Missional Vs. Maintenance Churches
January 22, 2007 by John Baw
Mark, of madetopraisehim fame, has got me thinking. In a post that contrasts missional churches with maintenance churches he lists a whole lot of areas where we simply have the “churchianized” gospel back to front This makes me ask myself some hard questions, the answers to which I share down below:
- Where are we spending all of our energy/resources? Inside or outside the church walls? Is my church a ‘firewall’ designed to insulate “us” from “them”?
- Are we thinking I terms of how many are coming to church, rather than how many are being sent from church?
- Is my role that of creating programmes to fill with people, or is it to build people that can be used in programmes? – Who will do the “work of the ministry”?
- Do we resist change because we think that some in our group will be upset – or do we take bold steps in the direction that will bless others
- Do we interpret change through a personal cost-benefit analysis, or do we have little regard for the personal price as long as the King’s mission is enhanced?
- Are we being faithful to our past or to our future?
- Do we try to avoid conflict at all cost or do we realise that friction is sometimes the price for progress?
- Am I being a manager or a pioneer? Do I strive for the chaos of the nursery (where there is life) or for the order of the cemetery?
- Are we withdrawing within our christianeze sub-culture – or are we engaging the wider culture?
- Do we plan in terms of trying to get people to come to church, or de we plan in terms of getting the church to go?
- Are we thinking in terms of preserving our lives (as a church), or in terms of laying down our lives?
- Am I the one who provides the pastoral care, or am I equipping the saints to care for each other pastorally?
- Am I being totally dependant on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or is He simply an added benefit that can be latched on to our programmes?
- Do I emphasize “us” or the presence of the King? Is it about me or is it about a Warrior-King manifesting His beauty and reign through us?
The last two years for me have been a roller-coaster ride! There has been an ongoing shift for my and for Living Waters here in Gibraltar. Two years ago I would have scored “maintenance” on most of Mark’s questions. Today I can see that we have come a long way, but still have a long way to go!
The question that is still stuck in my heart is the first one. Where are we spending all of our energies? Sadly it is still within the church walls (Though we do not have a church building yet……you know…whatever.). But an awakening is taking place that we are called to Pastor Gibraltar and the surrounding region. Our calling is not to build a nice fellowship but to shift and transform cultures and societies. Yes, The King is reclaiming what is His, and all I can say to that is…. Yes Lord, here I am.
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We haven’t arrived either! Far from it! But we’re moving steadily in the right direction. I think you’ve hit the key indicator right on the head though. We can easily measure how much of our time and resources is going into maintenance rather than mission. In our own case, I can see this gradually shifting in the right direction over the least year or so, and I’m very encouraged.
Thanks for making me officially famous by the way