonnerman: Echoes of Judas
Cobus van Wyngaard: Luke: The Gospel for the Rich
Lainie Petersen at Headspace
Steve Hayes: Holy Poverty
Jonathan Brink: Spiritual Poverty
Dan Stone at The Tense Before
Jeremiah: Blessed are the poor… churches…
Alan Knox: Boasting in Humiliation
Miss Eagle: Poverty and the Hospitable Heart
Jimmie: Feeding the Poor

July 22, 2008

This post is part of a monthly synchroblog. The topic for this month’s synchroblog is “The Politics of God“.

Is God red, blue, or purple? Is he a Democrat, a Republican, a Libertarian, or a Constitutionalist? Is God for big government or small government? More spending or less spending? More social programs or less social programs? Big military or small military? Federal control or states rights? Conservative, liberal, or moderate?

These terms seem strange and somehow out of place when used to describe God. Why? Because God is none of these things. These terms are used to describe human efforts to govern themselves, and assigning them to God immediately begins to recreate a god in our own image.

I grew up in the deep south of the United States where most people voted Democrat in local and state elections and Republican in the national elections. Why? Four main reasons: carpet baggers, abortion, military, and taxes – not necessarily in that order. Abortion was the only issue that could be considered a moral issue, and I’m not sure how people would have voted if “pro-choice” had been pushed by the “pro-tax” party. In other words, I think that “fiscal” concerns would have easily outweighed “moral” concerns.

What does this have to do with God? What does politics in general have to do with God? Besides throwing around God’s name to garner a few votes, is God’s agenda even considered among the various political agendas? (Can you tell that I’m cynical? Yes, I know that there are good, honest, authentic Christians in politics – at least, I’ve been told they are there.)

From what I’ve seen, when Christians get involved in politics, they rarely do so in a Christ-like manner. Oh, they may pick a few moral issues on which to base their campaign, but the methods, techniques, and goals of their campaigns are rarely different from nonChristians politicians. The problem, of course, is that Jesus did not call his followers into politics. Don’t misunderstand me – I’m not saying that being a politician is mutually exclusive with being a follower of Jesus Christ. Instead, I’m saying that a follower of Jesus Christ recognizes that human politics will not solve the world’s problems.

God’s politics works differently than human politics. God reveals needs and opportunities to his people. God gives his people the means to meet those needs. God gives them his Spirit to empower them and lead them as they meet those needs. Then, God expects his people to obediently follow where the Spirit leads – in meeting the needs of the people around them – as God as revealed those needs.

God’s politics works if our government is conservative or liberal, democratic or totalitarian, pro-Christianity or against Christianity. God doesn’t change the land through protests, but through a demonstration of his love. God doesn’t change people through voting, but through the service of his people. God doesn’t honor patriotism, but obedience.

Is God red, blue, or purple? That’s the wrong question. The correct question is this: Are God’s people demonstrating God’s love by serving others in obedience to the work of God’s Spirit in their lives. That’s the kind of “political agenda” that I can support 100%!

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Here is a list of other bloggers who are tackling this month’s synchroblog topic of “The Politics of God”. Enjoy as you read!

Phil Wyman rants about The Talking Points of Presumption
Lainie Petersen considers Questioning the Citizen Diety
Jonathan Brink enters The Political Fray
Adam Gonnerman explains The Living Christ’s Present Reign
Sonja Andrews Won’t Get Fooled Again
Mike Bursell at Mike’s Musings
Sally Coleman at Eternal Echoes
Steve Hayes on God’s Politics
Matthew Stone at Matt Stone Journeys in Between
Steve Hollinghurst at On Earth as in Heaven
KW Leslie tells us about God’s Politics
Julie Clawson at One Hand Clapping
Dan Stone at The Tense Before
Alan Knox asks Is God Red, Blue, or Purple?
Beth Patterson writes about Learners inheriting the earth: the politics of God
Erin Word discusses Hanging Chad Theology

June 23, 2008

Rick at “The Blind Beggar” suggested a synchroblog to discuss the definition of the term “missional” (see his post “Call for Missional Synchroblog“). To be honest, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to add to this discussion. I’ve only recently begun to consider the meaning and implications of being missional. However, I’m looking forward to reading the other posts, and I encourage my readers to read and consider what other people are saying about the term “missional”.

When I was growing up, the “regional” airport in a large city near us decided that it wanted to steal some of the air traffic away from ATL (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport). Over several years, there were studies and consultants and budgets and votes. Eventually, the airport made a huge decision – they decided to change their name from “regional airport” to “international airport” – as if changing the name would change who they were.

I think many followers of Jesus Christ may be attempting to add “missional” to whatever they already doing. But, adding the label “missional” to their meetings and programs does not make them missional. So, what does “missional” mean?

Several bloggers will be posting and defending their definitions of the term “missional”. To be completely honest, I don’t know exactly what it means. Instead of offering my own definition of “missional”, I thought I would throw a few ingredients into the stew (so to speak). In other words, whatever “missional” means or how “missional” is applied to someone’s life, I think it should include these things (not a comprehensive list):

Gospel: “Missional” is dependent upon the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ. I’m not talking about a “gospel presentation”. I’m talking about living a life that is reconciled to God through the finished work of Jesus Christ and the continuing work of his Spirit. It means recognizing that just as God has reconciled us to himself, he desires to reconcile “all things” to himself.

Relationship: “Missional” is relational. I don’t see any other way around it. God includes his children in his mission toward other people. It is a relational mission – both relationship with God and relationship with one another and relationship to the world.

Intentionality: “Missional” requires intentionality. I do not see how someone can be accidentally missional. This does not mean that missional activities are always pre-planned – they can be spontaneous. But, spontaneous acts of mission can still be intentional.

Cost: “Missional” is costly. This does not mean that you are being missional by only giving money. However, it does mean that living a missional life will cost you money, time, and energy, among other things. It may even cost your reputation (especially among religious types).

Love: When I originally wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, I did not include “love” as an ingredient in my missional stew. Why? Because I thought “love” was obvious. However, after further thought, I think “love” needs to be a part of any definition of “missional” – both the love of God and the love of others – both the love of other believers and the love of those who are not followers of Jesus.

Like I said earlier, I’m looking forward to reading more posts that actually define the term “missional”. I hope that many of them include some of these ideas.

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Here is a list of the 50 bloggers who are defining the term “missional” as part of this synchroblog: