Missional Madness

Seminar #3

Defining and Recognizing Strong Spiritual Leadership

Synopsis: Strong, Spiritual, Biblical Leadership is God’s man who is (Exodus 18; Acts 6; I Timothy 3; The example of Christ):

·         Sufficient: Able, Biblically qualified and called men; men who are trustworthy to be “put in charge”

·         Submitted: who fear God; the leading of the Spirit

·         Spiritual: Men of truth; men of integrity; men who go hard and fast after Jesus

·         Steadfast: who hate dishonest gain; good reputation

There was a very detailed handout for “Defining and Recognizing Strong Spiritual Leadership.” The class looked almost identical to a class I took yesterday. Therefore, I ran across the courtyard to attend:

Missional Madness

Key leaders of the missional movement are Mark Driscoll and Tim Keller.

There is a tension that exists in believers when coming face to face with a homeless person: Do I give him a sandwich or do I give him the Gospel?

The missional movement has progressed from showing mercy by giving a sandwich, to making it the mission of the church to meet the social needs of the community, thereby ushering in the Kingdom of God (there is no hunger in heaven…so giving the sandwich is giving the gospel). The heresy of the missional movement (not that Keller and Driscoll are heretics), are that it blurs the distinction between ministry to those inside the church and outside the church.

Those in the missional movement would suggest that people can join a church, become acclimated to the community within the church, and then be converted to Jesus. We would believe that people must be converted before being part of the body of Christ.

Bottom line: We should not try to make church culturally relevant. The gospel is eternally relevant and the gospel alone has the power that leads to salvation. It is nice to give a sandwich and shows mercy, however it is not God’s commission to the church to solve the social needs of the culture. It is the church’s mandate to make disciples and to lovingly distinguish between those outside and those inside the church. Sin does affect men psychologically, physically, socially. However, it is not the churches mandate to address all affected areas of sin in our society. We must bring the gospel in love and compassion to the lost  and teach them how to be faithful followers of Christ. This is the mandate of the church.

In creating mercy ministries in the church, we must be careful to distinguish between we can do this, it would be merciful to do this, we would like to exercise our liberty in doing this and we must do this. We must not, although we can. The importance is when we go “missional” we get off mission.