One of those phrases used constantly over the last several years in pastoral ministry and theology is “missional.” Great word. What does it mean?

“We are a missional community.” Great thought. Explain that, will you?

What is the Church, the Body of Christ?

Part of the community of Christ is we are a place where believers love and serve one another. We often have an easier time loving the world (and loving it in a Christ-like way, too), and loving our own brothers and sisters in Christ. We spend time with them at church, home groups, potlucks, etc. We get irritated with their quirks. (When we talk about ourselves, it’s a trait. When we talk about others, it’s a quirk.)

So what? We are family. Families have quirks and oddballs. You are probably one of them. Deal with it. Love each other. Serve each other. What a great testimony to the world when they see you loving some “quirky” person in your church. That is certainly different than how the world would handle it!

The church is commanded to “do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).

Service is holistic. We are not talking about meeting physical needs alone. (I must say, though, it is the most fun I have as a pastor when our small church steps up to help a family in our church.) Serving is more than physical nee. We serve each other in our teaching, the use of spiritual gifts, praying, sharing things with each other, and even church discipline. (Harper and Metzger outline this in their book on Ecclesiology.)

It is my passion that we love Christ and his church. This is his body. We need to live this out in reality so the world has a powerful testimony to the reality of Christ.