The Degree To Which Your Church Will Be Saved

by Mark Tidsworth, Founder and Team Leader

...Is the degree to which your church joins God on mission.

“It’s not the church of God that has a mission, it’s the God of mission that has a church.” --Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury

Before we go too far, clarification on wording is needed here. What do we mean through the use of this word, “saved?” Here we do not mean institutional survival or revitalization. The Missional Church Movement is not a back-door way to revitalize your congregation for the purpose of ensuring longevity and institutional renewal. The Missional Church Movement is not the next best church growth initiative cloaked in different language. This is not sleight of hand positioning, which is actually focused on twentieth century metrics. No, salvation here refers to something far deeper than metrics and institutional strength.

“It’s all about soul,” to quote musician Billy Joel. When your church joins God on mission in the world, then your church resonates with its deepest calling. Salvation then, for a congregation, is found in aligning itself with God’s mission. The degree to which your congregation can join God on mission, is the degree to which your congregation will find itself immersed in the movement of God in the world. This will breathe life into your congregation’s spirit. Joining God on mission helps your church find its soul.

Now, does this also mean your congregation’s institutional concerns will be resolved?

Perhaps and perhaps not. God’s mission is in the world, with the church as an instrument of this mission. The more your congregation is involved with God’s mission, the better. But better does not primarily mean more money or members. Better means more spirit and congruent focus. As your congregation finds its spirit again through joining God on mission, it may become more attractive to others who want to join you. While at the very same time, it may be that no one notices this shift in your focus. The goal here is not institutional revitalization in terms of buildings, bodies, and budgets. The goal is to live out one’s calling as fully and effectively as possible. The institutional effects of this alignment are unpredictable. Yet, wouldn’t you rather be aligned with God’s mission, living out your calling as a congregation, regardless of what’s in it for you?

Often, those churches who are caught up in God’s mission in the world are energized, focused, and forward-moving. Often, people in their communities want to join with these vitalized and energized churches. No guarantees, but often. But remember, if our real goal is to strengthen our institutional metrics, we won’t actually be missional, but selfish instead.

The degree to which we join God’s mission to transform planet earth toward the reign of God, is the degree to which our churches will be saved (in the fullest sense of that word).

NOTE - Next week’s article continues this series on shifting from attractional to missional churches. To learn more about these shifts, see Mark’s book Shift: Three Big Moves For The 21st Century Church, Pinnacle Leadership Press.