After attending the Ecclesia conference yesterday, a friend made a really good observation about the church.  Being a bit of cynic sometimes, it’s the kind of observation that I’m a little surprised that I hadn’t noticed on my own. Well, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t notice.

Churches, particularly hip, non-denominational ones, love to have services and conferences about "going missional". In fact, my own church had a special Sunday event by that exact title. Now, when the word missional is used to say that a church or a person is particularly active in international or national missions efforts, it’s a good thing.

But that’s almost never how the word is used.

In reality, the way the word is usually used is, well, bogus. Have you ever heard a sermon talking about "going missional" which summed itself up by exhorting the congregation to some kind of evengalistic efforts toward the people closest? For example, neighbors, coworkers, family, etc? I mean, after all, this is a form of missions work. Not everyone is called to go to South Africa and plant churches.

But isn’t that a given? I mean, isn’t there an assumption in scripture that some will go way out to spread the Gospel, but others will do it right where they live? We call the ones who go way out Missionaries. What do we call the others? Uhm… Christians?

Therein lies the absurdity of all this talk about going missional in our own back yards. We are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). There are two major problems I see with this.

1. International missionaries, the "go-way-out" people, are some of the most noble members of the body of Christ. Not to say their better, but they’re deserving of great honor (1 Timothy 5:17). These are the people who take the message of the Gospel into hostile territory; literally risk their lives to preach and teach the Gospel, all for the sake of Christ’s glory. These are members we should be holding in high-esteem. However, to broaden the term "missional" to include the basic faculty of every single genuine believer is to rob them of honor due. But that’s not really the biggest problem

2. To introduce the word "missional" as a way to invoke back-yard efforts to evangelize and spread the Gospel presupposes that people aren’t doing it. If they were, why would we be reinventing vocabulary for it? Well, the reality is most people aren’t doing it. But do we really think that it’s because they don’t know they should? No, that’s not the problem. For the most part, if people fail to pursue back-yard missions, it’s probably because an appreciation for Jesus’ work on the cross isn’t bubbling over in their hearts. The solution to that isn’t telling people to evangelize, it’s exalting the supremacy of Christ in all things and the free grace given by him to undeserving sinners. We are the salt of the earth–back yard missions is a natural outflow of our love for Jesus.

I would like to see churches face their problems head on; scripturally, faithfully, obediently. If people aren’t reaching out, a gimmick won’t fix it. Faithful preaching of the Word, pending the Lord’s blessing, will.