The Missional Adventure

One of the interim courses being offered at Calvin Theological Seminary this January is Introduction to Missional Ministry. The course has been an eyeopener for me, both into my personal shortcomings and my denomination's shortcomings. It has been a challenge to the comfortable residency we have taken up in many Christian Reformed Churches (CRC). 

This challenge was sounded by Professor Carl Bosma on the first day of class, when he posed the question about our churches: is your church a neo-natal unit or a funeral home? (I have heard another pastor phrase it similarly: there are two types of churches, those that are growing and those that are dying) The grim reality is that many congregations in the Christian Reformed Churches are expensive funeral homes. There are many reasons for this decline, Professor Bosma suggested a few, but those reasons won't be explored here at the moment. 

The Church must engage in mission, Bosma argued, otherwise, it's just a club, albeit a religious one. The Church must be intentionally reaching out and living out the gospel so that others are invited to know, love, worship, and serve Jesus. 

Many Christian Reformed congregations are facing varying congregational exoduses: either through members leaving the faith, leaving the denomination, or dying. The goal is not merely to block these departures (stopping the third reason might be difficult!) so that we can linger for a few more decades, precariously drawing shallow breathes until a final collapse occurs; no, the goal is greater and more exciting than that. The goal is to grow and flourish. This growth and flourishing will only occur if the CRC is able to move beyond it's walls and engage in mission-- to evangelize, plant churches, and revitalize churches by means of a deep dissatisfaction with the status quo. 

My own voice is hardly the voice of experience or wisdom in this regard. As mentioned, I have been challenged a great deal through the Introduction to Missional Ministry course. For instance, when doing one of the assignments, we were asked to list friends or acquaintance we know that aren't Christian. To my embarrassment, my answer was incredibly brief. So you see, I'm not speaking as one who has been to the front lines, but one who is awaking up to the fact that now must be the time to go there. Recognizing my shortcoming and insular lifestyle, I am attempting to change, by the grace of God. My hope is that the journey I am on-- in discovering how to be more missional-- will be shared here and will be of benefit to you.

God is incredibly gracious and good for showing me where I need to grow. I love him for it! It's painful and embarrassing sometimes to be reminded of how close my shortcomings are, but I am grateful that he has promised to help me pursue closer likeness to his perfect Son.