If you haven't noticed, I've been really toying with the idea of missional living. What does it mean to embody the Kingdom of God in the context of community?
More and more I'm convinced (that's my way of saying, I'm convinced) that we cannot simply sit within our church walls and expect the values of the Kingdom to trickle-down to our neighbors, country, and world...it doesn't seem too far out there for Jesus to expect us (his followers) to be the incarnation for our neighbors, country, and world...
But here's the rub...when we're talking about missional living, we're talking first and foremost about identification - and we (as the Church) haven't yet learned how to identify. A look at the incarnation of Jesus directs us to the fact that Jesus identified with the poor, the maginalized, the ordinary scum of the earth. Does the Church identify with the "least of these" the way that Jesus identified? (by becoming one of them...a poor homeless man)
The answer is an overwhelming "no". And we lie to ourselves if the answer is anything but "no".
Why? Because...
Followers of Jesus aren't about to sell their possessions and follow Jesus when they are convinced that they can follow Jesus and hold on to those possessions. Followers of Jesus aren't about to be concerned about the interests of others when their own interests take up enough of their time. Followers of Jesus aren't going to be practicing pure and undefiled religion when they're convinced that religion is personal has nothing to do with others. Followers of Jesus aren't about to become obedient to the point of death when Jesus has already died to take their place. Followers of Jesus aren't about to be followers of Jesus when they can settle for being Christians.
Jamie at (e)mergent voyageurs posted his thoughts on what it takes to be a missional community - he writes...
Above all, the idea of what it means to be community is the most challenging. While there is a great deal about being community that can be explored through the ideas and values of how we relate, we rarely genuinely explore the implications these values have on the nitty-gritty of every day life. Even when it is explored, it is even more rare for people to make the radical changes that would, in my opinion, best embrace the missional dynamics.
As I have explored in previous blog posts, the idea of intentionally rooting our lives and homes in specific neighbourhoods is, for me, an important (even essential) missional focus that needs to be embraced by more Christian communities. Too often people who do this are seen as admirable anamolies rather than the natural product of pursuing our missional responsibility and calling as the church.
My wife & I have followed this calling, albeit awkwardly and with difficulty into one the of abandon places of the urban world, an inner city neighbourhood. However, I am not suggesting that an urban calling is the only way to be missional. By no means! While I genuinely believe that a significant number of Christians should reclaim these lost regions, and while I find it offensive how wildly Christianity in the West is equated with white middle-class suburbia, I also know that missionality can be faithfully pursued anywhere. However, without question, too many of us are using this fact to justify our unwillingness to ask and/or respond to God's call to these places.
This is not a call for a random movement of disconnected individuals, but rather something that, against our cultural tendency, should be a communal movement. This requires that we begin to recognize that the majority of missional living will find expression outside the walls of the church. If we restrict our pursuit of missional community primarily to our Sunday (and, perhaps Wednesday night) gatherings, we miss the vast majority of what true missionality and true community are all about.
I am not in anyway trying to discredit any missional community that has been expressed within the church walls. These are exciting manifestations of what could and should be. Rather, I am calling us to ask ourselves how deep our commitment to pursuing missional community runs. Take some time right now and ask yourself if you are genuinely willing to ask the question of whether or not you would uproot your life as you know it to reroot it elsewhere, both in respect to geograph and in respect to living our lives together as communities (as oppose to disjointed individuals who relate).
As I said earlier, I question whether this is fair or realistic. For years I have advocated this kind of shift, but have seen saddingly few people even consider such a change, even for a short-term. Am I being unfair? Do you believe missional community requires this level of intentional living in such a radical and (possibly) disruptive way? I genuinely want your take, so let me know.
Does missional community require a crazy (out of our minds nuts) level of intentional living in such a radical and (possibily) disruptive way? Yes, Jamie, yes it does...Jesus thought so...let's follow him.
Nice to see you posting on this issue. As Jamie posted, missional living has a lot to do with living in community, but it also has much to do with living simply.
Posted by: Rick Meigs | 2007.01.18 at 02:47 PM
Feedback? The answer is yes. Also -- The mission takes places outside the walls of the church because we are the church. As your hero, John Perkins might say, we are a people with a sense of place.
Posted by: rod | 2007.06.03 at 11:37 AM