Discussion from Contemporary Theological Issues Class at Baptist Bible Seminary

A student in my class began a discussion on "Missional Ministry" with this post. I am going to post a reply to this post and then my reply to that reply.

For many churches when we talk about missions or missions it is a program of the church. We have a missions committee and we have missions conferences. The emphasis is not on the here, but the far away.

Everything that we do as a church and as individuals should have a component of incorporating non churched people into the family of God. The emerging missional movement challenges the traditional approach.

"Rather than measuring the church by its attendance, we will measure it by its deployment," McLaren said.

Our focus needs to change from just ministering to those within our midst to those that are outside our doors. Many of these churches are holding so strongly to an old model that they are dying before our eyes. They are not making disciples and they are not reaching out. The real challenge is not change but will be survival. However, for most they are not aware of the situation. They have elevated the model to doctrine and thus are going down on a ship that needs not to be salvaged.