Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Understanding Missional - Interview Results Part 2 of 4

Review
Yesterday I concluded that the 7 interviews done with missional practitioners from across the country revealed that the key belief driving the missional movement was "the belief that the Western Church has lost its true identity." The way these practitioners said the church could regain its true identities is "through the renewal of theology, the reshaping of leadership, and the reprioritization of holistic discipleship and entering the long-term transition process." Part 1 (posted on 5/4) detailed what a renewed theology might look like. Part 2, todays post, details a reshaped leadership.

Reshaped Leadership
Since each of the respondents interviewed was involved in a local missional movement at some level, it is not surprising that they offered practical steps the church can take to regain its true identity as well as theoretical frameworks for regaining the lost identity. Six of the seven respondents either alluded to or directly stated the belief that the church needs to reshape the way it does leadership. Respondents’ comments imply that a reshaped leadership begins with a shared or team-based approach. Speaking to this point, one respondent described the leadership team as his friends with whom he spends every Sunday afternoon relaxing, playing games, and sharing food. This family or friendly feeling seemed to permeate the majority of leadership teams described by the respondents. As friends and family, it was natural for leaders to share responsibility, make decisions together, and develop a more flattened hierarchy than is often seen in contemporary churches. The reason a flattened hierarchy metaphor frequently surfaced as made clear by one respondent who is leading a church planting church. He said, “If you want to build a big church, all you need are two to three superstar staff members, but if you want to develop a church planting movements, you need to be reproducing lots of leaders who share the vision, values, and direction of the team.” Building a team of this manner happens best for those in the missional movement when they are friends, peers, and family instead of bosses and employees.

Respondents also suggested a reshaped leadership focuses upon equipping people for ministry. While many contemporary churches would also say the same of leadership, those in the missional movement seem to take the belief one step further. In fact, one respondent admitted that he was actually out of a job because he had just equipped someone to take over his role in the congregation. In order to be true to his title as equipper, he stepped aside to let the new person fill the role, leaving himself without a source of income.

The radical stepping aside of the respondent aforementioned reveals one of the strongest beliefs about leadership in the missional movement: leaders cannot only teach their followers from the pulpit, in the classroom, or through curriculum and Bible studies. Instead, the respondents strongly claimed that missional leaders must model missional living for the members of the congregation. Six of the seven respondents made this point about leadership, each one of them telling stories about leaders who were able to do much more than anyone imagined simply because they modeled what missional living might look like for their followers. Though not as strongly stated, it was often suggested that leaders need not have everything about living missionally figured out, but that they must be willing to practice mission in community with others. Through the process of success, failure, and eventually, learning, both the leader and the community grow in their understanding of how to live on mission for God. This process may seem chaotic, but leadership, according to the respondents, is a messy process that involves asking questions instead of answering them, offering suggestions instead of giving orders, and pointing in a direction instead of drawing out the map.

Tomorrow, part 3 of 4 will detail the necessity for prioritizing holistic discipleship.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Understanding Missional - Interview Results Part 1 of 4

After interviewing 7 different respondents from across the country, here are the conclusions I reached about what is driving the missional movement. Enjoy!

Results of Qualitative Research
According to the data collected from every respondent interviewed, the primary belief driving the missional movement in the West seems to be the belief that the Western Church has lost its true identity. Whereas Scripture teaches that the church is the kingdom people of God called and sent to participate in God’s mission in the world, those in the missional movement believe that the church has instead become a place and a program focused on growth and success instead of mission. The missional movement is not simply another church growth tool or a new thing for Christians to do. Instead, the missional movement is all about the identity of the church. Most importantly, the missional movement is focused upon helping the church realize that the loss of its true identity is not a problem to be ignored. Rather, the missional church is teaching that the Western church must regain its true identity through the renewal of theology, the reshaping of leadership, the reprioritization of holistic discipleship, and entering the long-term transition process.

Renewed Theology
According to the respondents, the renewed theology driving the missional movement begins with the belief that God is a missionary God. The missionary nature of God is seen both in his huge mission of complete and total reconciliation and in his sending nature. Reconciliation, restoration and renewal seem to be the respondents’ favorite descriptors of God’s purpose for the world. When God is seen in this light, the Gospel becomes a narrative about the fulfillment of God’s mission or purposes. One respondent described the Gospel as more “robust,” “exciting,” and “alive” among missional churches. Instead of seeing the Gospel as a story about how God wants Christians to go to heaven, the same respondent said that it is a story about how God wants Christians to bring heaven to earth.

The final major theological category identified by respondents is ecclesiology. Four of the seven respondents claimed it is only in the identity of a missionary God and the story of God’s mission found in the Gospel that the church can fully understand its identity as the sign, foretaste, and instrument of God’s kingdom (also referred to as God’s reign, mission, and purpose). Perhaps more than in any other section of the interviews, respondents spoke most passionately and fluidly about the need for the church to seriously consider its current self-awareness and how this awareness would compare to the church seen in Scripture as the people of God sent to live under God’s rule for the blessing of the world and the glory of God.

Up next, reshaping leadership in the missional church.