"Missional Church" is like "Female Woman"

Chris Wright, who spoke right after me at yesterdays Anglican conference in Cape Town, hinted at the redundancy of the word "missional". He recounted a friend who told him that saying "missional church" is like saying "female woman". Or in other words, every church should be missional. It is not an option. You cannot have a church that is not committed to mission.



Chris also shared some of the history of Lausanne, in particular the somewhat dualist nature of the famed 1974 event in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, where "holistic mission" was a small interest group. Back then, there was a tension between the balancing demands of evangelistic activity and social action. Today, such a tension is hardly noticeable. Holistic mission involves both elements of practical compassionate social response, and backed up with a clear explanation of the good news of Jesus.

Chris is the author of the large but worth book The Mission of God that I purchased and really appreciated. His new book will be shorter and will focus on the role of the missional community. Its called The Mission of God's People and I had dinner with the editor this evening.

Previously on TSK: Chris Wright on the Mission of God and postmodernism.