A Missional Church Is Not ...

The world missional is an adjective. An adjective, by definition, modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. So, missional is a descriptive word that provides a “word picture” of how a church might look or act. Missional churches don’t all look or act exactly alike. Though missional churches can take various forms and have different fashions, there are some things that they will not be or do.

A missional church is not:

1) a dispenser of religious goods and services or a place where people come for their weekly spiritual fix.
2) a place where mature Christians come to be fed and have their needs met.
3) a place where "professionals" are hired to do all the work of the church.
4) about a new strategy for evangelism.
5) missional just because it is contemporary, young, hip, postmodern-sensitive, seeker-sensitive or even traditional.
6) a church with a "good missions program." The people are the missions program and includes going to "Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Jesus said that we (all) “are the light of the world”. Too often churches expect the professionals to do all the light shining, usually on those already within the congregation, or only let the laity shine their lights on each other within the walls of the church rather than all of us getting our light into the dark places of the world that most desperately need the light of Christ.

Based on the “Is Nots” list, how well is your church doing at being a missional church?