Coronavirus Response

  • Home
  • A-Z List
  • About
    • About the NCC
    • Connectional Table
    • Staff
  • Calendar
    • Events
    • Google Calendar
    • Past Events
  • Churches
  • Contact
    • Find Us
  • Districts
    • District Office
    • Beacon
    • Capital
    • Corridor
    • Fairway
    • Gateway
    • Harbor
    • Heritage
    • Sound
  • Employment
  • Search

NC Conference

Healthy Congregations and Effective Leaders in Every Place Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

  • Discipleship
    Developing Disciples
    • Christian Formation
      • Children
      • Church & Society
      • College
      • Creation Care
      • Differently Abled Persons
      • Older Adults
      • Spiritual Formation
      • Status & Role of Women
      • Young Adults
      • Youth
    • Church Revitalization
      • Coaching
      • Disciple Making Way
      • Evangelism
      • Grants
      • MissionInsite
      • Shift
    • From the Bishop
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
    • Multicultural
      • Anti-Racism
      • Asian
      • Hispanic-Latinx
      • Native American
      • Strengthening the Black Church
    • Stewardship
      • Apportionments
      • District Remittances
      • Financial Discipleship
      • Grants
      • Insurance
      • Mission & Service
      • Pension
      • Treasurer Training
  • Leadership
    Strengthening Leaders
    • Bishop’s Office
      • Appointment Book
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
    • Office of Clergy Life
      • Board of Ordained Ministry
      • Called to Ministry?
      • Extension Ministries
    • Board of Laity
      • Certified Lay Minister
      • Lay Servant Ministries
      • Local Church Lay Leaders
      • United Methodist Men
      • United Methodist Women
      • United Methodist Youth
    • New Faith Comm.
      • New Room Society
      • Our Communities
    • Conference Offices
      • Center for Leadership Excellence
      • Christian Formation
      • Communications
      • Conference Secretary
      • Connectional Ministries
      • Information Technology
      • Multicultural Ministries
      • Outreach Ministry
      • Treasurer’s Office
  • Service
    Ministering To The World
    • Local Outreach
      • Afghan Refugees
      • Church Construction
      • Church Loans
      • Congregations for Children (C4C)
      • Creation Care
      • Cross & Key Prision Ministries
      • Health Ministry
      • Restorative Justice and Mercy
      • Seed Funds
      • Mission Projects
    • Global Outreach
      • Love for Liberia
      • Missionaries
      • NCC UMVIM
      • Project AGAPE
      • Sierra Leone: Mission of Hope
      • ZOE
    • Disaster Ministries
      • Donate to Storm Response
      • MERCI
      • Response Plan
      • Response Team
      • Training
      • UMCOR Kits
    • Giving
      • 2021 District Christmas Offering
      • Advance/Rainbow Covenant
      • Apportionments
      • Give to Storm Response
      • Mission & Service
      • The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
      • New Room Society
      • Special Sundays
    • Ministry Partners
      • Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
      • Camps & Retreats
      • NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation
      • Partners In Ministry
      • Robeson Co. Church & CC
      • UMF
  • Resources
    Supporting Ministry
    • Conferences
      • Annual Conference 2021
      • Annual Conference 2022
      • Charge Conference 2021
      • General Conference
      • Pilgrimage
      • SEJ Conference 2016
    • Media Center
      • Catalog
      • Labyrinth
      • Ministry Tools
      • Online Resources
      • Weekly Newsletter
    • Online Resources
      • Anti-Racism
      • Archives & History
      • #BeUMC
      • Church Lookup
      • Green Church Initiative
      • Online Data Collection
      • Online Learning
      • Pastor Lookup
      • Ramus: Web Hosting
      • Video (Vimeo)
    • Publications
      • Appointment Book
      • Bible Study
      • Conference Directory
      • Conference Journal
      • Every Day Grace
      • Lenten Reflections
      • Mission & Service
      • Podcasts (NCCUMC.FM)
    • From UMC.org
      • Agencies
      • Communications
      • Discipleship
      • Finance & Administration
      • Global Ministries
      • Graphics Library
      • Relief
      • Status & Role of Women
  • New Faith Communities
    • Staff
  • New Room Society
    • Our Communities
    • Church Resources
    • Planter Resources
    • Books to Read
    • Daily Prayer
  • Dates to Remember
    • Common Learning Day, May 2022
  • NRS Newsletter
  • Store

I Have No Idea How to do this Missional Thing!

October 31, 2017 Leave a Comment

Read an article from the New Faith Communities latest newsletter. This fourth edition highlighted our history and outreach.

I Have No Idea How to do this Missional Thing!
By Marty Cauley

Suddenly everyone is talking about being “missional.” The problem is that there seems to be little consensus about what that term actually means. Some view it as just another trend; others simply repackage what they’ve always done with new terms and titles. Others understand being missional as a holistic shift in how they understand church. Meanwhile, those of us working with local churches scratch our head and declare, “I have no idea how to do this missional thing.”

Being “missional” is not a new idea. As a matter of fact, I’m certain that the reason it interests you is that you know it is what the Church has been called to do since its inception. Being missional is essentially an intentional and focused decision to the see the world around you through the eyes of a missionary rather than to view it through the eyes of Christendom. From the earliest days of the Christian movement, people have been living their lives with gospel intentionality, opening their homes to strangers, and breaking bread together in their homes and sharing Eucharist in the larger community. Over and over in Christian history, we see these necessary elements rediscovered, and renewal movements started. The founder of United Methodism, John Wesley organized around the basic three units of bands, class meetings and societies. These missional forms, seeming radical at the time, were really just harkening back to the early church life patterns. Being missional is not a new idea, it is simply remembering what Jesus called us to do, to make disciples.

Being missional is not just for “mega-churches,” and neither is it only for “micro-churches.” Being missional is for any church or group of Christians who want to intentionally live into their calling to fulfill the Great Commission right where they are. I have even seen missional communities comprised of people from various local churches whose unifying purpose was to model real community despite their doctrinal differences and to reach people largely ignored by the local church. Certainly, there are ways you can organize your local congregation in a way that makes living out the missional calling more effective, but the key is to start where you are, maybe with one, small kitchen table sized group (4-8) and pray about where God is leading you.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, you can’t do this alone. How many times have you read a book or attended a seminar and returned to your local church filled with inspiration and passion only to have it snuffed out by well-meaning but uninterested members? I want to challenge you to find three to six people who will accompany you on this journey from your local church. Secondly, you need a coach, somebody who will be accessible to you to bounce ideas off or and who will hold you accountable for the goals you set. The office of New Faith Communities can recommend resources, training events, and essential coaching to get you started. Lastly, where possible, involve yourself in a community of leaders of other churches who are also on this journey. The mutual support will prove invaluable when things get tough. Then you will be well on the way to doing this whole “missional thing.”

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Newsflash

Join the New Room Society

Sign up below to join the New Room Society and get email updates.

The NC Conference respects your privacy. See our Privacy Policy.

Make a Difference

Join the New Room Society

Sign up below to join the New Room Society and get email updates.

The NC Conference respects your privacy. See our Privacy Policy.

Recent Posts

  • NFC March 2022 Newsletter
  • NFC December 2021 Newsletter
  • The Garden at Spring Forest
  • NFC August Newsletter
  • Holistic Mission

NC Conference of The United Methodist Church · 700 Waterfield Ridge Place · Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.779.6115 · Toll-free: 800.849.4433 · Fax: 919.773.2308

Copyright © 2022 · Privacy Policy · Powered by WordPress · Site Admin