introduction to church growth
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Introduction to Church Growth. Missional Church. Missional & Incarnational. What is Missional ? The missional church is a church that sees its mission to represent Christ and operates as being sent into the world to reach the lost. OR - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Missional Church
Introduction to Church Growth
Missional & Incarnational
What is Missional?
The missional church is a church that sees its mission to represent Christ and operates as being sent into the world to reach the lost.
OR
“A community of God’s people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God’s mission to the world.”
Alan Hirsh, The Forgotten Ways
Missional & Incarnational
Missional Church
Community centered on God’s missionOutward focused community of believersPeople centeredCulture engagingIncarnational in nature
Missional & Incarnational
Characteristics of Missional ChurchesEvangelizing is not something we do it is what we
are.Contextual - Attempts to make Christianity
meaningful in peoples’ cultural contextPeople recognized as created in the image of God
Not just prospective members People of worth even before saved
Incarnational for attraction & Communication Living and sharing the gospel where life is taking place
for people Involved in life’s communities
Church Planters Pt. 2 – Tim Keller
Missional & Incarnational
Contextualization -- communicating the gospel in a new context in a way that is understandable to the recipients in order for them to do theology, develop church life, be involved in ministry that is biblically based and culturally appropriate.
Missional & Incarnational
Characteristics of Missional ChurchIncarnational for attraction & communication
Incarnational – refers to missionaries’ (Christians) practice of missions as Christ was incarnate as a person by incarnating themselves in the new cultural context by identification with the people through personal interaction by learning the language and culture to better proclaim the gospel.
What is incarnational mission? – Alan Hirch
Missional & Incarnational
Characteristics of Missional ChurchIncarnational for attraction & communication
Attraction – refers to the Christians and the church body worshipping in a community and finding ways to draw people into the church community rather than the church going into the community.
Foundation of Missional Church
Missio Dei
God’s Mission provides the foundation for why the church exists and how it defines its purpose.
Mt. 16:16-18
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
Why was humanity created?AccidentGod was lonelyNeeds to be worshippedTo glorify GodGod of love (relationship)
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
Mission began by God Mission continues with God’s reconciling work Mission ends with God
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
What are the challenges in the world?Pride, hatred and power
Wars, Genocide, Terrorism
Immorality and self-centered desires Amoral lifestyle, Life unrelated to God, poverty
Disease and natural disasters Cancer, AIDS, Earthquakes, Sunami
Worldview differences Pluralism, Secularism, Materialism, Consumerism
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
How does God view His creation? Communicates and interacts with His creation Provides guidance Provides means to approach Him People in need of knowing God and reconciliation God so loved the world that …..
How should Christians view the world?
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
How should Christians view the world? World created by God People created in God’s image People loved by God Sin is a problem for all cultures of the world People are worth redeeming Reconciliation to God is God’s desire Believers are sent into the world as Jesus was
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
What are believers responsibility to the world? Practice the two greatest commandments Represent God’s love in the world Represent God’s life style in the world Share God’s truth in the world Share God’s answer to people in the world Work to do good for greater justice and people’s
wellbeing
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
“It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission.” ---Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, p. 62)
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
The Bible displays the story of God’s mission. A story of God’s work in the
world to reconcile humanity to Himself.
Mission Terminology
Implications of the Missio DeiGod is the theological foundationGod is the source of powerGod provides the messageGod provides the means of salvationGod defines the mission
Missio Dei (Mission of God)
Why study the mission of the church and its growth?
Mission is God’s action in this world People are the center of God’s concern (mission) His followers are participants in His mission The church’s role is to be missional as God is Entering God’s mission is central to who we are as
Christians
Mission Terminology
Implications for missionsGod’s people enter the mission of GodBelievers live and share the messageBelievers strive to see the world as God
does, in need of reconciliationGoing and being sent (Mt. 28:18; Jn. 17:18; 20:21; Rom.
15:20)
Ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-21)
Mission Terminology
Missionary
The term missionary comes originally from the Greek word “apostles” through Latin “missio” to English meaning sent ones.
Mission Terminology
Biblical use of apostlos (missionary) Used to describe the twelve selected from Jesus’
disciples Used of Paul Other people in N. T. sent out by churches
Barnabas (Acts 14:14)James, the Lord’s brother (1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19)Janias and Andronicus (Rom. 16:7)Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25)
Mission Terminology
Missionary today Generally used for Christians sent out cross-
culturally It is a term that can apply to any Christian sent out
for ministry Types of missionary
Cross-culturalDomesticNon-residentVocational (tent-making)
Mission Terminology
Ten misunderstandings about missionaries Super spiritual Misfits in their own cultures Adventure seekers Always good with languages Always of a strong calling from God Bigoted, cultural imperialists (Poison Wood Bible, Mitchner -
Hawaii) No longer needed Always go overseas Live in the bush Sign their lives away
Mission Terminology
Missiology
“The formal study of Christian mission in its theological, biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic dimensions as well as it present and future aspects” (Kaiser).
Mission Terminology
Elements of Missiology Biblical – the biblical foundation and mandate –
reveals God’s mission Theological – understanding the word & applying it Historical – history of it practice Cultural – the context in which mission takes place Strategic – principles, strategies, methods used Present and future oriented – present & eternal
dimensions
Theology – The “discipline which strives to give a coherent statement of the doctrines of the Christian faith, based primarily on scripture, placed within the context of culture in general, worded in contemporary idiom, and related to issues of life.” (Erickson, 1985, p. 21)
Faith seeking understanding (Anselm of Canterbury 1033-1109; Bevans argues this is theology)
Mission Terminology
Missional & Incarnational
God
Missio DeiHoly Spirit & Disciples
ChurchChurch
Church
WORLDIncarnational
Attractional
Missional
Church growth takes place within
this dynamic of cultural engagement
as missional, incarnational and attractional . . .
Video – Missional Community
Church growth takes place within this dynamic of cultural engagement as missional, incarnational and attractional in displaying the Lordship of Christ, making disciples and planting churches.
Mission Terminology