Ed Stetzer on Missional in the Way of Jesus

Good post by Ed Stetzer:

I cannot define the word “missional,” at least not in an authoritative or definitive way, for everyone. But I can tell you why I think it must include Jesus mission to see and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

This does not mean that much of the concern about the way the word “missional” has been used is not warranted. There are some serious and legitimate concerns. However, if we’re going to adopt the term “missional,” here’s what we can’t do and still be on Jesus mission.

1. We can’t de-emphasize the cross.

2. We can’t de-emphasize the spiritual dilemma.

Societal transformation is not man’s biggest problem.

The world is a broken place, and there is a desperate need for economic and social justice in all parts of the world. There are those who are exploited and oppressed with little or no hope of relief.

The vulnerable and the downtrodden must be in our missional vision. But we must remind ourselves (and those to whom we bring relief) that our chief problem is not alienation from each other but alienation from God.

Being missional means we publicly profess, confess and proclaim His name, even in the face of adversity and opposition.

Being missional means spreading the message of reconciliation between God and man through Jesus Christ.

3. We can’t de-emphasize Jesus.

4. We can’t de-emphasize the Gospel proclamation.

5. We can’t de-emphasize the church.

I don’t think you can love Jesus and ignore His wife.

Some believe the church has not done enough in God’s Kingdom mission, and some who have used the term “missional” have attempted to jettison the church in favor of a broader “Kingdom” focus.

Christ loves His church. The church matters. We must affirm the words of the Tambaram mission conference: “It is the Church and the Church alone which can carry the responsibility of transmitting the Gospel from one generation to another, of preserving its purity and of proclaiming it to all creatures.”…

The church is on a biblical mission.

The church is not the center of God’s plan. Jesus is. But the church is central to God’s plan.

Being missional means not leaving the church behind and keeping the church central in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to the ends of the earth….

Being missional—in the way of Jesus and in the way the Scriptures describe—means our engagement of culture and context is not at the expense of the person of Jesus and the power of His Gospel.

That’s joining the mission of Jesus.