lets look at church differently
In the work that H&IYFC have been involved in over the years, we have found that many young people struggle to feel as though they can 'fit' into a typical, traditional church, both before and after they have become committed to following Jesus in a personal relationship with him. Rather than pressuring them to adopt a church culture that feels foreign to them, we have looked into helping to develop alternative expressions of what 'church' can look like. Our goal is to introduce young people and their families to Jesus, and then explore with them what following him as part of a community of faith might look like as we study our bibles, and seek to follow Jesus' teachings, his example, and his call to continue to help others discover him as we have done.
This has brought H&IYFC to seeking to develop missional churches. Unfortunately, the term 'missional church' has become, for some, a rather vague catch phrase which can refer to some rather strange ideas. So, what do we mean by 'missional church'?
We are referring to an understanding of church that is fundamentally organized around the mission of extending the kingdom of God, rather than around worship or teaching or community. Those things are important aspects of church life, but we do not organize ourselves around them. Rather, they take place within the context of all of us working together in the mission God has called us to. When we think of 'church' we think of being:
Missional (we understand that it is the responsibility of the people who have discovered Jesus to follow him out into the world, to help those who don't yet know Him get to know Him, rather than waiting for them to come to a meeting we organize, and that it ought to be in the process of engaging in Christ's mission together that we will get to know Him better, become more like him, and learn to use the gifts and abilities he's given us).
Incarnational (we understand that the Holy Spirit lives in us if we have come to know Jesus, and we are now part of the Body of Christ, physically representing Jesus to the world as we let Him love them through us).
Relational (we think of a local church as a group of Jesus-followers who share in common a sense of calling to be in mission in a particular place or to a particular group of people, and that they live out together the relationships they have with each other, and the mission that they are engaged in, every day, not just on Sundays or in particular meetings).
It is our desire at H&IYFC to develop expressions of missional church in partnership with existing churches, partly out of the value we place on their wisdom and experience, partly out of a desire to inspire them to become more engaged in serving the community outside their congregations, and partly in recognition that they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, with whom we wish to live in unity. If you'd like more information about how we're seeking to develop missional churches, or if you have questions about any of this, please contact us.
Missonal church thinking...
Highland & Islands Youth For Christ Company No: 196260 | Scottish Charity: SC029001
