Missional Church

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Missional Church

• Missional Church Culture

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How can the church both relevant and faithful?

• Church as structure
• Church as Mission

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How can the church both relevant and faithful?

• Church as structure
• Church is a place where things certain
  happenMissional Church pg79
• Marks of the church moved from function to
  location.
• Gospel preached, sacraments and discipline are
  functions
• These function now associated with place where
  these are properly done.

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How can the church both relevant and faithful?

• Church as structure
• Church is a place where Christians go to worship
  and gather with other Christians.
• Identity built around place
• Mission is something that happens outside the
  church in some distant place.

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How can the church both relevant and faithful?

• Church as Mission
• Church as a people gathered to be sent.
• Organism
• Gospel preaches the reign of God
• From ecclesio-centric to missio-centric (
  theo-centric Gods mission)

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How can the church both relevant and faithful?

• Church as Mission
• Identity built around participation in Gods
  mission
• Gospel embedded in culture

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How can the church both relevant and faithful?

• Which of these images of the church reflect the
  biblical images of the church?

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• Church culture
• Focus on
• Individual converts
• Believers turf
• Finding Christian to come
• Begin in the church
• Large group meeting
• Scripture taught as academic information
• Build programs buildings

• Mission Culture
• Focus on
• Group conversions
• Unbelievers turf
• Finding persons of grace
• Begin in homes
• Small groups
• Scripture taught as application
• Build leaders

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• Church culture
• Leadership
• Pastor lone ranger
• Professional clergy
• Leader of participatory audience

• Mission Culture
• Leadership
• Apostolic partnership team
• New Christian become leaders
• Equipper of emerging leaders

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• Church culture
• Finances
• Funded church planter
• Heavy investment
• Resources imported

• Mission Culture
• Finances
• Bi-vocational planter
• Minimum investment
• Resources local

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• Church culture
• Structure
• Needs of the church
• Clergy centered
• Slow growth

• Mission Culture
• Structure
• Community needs
• Lay centered
• Rapid reproduction

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TEN THINGS ANYONE WHO JOINS IN A TWENTY FIRST
CENTURY MISSIONAL CHURCH PLANT SHOULD NOT
EXPECTbyDavid Fitch
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Should not expect to regularly come to church
for just one hour, get what you need for your own
personal growth and development, and your kids
needs, and then leave til next Sunday. Expect
mission to change your life. Expect however a
richer life than you could have ever imagined.
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Should not expect that Jesus will fit in with
every consumerist capitalist assumption,
lifestyle, schedule or accoutrement you may have
adopted before coming here. Expect to be freed
from a lot of crap you will find out you never
needed.
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3.) Should not expect to be anonymous, unknown or
be able to disappear in this church Body. Expect
to be known and loved, supported in a glorious
journey.
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4.) Should not expect production style excellence
all the time on Sunday worship gatherings. Expect
organic, simple and authentic beauty.
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5.) Should not expect a raucous "light out" youth
program that entertains the teenagers, puts on a
show that gets the kids "pumped up," all without
parental involvement. Instead as the years go by,
with our children as part of our life, worship
and mission (and when the light shows dim and the
cool youth pastor with the spiked hair burns out)
expect our youth to have an authentic
relationship with God thru Christ that carries
them through a lifetime of journey with God.
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6.) Should not expect to always "feel good,"or
ecstatic on Sunday mornings. Expect that there
will ALSO be times of confession, lament,
self-examination and just plain silence.
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7.) Should not expect a lot of sermons that
promise you God will prosper you with "the life
you've always wanted" if youll just believe Him
and step out on faith and give some more money
for a bigger sanctuary. Expect sustenance for the
journey.
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8.) Should not expect rapid growth whereby we
grow this church from 10 to a thousand in three
years. Expect slower organic inefficient growth
that engages peoples lives where they are at and
sees troubled people who would have nothing to do
with the gospel marvelously saved.
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9.) Should not expect all the meetings to happen
in a church building. Expect a lot of the
gatherings will be in homes, or sites of mission.
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10.) Should not expect arguments over style of
music, color of carpet, or even doctrinal outlier
issues like dispensationalism. Expect mission to
drive the conversation.