Church Chew

Sep 19, 2011

Jeff

2 Comments

Will the missional church fail?

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Mike Breen, one of the leaders of 3DM, has a compelling article titled Why the Missional Movement Will Fail. In it, Breen explains that the reason is that emphasizes doing over being, mission over discipleship.

I don’t know if it’s a fair evaluation. To level the charge that churches with the label of missional do not embrace discipleship is arbitrary. I know of traditional, contemporary, liturgical, emergent and more churches that do not prize the making of disciples. And of course, there are churches in all those categories that do.

However, I totally agree with Breen’s ultimate assessment that a church that misses the mark on making disciples can’t claim to be on mission with Jesus.

The missional movement will fail because, by-and-large, we are having a discussion about mission devoid of discipleship. Unless we start having more discussion about discipleship and how we make missionaries out of disciples, this movement will stall and fade. Any discussion about mission must begin with discipleship.

What are your thoughts?

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2 Comments

• 
  Richard September 19, 2011 at 7:37 am

  Hi Jeff

  I read Mike Breen’s article with interest too. To be fair to him, he does say: “The reason the missional movement may fail is because most people/communities in the Western church are pretty bad at making disciples. Without a plan for making disciples (and a plan that works), any missional thing you launch will be completely unsustainable.”

  So he, like you and I it seems, would argue that without discipleship the church as we believe it ought to be cannot come into existence let alone be sustained. He raises an important question for every model of church: What is your plan for making disciples?

  Perhaps if we put as much thought and effort into making disciples as we do in just getting people into church, we might have a more sustainable model of church and a more engaged Christian community when it comes to mission too.

  Reply
  • 
    Jeff September 19, 2011 at 11:22 am

    Perhaps if we put as much thought and effort into making disciples as we do in just getting people into church, we might have a more sustainable model of church and a more engaged Christian community when it comes to mission too.

    Richard! Great to have stop in for a few! Thanks for pointing out his caveat. I totally agree with this statement, and we are working hard in our fellowship to understand what that means and to implement a systemic plan for making disciples who make disciples.

    Reply

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