Perhaps the best way to think of the purpose of this blog is that it is an attempt to answer the question, "can a church focus on making disciples and be missional at the same time?" Or, "do you have to sacrifice making disciples if you want to be missional?"
If your first thought when you saw the title of this article was, “Mmm, I didn’t think that the mission of the church should be at odds with our calling to go and make disciples,” then you have just earned a blue ribbon for quick thinking. Let me state it very clearly: there is no tension between being missional and making disciples.
Why the confusion? I believe one of the reasons is the use of the word “missional” in the first place. Anything that sounds new is immediately viewed suspiciously; I know this to be true because that is how I am too. For this very reason, I have deliberately chosen to use the word “missional” less and instead to communicate its meaning through the use of Biblical words and phrases like “salt” (Matthew 5:13), “light” (Matthew 5:14), “city set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14), “GO and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19), and “just as the Father has sent me so I therefore send you” (John 20:21). These Biblical words and images convey the profound truth that the church is not here merely to learn the Bible and lead upstanding moral lives. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are here on earth to know and love God and to help others do the same.Blah, blah, blah, but you might be wondering, how exactly does your church “do” discipleship at MLEFC? To help our people grow as disciples we provide the following ministries:
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Sunday Worship/Preaching
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Care Groups
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Life on Life Discipleship (groups of 2-3 people)
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Youth and Family Ministry
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Children’s Sunday School
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Women’s Ministry
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Men’s Ministry
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Acts of compassion within our community
I love to study; as a matter of fact, I spent 8 years of my life in formal education studying God’s Word, the Biblical languages, theology and church history. After all this time I realize more than ever how little I know, yet I have a desire to continue learning about who God is and how He is at work in this world. I think it is invaluable that followers of Christ love God with their heart and their mind. All of the ministries listed above have God’s Word at the center of what they do. The key is that within these ministries we have to be teaching our people that God is honored when we know Him, but at the same time He is delighted when we share this knowledge of Him with others. Becoming salt and light is a supernatural overflow of a life that is immersed deeply in scripture.
OK, so if we have these opportunities to study and learn God’s Word, why even bother with the word “missional” or why is there so much emphasis on being a redeeming agent in our culture? Great question, my blue ribbon friend! It is our belief that one of the first things that dies in the life and activity of a church is a broken heart for those outside the church walls. Let me ask you another question. Isn’t it possible to attend all of the above ministries and still be emotionally and physically disconnected from those people that Jesus came to love and save all around you? Allow me to answer first: yes, because I see this in my own life--and it troubles me. And talking to other elders, deacons, and ministry leaders, it troubles them in their own lives as well.
Let me conclude by coming at this from a slightly different angle. We can talk all we want about discipleship and its importance, and we can all shake hands and agree that it must be a priority of the church. But we aren’t making a true disciple of Jesus Christ if we fail to teach/show/model to them the importance of living out the gospel by loving others. The question is not, “Are we a missional church or a church that is making disciples.” That is creating a false dichotomy in how we think about church-life. We must be a church that is making disciples who are characterized by a love for God, a love for His word, a love for other brothers and sisters in Christ, and a love for those outside our church walls. We encourage you to join us in praying, working, dialoguing, and developing a community of such like-minded disciples of Jesus Christ!