Why do so many congregations make a good start with missional living, only to see it soon fizzle? It is no longer a mystery.
There are four unforced errors most congregations are committing that are keeping them from seeing better results. What are they? (And what are simple remedies we can use to reverse the errors?)
1) We think studying what Jesus says is the same as doing what Jesus says. You can read more here.
2) We never seem to get around to building an actual friendship with someone who is living without Jesus’ grace and truth. You can read more here.
3) People are recruited away from the mission of God by their own congregational programming.
Turns out, the mission of God is not really the mission of our congregation. God’s mission is to ignite redemptive movements in every neighborhood. Last Sunday, what were our congregational announcements recruiting people to participate in?
I sit in congregations every weekend where the stated purpose of my being there is to help train and aim the congregation toward missional living. However, even then, when it’s time for announcements, what do most (if not all) of the announcements promote? The mission of God in the neighborhood? Or the programs, needs and opportunities within the congregation?
Jesus said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you to become fishers of men,” Matthew 4:19. Into what do most of our congregational efforts go?
Remedy: Provide a clear, simple plan for people to join Jesus on His mission in their neighborhoods and then use every congregational gathering to celebrate and facilitate such a lifestyle.
What is a clear, simple plan for joining Jesus on His mission? Have people engage two mission assignments.
Assignment #1
Seek the Kingdom: I will practice seeking, recognizing and responding to what Jesus is already doing in the lives of people around me.
Assignment #2
Love your neighbor: I will follow a simple plan for getting to know and spending unhurried time with at least one neighbor who is living without the grace and truth of Jesus.
Then use every congregational gathering - every meeting, study, rehearsal, etc. - to celebrate and facilitate participation in those two assignments. How? By prioritizing “Take-10 Conversations”.
What are “Take-10 Conversations”? “Take-10” means “take ten minutes” at the beginning of any gathering at church to break into groups of two or three and talk about how participating in the two mission assignments is going. You can also encourage people to have “Take-10 Conversations” at home around the dinner table.
Regular “Take-10 Conversations” help people receive the encouragement, insight, and accountability they need to prioritize joining Jesus on His mission in their daily lives.
“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…,” Hebrews 10:24-25.
It’s simple and it works.
If you would like to unpack this more, email me at finkeonthemove@aol.com
[more next week]