Do we still have to be missional?

Several weeks ago I took the train to Ottawa. I like the train because it is more environmentally friendly than other options and it’s a good place to keep up with my work. On this particular trip one of the things I had on my agenda was reading through a folder containing summaries of several studies of MCEC. In one, from about a decade ago, a researcher summarized: “Still not a strong sense of being focused on being missional.” I wasn’t surprised. I have had many conversations where people have told me that this language was either too evangelical or too exhausting. For some the term “mission” also brings to mind times when Christians have colluded with empires to take over native lands and assimilate or eradicate indigenous populations.

I hear this reluctance, and at the same time I observe that vibrant churches have a clear sense of the work they want to do in the world. Some of these churches are strong supporters of international relief work. Some are relatively new to Canada and work hard to support members of their community heal from trauma and start new lives in this country. Some of these churches want to be sure that gay students know that God loves them as they are. Some of these churches support the unhoused or the lonely. Some of these churches want others to find the freedom and joy that they have experienced encountering Jesus.

Christian communities that exist only for their own sake have a hard time encouraging growth in their members. It isn’t just congregations that experience this. Schools, businesses and sports teams know this as well. Without some reason for being that extends beyond the individual’s satisfaction, things get stagnate and weird.

I think our individual congregations can take or leave the term “missional.” Let’s not get distracted by church ministry fads. Remember the “church growth movement” or the “emergent movement” or the ___ movement (fill in the blank with some other trendy language that was thought to have captured the essence of Christianity). We can also have a great deal of difference between our congregations on what part of God’s ministry of reconciliation we support most. Part of what makes us Anabaptist is that we believe faith is both a dynamic personal journey and something that makes a difference in how we live in the world. Indeed, the researcher who carried out the study I mentioned above was surprised by the consistent interest expressed by congregations in serving their wider community.

However we define it, I think each of our congregations need a sense of the difference they make in the world. Helping to discern this, listening to the Spirit’s leading, is one of the joys given to our congregational leaders. A sense of mission that really moves our communities is something given by God. Part of discerning the small difference one our congregations might make in the world is discovering the gift—the charism—that God has given a particular community. Mission starts with gift. And these gifts, as scripture often reminds us, are many. So while I’m convinced that having a sense of mission is essential for every congregation, I encourage us to honor and to respect the variety of ways in which this is expressed.