I’m really excited about sharing the hope of God’s grace with group of church planters and future church planters about the concept of creating a missional culture. I’ve pondered idea after idea with the desire to say something that would bless and encourage our network. As I read through many books about urban ministry, I ran into a quote by Harvie Conn; he says that a missional culture is “..proclaiming the past and the present liberating work of Christ in such a way that people are led into the ongoing process of conversion and into communities of faith demonstrating and proclaiming the Lordship of Christ.”
According to his take on evangelism and missional engagement, Conn speaks of the proclamation, liberation, and continuation of the gospel through the faithful demonstration of Christ reconciling work. A missional culture is one that proclaims Jesus through preaching, lives in the reality of his liberating power, and faithfully demonstrates it practically in community. Therefore, I want to see a move of God in which unreached cities are bombarded with robust Christ-centered preaching with contextualization that’s faithful to scripture, creates an environment of grace, and fosters an atmosphere of hope.
“A missional culture is one that proclaims
Jesus through preaching, lives in the reality
of his liberating power, and faithfully
demonstrates it practically in community.”
For my session at the St. Louis Boot Camp, I’ll be teaching on “The Mission: Creating a Missional Culture.” It’s my goal to encourage church planters to continue faithful service with our lives and lips, and in so doing, cultivate, mature, and mobilize disciples to have the everlasting smell of Jesus in all aspects of life. This is done with the sole intention of glorifying God by leading the lost to know Christ as Savior and Lord.
As a planter in the most violent city in America, God has given us hope through many conversions and disciples being made, matured, and mobilized. This stimulating environment generates a Christ-centered community rich with urban missionaries that utilize every opportunity as a launching pad of God’s redeeming work! As we live “sent lives” that are gracious and attractive in a Christ-less culture, we recognize that the reputation of the Gospel is deeply and directly connected with those who have experienced his saving power. As planters, we make missional disciples laced with “sentness” as we mount an army of covenant community members sealed with God’s grace leading to continued, comprehensive, missional communities.
