How Missional is Missional?

Moving from the theological tower to the churchplanting trenches, more than my clothes have changed. In this transition I have been exposed to the broken-in look of various theological concepts. In particular, I have in mind the theological notion and practical understanding and expression of being missional. If “missional” is hot and hip among young evangelicals, its blazing and blown-up among churchplanters. I guess I am hot and hip, if in using the word missional we are referring to taking part in the Missio Dei by participating in the triune God’s activity to redeem all peoples and cultures (personal definition).

Discussions and definitions for missional abound. However, how we participate in the Missio Dei, how we responsibly mobilize and strategize in God’s sovereign redemptive activity requires more than people who definitize.

Being a “missionary” in N. America is common parlance among churchplanters and missional advocates, and though center of gravity of global christianity has shifted to the south and east, I don’t think that puts the West on an even mission field with many non-Western places, more importantly, peoples. To be sure, we should all redemptively engage peoples and cultures with Pauline missionary passion, but more than passion is at play.

To mobilize and strategize for the cause of global evangelization effectively, it seems that the missional movement needs to hold Missio Dei in one hand and Missio ad Gentes in the other. Missio ad Gentes is a Latin phrase that refers to mission to the “pagans” “nations” or “non-Christians.” It is frequently used by Catholic missiologists and appears in the Vatican II documents. To engage in missio ad gentes is to make a distinction between evangelism and mission, advancing the notion of priority in missions to peoples receiving a first proclamation of the gospel of Christ, not unlike Winter’s E 1.2.3 paradigm.

There are still over 8,000 people groups that have not heard the first proclamation of the gospel. Thousands more do not have the Scriptures in their language. Add to that the cultural corruption in many unreached nations that fosters poverty, disease, crime, sex trafficking and so on. The frontiers of missions must not be lost in the homeland of the West. We need people and churches that will be missional both locally and globally, joining with the triune God in pursuit of his global glory. We need Missio Dei in our hearts and Missio ad Gentes in our hands.