Missio Dei
Michael Frost is not afraid of bold statements. The missiologist from Australia came to Canada last month and opened his remarks as the major plenary speaker at a Church Planting Congress by stating forthrightly that followers of Jesus Christ are "not in the business of planting churches." Rather, he insists, Christians are called "to follow the source of the missio Dei"—the mission of God.
Missio Dei is a theological concept; a Latin term used to describe the idea that mission does not belong to the church—it belongs to God. A quote attributed to Howard Snyder puts it this way. "It isn't the Church of God that has a mission in the world. It's the God of mission who has a Church in the world." Elsewhere, Jurgen Moltmann said: "It is not the Church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the Church."
As Frost explains it, "God is a sent and sending God who invites His followers to extend ourselves beyond ourselves. If you could take mission away from God, He wouldn't be God anymore." This notion that mission derives from the very nature of God has profound implications for Christian practitioners. "It matters because it releases the Church to see what God is doing and wants to do in this world, rather than taking control and seeking to dispense mission in a more manageable way. It allows the Church to see God as more creative, daring and effective than would otherwise be the case."
It was in that context that Frost warned more than 700 pastors, denominational officials and church planters against mixing the outcome (more churches, bigger churches) with the goal—"alerting people to the reign and rule of God in Christ." Mission, he insists, "is more than evangelism. It is more than recruitment. It's alerting people in word and deed to the reign of God in Christ." Clearly this involves "announcing the reign of God in Christ, but it also means demonstrating it."
Foretastes of the divine
To that end, Frost encouraged his listeners to create "foretastes of what the world to come will look like" in the same way that movie trailers entice viewers to want to see more. When people see the kingdom at work, it's an opportunity to tell them it's a trailer of the blockbuster to come. "Out of that, churches will grow."
What does this missional emphasis offer the broader church? "A rediscovery of an expansive view of mission," says Frost. "It's a call to organize around mission, a reminder that we're in a missionary situation in Canada, that an attractional come-to-us model is only going to appeal to a minority of Canadians. We need to rediscover a go-to-them stance rather than a come-to-us stance."
And how can the existing church establishment help missional pioneers? "They need accountability in theology and practice. They need support, nurture and encouragement. The attractional church can do a great deal to release the incarnational movement. It works both ways, and we need to remain in close conversation. If the new ones are brash, radical and arrogant, there's no need to abandon them. There's something godly in their energy that traditional churches ought not to miss out on just because they don't like the cut of their jib," says Frost.
"Denominational leaders are realizing that we need to have a mixed economy of churches. Even within a denomination there will be a mixture of approaches, from large attractional to neighbourhood to organic. Conversation between those is a constructive thing. The missional church movement shouldn't be a threat, even though some of their leaders are a bit threatening. It could be the seeds of renewal."
The bottom line is the need for all Christians to become involved in missional activity. The God of mission has a Church in the world. "To whom has God sent you? There is no such thing as an unsent Christian. Go where God sends you. Make a home there. Love those people. Put deep roots into that place. Live there, love them, and never leave them."
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