Missional

I have been guilty of throwing around the word "missional" a great deal lately. Unfortunately this word proves to be quite confusing. As with any word, the intent is wasted unless the meaning is common. The "term" missional began being used by Christians about ten years ago and has continued to gain steam in the Christian community. Some confuse this term as describing missionary work overseas. Others call this term liberal or feel threatened by its usage. The word is overused by some and completely avoided by others.
For our purposes I will seek to give clarity to a definition of missional in order to give us a point of reference for future use.
For the individual believer missional can be an adjective which views all Christians called to be missionaries. Growing up in a mainline denomination, I saw a select and rare few individuals surrender to a call to become missionaries. They would quit their jobs, sell their house, and stand before the church and explain why they were going to China or Eastern Europe. Whereas missional pictures believers becoming missionaries right her at home. Overseas missionaries immerse themselves in language training, make friends within that culture, and begin discerning how the gospel can fit into the context of the place they're living. The current missional call for North American believers is to do these same things right here at home. For most churches baptisms are down, churches are closing, and our culture is becoming more and more post-Christian. Some in the church are peering over the wall and finding the world has changed. The un-churched are not flocking into the North American church, instead the church is now having to go into the world. For many who have lived the last 20, 30, or 40 years inside the insulation of churchy contentment, this is tough. Spending money on creative marketing schemes, fancy presentations, talented staff, and big buildings is just easier. Instead the missional movement pictures believers having conversation with their un-churched neighbor, knowing him, loving him, and praying for avenues to bring the gospel and church to him; and not just him to the church. This is the beginning of the value of "missional"