Missions is More Than a Tagline

Silent and serene, the empty church invites reflection as sunlight filters through its stained glass windows.

In my previous call, we had the Northern Illinois District has a cool tagline,  New Starts…New Believers (NSNB).  For twelve years, it was the guiding vision for our district missions.  We set aggressive goals 125 new church plants by the 500^thanniversary of the Reformation.  Unfortunately, we did not reach those lofty goals, but God allowed us to see church leaders, congregations, and religious non-profits embrace this tagline.  

The tagline has gone away.  The staff has moved on to the next chapter of their ministry, but the mission remains the same.  At the heart of NSNB were three basic principles: 1) Build relationships with those in your community.  2) Share the message of the Gospel with those inside and outside of the body of Christ, and 3) Through your faith in action be the hands, feet and heart of Jesus.  

In a new location, the mission remains unchanged. How can we be the church in this post-Christian era? Those three basic principles still hold true. In this article, we will review how that looks today.

Building Relationships with Those in Your Community

1.    It Can’t Be About You 

One major obstacle to building relationships with the community is us. Insecurity and fear of rejection serve as barriers. Let’s be honest—who wants to be rejected? And many of us deeply believe we don’t have a compelling story to share. Why would anyone find us interesting? It's just safer to stay in our lane with people who accept our quirks.  

Stepping outside of our own issues, swallowing that lump of pride in our throats, and reaching out a hand to the person next to us who seems lost and confused or just plain new are what will begin that process of building long-standing community.

Whether you’ve been part of a church or are new to it, giving yourself grace and patience when reaching out to someone new plants a Gospel seed in the community.

2.    Relationships Take Time

Young people engage in lively conversations, strengthening personal connections at a community networking event.

This will be the most troubling fact: building authentic relationships and meaningful community takes time. Even if someone seems unwilling to talk, keep taking the time to engage.  

The model Jesus used to disciple was walking alongside others.  Spending nearly 15 years in an urban environment of the biggest fears my people had was the question of safety. We did ministry in some rough areas.  Many where trapped in dangerous generational patterns and our call was to break the cycle.  

This probably is not your context, but the fears are real for your people.  They have real questions:

·      Are they safe to engage in this post-Christian environment? 

·      Will they be judged or seen as judgmental and intolerant for Christian lifestyle choices? 

·      Will this group turn on them as soon as they say or do one thing wrong? 

Many people church communities have a reputation of walking around people, sometimes we have to courage to walk up to people, but with a finger pointing in judgement or so they accuse us. The world needs to see a Church with a reputation of arms wide open, not compromising the truth, but preaching the powerful message of the Gospel.  

Walking alongside people is difficult because missions is messy.  Broken lives are messy.  Christians lives are messy.  Sin makes life messy.  And only the Gospel heals the broken and broken-hearted.

What Does This Mean?

I can read your mind.  This sounds good Keith but what does that mean?  To walk alongside others looks like this: 

·      It’s a caring hand around shoulders.

·      A willingness to walking together to as others are facing the challenges of life. 

·      Being a compassionate ear to listen to a messy life. 

·      Acceptance and redirection.  Remember the woman at the well.  

Jesus redirected her life.   This doesn’t mean that we excuse poor life decisions or make light of sin. We have all made poor life choices.  It means the Church being willing to recognize the world is broken people are broken, missions are messy.  We all have issues in our lives to work through. Here is the one-sentence summary to ponder.  

Community is a place where brokenness can be explored safely and in the context of loving relationships.

We point people to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We invite them to be a part of our Word and Sacrament Community. We embrace the stranger and give aid and comfort to the dying. We form Christ-centered communities. We be the heart, hands and feet of Jesus.