Missional Churches

I heard the other day that churches tend to fall into four models: 1) The Refuge; 2) Attractional; 3) In Transition, and; 4) Missional.

The Refuge church is like a family that I can go to for safety, healing and where everyone believes the same things I do. "Maybe if we all just hang in there, we'll make it until Jesus rescues us." I think of Charles Laughton in the 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Playing Quasimodo, the hunchback, he swings in to rescue Esmeralda from being burned at the stake, carries her high up above the square to the top of the cathedral and, holding her above his head to the roar of the crowd in the square below, cries out, "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"

The Attractional church model tends to focus on building great buildings and programs. "We've got something great for you--so come and join us." In the U.S., we have some wonderful mega-churches that can compete with Disneyland and the Mall as a must-see destination. This is American competition as applied to religion. And, in general, smaller churches have a hard time competing, like a local hardware store compared to Home Depot.

The Transitional church is the one that may be fed up with its former model, may be in decline. It is at the end of one model and trying to figure out where to go next. Or, it may even be the new church-plant that is seeking to become established.

There is a new and exciting trend these days. A new model of church that many are calling the Missional church. It seeks to move out of merely existing as a refuge for its members (although there are always elements of refuge in healthy churches). And, although it may have elements that attract seekers to come--it is not focused on in-house programs as a way of reaching others. Instead, it is a model of engagement with the surrounding community in a meaningful and loving way. It is primarily a "go-ye" rather than a "come-ye" approach.

Check out an old Ingrid Bergman film sometime, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. The missionary, Gladys Aylward, lives out a life service in a northern province of China until the invasion of the Japanese empire through Manchuria. She serves the local Manchu lord as the "Chief Foot Inspector." And even though she has a thankless job, she becomes known as Jennai, "the one who loves," by everyone in the province. That is the Missional church model. The scene of her local feudal lord coming to faith is powerful.

Now don't get me wrong, I think that we can benefit from all of these models of church. But in my current journey with Jesus, I feel Him drawing me towards this new (old?) approach. Karl Barth, early 20th century German theologian, once defined the church as "community for the sake of the world." I like to modify this slightly to "Christ-centered community for the sake of the world." That means that church itself exists primarily for the sake of others.

So, even though Jesus said that He would "build his church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matt. 16: 18)--His instructions to the church were "go into all the world and make Jesus-followers out of every ethnicity and culture, baptizing them in the name of the Tri-une God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and teaching them to obey everything I have taught you..." (Matt. 28: 18-20).

The downside of the Missional model is that it is much scarier. As Jesus says to the 72 disciples in Luke 10: 3, "Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves." That is not a pleasant thought. It is not a very attractive model. "Hey! Come to our church. We promise you will feel as secure as a lamb thrown into the middle of a pack of wolves!"

And yet this is the call. Who wants to join me on this wild new adventure?