Four Characteristics of a Missional Church
It seems that every church-attending person I speak to outside of my church seems to have this one thing to say when they discover I am a missions pastor. They always tell me that their church is mission-minded. That is great, but I’ve always wondered what that means. Are they only mission-minded thinking about mission work? Or do they participate in doing missions? The missional church is a term used to describe a church focused on reaching out to the world and spreading the Gospel. This type of church emphasizes the importance of evangelism, outreach, and international missions. Over the years I have come to see that there are four characteristics that identify a church as being missional, not just missions-minded.
The Pastor Preaches on Missions.
One of the key characteristics of a missional church is that the pastor consistently preaches about missions. Some pastors only preach about missions on special mission Sundays once or twice a year. A missions-focused pastor will not only preach about missions more than a few times a year, but he will also interject mission illustrations into his preaching.
Sermons about missions or interjecting mission illustrations into a message contribute to creating a mission-minded culture within the church. This means that the congregation is constantly reminded of the importance of reaching out to others and is encouraged to participate in mission work in whatever way they can.
The Church Gives to Missions
Another important characteristic of a missional church is that the church gives to missions. Providing financial support from your church's budget shows that this biblical mandate is important in the life of your church and conveys to the congregation the value God places on mission work.
Unfortunately, many American churches fall short of doing what we should. According to Global Frontier, only .3% of all money from church budgets goes to help reach the 2.8 Billion people with little to no access to the gospel. Americans spend more on Halloween Costumes for their pets than they give to mission efforts in the most needed places[1].
The Church Sends People from Their Church to the Mission Field
A missional church is also characterized by its commitment to sending people from their church to the mission field. This means that the church actively encourages and supports members of the congregation who feel called to go and work in other countries.
When a church sends its people to the field, this can profoundly affect the rest of the church. The body of Christ tends to rally around its own and is engaged on a deeper level helping our missionaries reach the people group they are working with.
This deeper level of engagement also challenges others to join their work either financially, or some will answer the call to go themselves. While there can be a tendency to hold on to church members for fear of losing people in your congregation, there is an opposite effect to losing church members. As we give to God, He seems to give back in the way of new people to our church to fill in the gaps of those who have left for work overseas. I have never seen a highly engaged church in missions die out.
The Staff is Involved in Going Out on Mission Themselves
Finally, a missional church is characterized by its staff being involved in going out themselves. This means pastors, ministry leaders, and other staff members actively participate in mission work and lead by example. When the staff is involved in going out themselves, it helps create a mission-minded culture within the church. Leading by example by going on mission will have a greater influence on your congregation.
In conclusion, a missional church is characterized by its commitment to spreading the Gospel and reaching out to others. This includes the pastor preaching about missions, the church giving to missions, the church sending people from their church to the mission field, and the staff being involved in going out themselves. By embodying these characteristics, a missional church can have a profound impact on both the people who are being reached and the people who are going out to share the Gospel.