Yay for the return of Big Word Wednesday!
It’s only been four months…terrible I know! Anyhow, onto the important bit…
Missional Expressions
Missional
1. assigned task – a special task given to a person or group to carry out
2. calling – an aim or task that somebody believes it is his or her duty to carry out or to which he or she attaches special importance and devotes special care
3. group of representatives – a group of people sent to a place to represent their government, business or organisation
Expressions
1. word or phase that communicates an idea
2. the communication of thoughts or feelings
Ok so I cheated a bit this week. I didn’t come up with the words totally by myself. In fact these are a couple of words that are being used at our church at the moment.
As we look to become a church that truly serves our community and doesn’t just fill the pews on a Sunday we have been looking at ways we can get out into the city and meet people’s needs where they are.
So far, this process and the resulting groups/actions/ministries have been called missional expressions. At first I struggled with the name – it is a bit of a mouthful to start. But also I had a very short term view of the term mission or missional. Like, when we go abroad for two weeks on mission. Or when we hold local missions for a week or so. But in looking at the meaning of the words further I like what they describe.
I like the thought that we are a group of people representing God, representing the Kingdom of God on earth, going out to communicate God’s great love for all people. It is our task. It is our calling. And not just for a couple of weeks.
As the groups develop I think they will all begin to form their own names to better describe what they are doing. But at the moment I am excited for the potential of these missional expressions. I am excited about the potential in the church, in the people, to live by faith and see amazing things happen across our city. I am excited to join with others and represent God, to fulfil our calling and communicate God’s love and peace to a generation of people who need to hear/see/feel/know that love.
A couple of other thoughts around the same theme:
http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/788/
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:26 (NIV)
It’s only been four months…terrible I know! Anyhow, onto the important bit…
Missional Expressions
Missional
1. assigned task – a special task given to a person or group to carry out
2. calling – an aim or task that somebody believes it is his or her duty to carry out or to which he or she attaches special importance and devotes special care
3. group of representatives – a group of people sent to a place to represent their government, business or organisation
Expressions
1. word or phase that communicates an idea
2. the communication of thoughts or feelings
Ok so I cheated a bit this week. I didn’t come up with the words totally by myself. In fact these are a couple of words that are being used at our church at the moment.
As we look to become a church that truly serves our community and doesn’t just fill the pews on a Sunday we have been looking at ways we can get out into the city and meet people’s needs where they are.
So far, this process and the resulting groups/actions/ministries have been called missional expressions. At first I struggled with the name – it is a bit of a mouthful to start. But also I had a very short term view of the term mission or missional. Like, when we go abroad for two weeks on mission. Or when we hold local missions for a week or so. But in looking at the meaning of the words further I like what they describe.
I like the thought that we are a group of people representing God, representing the Kingdom of God on earth, going out to communicate God’s great love for all people. It is our task. It is our calling. And not just for a couple of weeks.
As the groups develop I think they will all begin to form their own names to better describe what they are doing. But at the moment I am excited for the potential of these missional expressions. I am excited about the potential in the church, in the people, to live by faith and see amazing things happen across our city. I am excited to join with others and represent God, to fulfil our calling and communicate God’s love and peace to a generation of people who need to hear/see/feel/know that love.
A couple of other thoughts around the same theme:
http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/788/
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:26 (NIV)
1 comment:
I think many of us have been wrestling with the words "missional" and "expresion" and trying to go back and reconsider how we understand "mission", "evangelism" and to think about where we find ourselves and how we can maybe influence those places and the people who belong there.
I love the ASBO Jesus doodle.
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