Missional

Missional has replaced 'relevant' as the word to use when you want someone to think you know what you're talking about.

People are saying, "Our church is missional...". What do they really mean by that? Are they really ready or willing to be missional at any cost?

You can tell if a church is truly missional by talking to its members. Do they know what the church is passionate about? Can they repeat the mission statement or mantra? Are they aware of clearly marked on-ramps to get involved in the 'mission'? Can they point to recent results of their church being missional?

You can also tell by looking at the church's media (worship guides, websites, etc). I've heard recently that you have 8 seconds to convince me whether or not I should listen to you. Apparently, 8 seconds is the max time it takes a web page to load with high speed. If it's not there in 8 seconds, we move on. I visit a lot of church sites and I often wonder, "Why is it so hard to find out what this church is all about?" If they are so passionate about being missional, why isn't it upfront?

What do you think? What does missional mean? Heard or seen any good mission statements lately?