Tim Keller identifies the following characteristics of a missional church (in ‘The Missional Church’, June 2001). I’ve found them very helpful in encouraging groups to recognise what it means to engage with their neighbourhoods in a missional way. Keller says: A...
Jesus said: ‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ (John 13:34-35) We need to be communities of love and we need to be seen to be communities of...
We have found it helpful to make a distinction between proactive and reactive intentionality. As a team we may have agreed a specific missional focus. But this does not mean we should not take other gospel opportunities as they arise. Our lives (work, neighbours, school and so on) will bring us...
Key to making missional communities work well is a shared life. This is surely at the heart of New Testament Christianity. It is also about sharing our lives together. Doing ordinary life together. Having our lives intersect. That requires a certain size. We’re talking about 10, 20, 30...