As leaders we have to ask ourselves, “What’s the best way to move and catalyze our people forward to be full participants in the great commission (being disciples and making disciples)?”   The answer to this complicated question goes beyond the realm of missiology and into the realm of leadership and influence.  We’re not just talking missiology.  We’re talking about leading and shepherding God’s people…taking them from where they are now to where they need to be (Eph. 4:14-16).

I believe that there are two primary ways to organize people into mission.  Affinity-based mission and proximity/geography-based mission.  Affinity-based mission has to do with engaging pockets of people with the gospel through common interests and/or hobbies.  Proximity-based mission has to do with engaging pockets of people with the gospel within a specified geographical area.

Now let me say right off of the bat, I applaud any and all mission.  I think both are excellent and valid strategies.  In fact, I don’t think it has to be an either or.  I think affinity-based mission should happen within the context of proximity-based mission.  But perhaps I’ll blog about that some other time.

The dilemma is choosing a strategy that will ultimately help the people that God has entrusted you with to fully embrace their missionary calling and identity.  So what’s the best road to get our people from where they are now…to where they need to be?  Affinity or proximity-based mission?

When it comes to collectively shifting your church from a traditional church model to a missional church movement I believe that proximity-based mission is the best way to get things started and here’s a few reasons why:

1.  Affinity based mission tends to exclude the family.    If I enjoy running, I can find a local group of runners in my community and reorient my life to reach them with the gospel…but it tends to restrict my family from joining in.  Also, how many married men with kids have the time to join an affinity-based group and spend the necessary time away from work, family, kids, marriage, etc. in order to reach that affinity-based group?  Proximity-based mission, on the other hand, is family-centric.  Its very structure encourages whole family participation in mission. This creates an incredible environment for family discipleship that strengthens the family and the marriage relationship, which further strengthens our gospel witness (Ephesians 5:31-33).  Instead of the moms ministering to other moms in the community and dads ministering to other men in the community (which they can still do), proximity-based mission allows for moms and dads to invest in the same mission field together.

2.     Affinity based mission can be difficult to start, sustain and reproduce.  It’s not impossible.  But I believe proximity based mission is far easier to start, sustain and reproduce for those transitioning out of traditional church thinking.  Too many churches operate under the misplaced assumption that our people know where to do mission and how to do mission.  Proximity based mission presents us as leaders with an incredible opportunity to paint a big red target on a designated area so that we can say to our people…”right there…that’s your mission field…now go reorient your life to reach that area with the gospel of the Kingdom.”   In other words, it makes mission tangible.

3.  Team of missionaries or a missionary team?  Affinity based groups fall into the first category = team of missionaries.  These groups come together for the purpose of community and end up doing mission in isolation (I join a softball team, another person hangs out with a group of old friends, etc.)  This is not bad per se, but what ultimately shapes and forms the group is community and not mission…and the tendency for these kind of groups is to default into a once a month event-driven strategy.  This is not the most effective way to reproduce and multiply disciples of Christ (been there done that!).  Proximity based groups fall into the second category = a missionary team.  They come together for mission and build a sense of community based on their unifying mission.  Community grows out of mission, not the other way around.  AND, they end up having a group of people all collectively pursuing and investing in the same mission field…which actually tends to build and infuse a deeper sense and experience of biblical community….with some healthy accountability thrown in as well.

So what about you?  What are you learning on your journey towards Christlikeness?

For many leaders and individuals in our churches, starting a missional community (we call them neighborhood groups) sounds like a daunting task.  As I have worked to recruit leaders, I have noticed that anxiety and hesitancy are big hurdles to overcome for many in our churches today.  It certainly was for me.  It comes in all different kinds of shapes and sizes.  And as leaders, if we haven’t taken time to validate the fears of people and thought through how to respond, the hurdle might appear to them a lot higher than it really is.

We live in a culture where fear plays a huge role.  You can’t turn on the television or read the news without seeing a headline that is meant to stir up some uncertainty and fear in people.  And the truth is, people don’t typically identify their hesitancies as fears.  They say things like, “We don’t have time right now.”  “Our kids… our jobs… our schedule…”  “We want to participate but we’re not ready to be leaders.”  “Our house is too small… too chaotic… too isolated.”  In reality, these are all fears that we have rationalized.  If we’re going to be successful at launching a missional movement, we have to deal with these realities, expose their error and point our people to a brighter, greater future.  Here are some of the common fears that have made their way into the church community that you’ll most likely confront if you’re trying to launch a missional movement.  Deal with these in your own heart and then help others deal with them as well.

1. Fear of the unknown.  Stepping out in a community and intentionally beginning to incarnate the gospel with your life requires risk.  And we get scared not knowing what will happen.  We don’t know what it will cost us.  This fear expresses itself in a thousand what if scenarios.  What if I don’t get along with the other people in the group?  What if they don’t enjoy our discussions?  What if the people in our group don’t want to join me on mission?  What if our neighbors respond with anger?  And on it goes.  We need to be prepared to handle the thoughts and feelings adequately to help people take the next step forward.
2. Fear of being known.  It’s so easy to hibernate in our homes.  We drive down our streets, pull into our driveways and shut ourselves in.  Real neighbors have become a thing of the past as our culture has lifted up personal privacy and self-sufficiency as higher values.  When you launch a missional group or neighborhood group, you feel exposed.  It’s that feeling of being naked on stage.  I’ve felt it.  And if you’ve launched a missional community, you’ve probably experienced it too.  By putting yourself and your family out there through incarnational living, you are no longer anonymous.
3. Fear of failure.  No one wants to attempt launching a group only to post FAIL after months of tripping out of the starting gates.  The truth is, launching a group isn’t rocket science, but it does take tenacity and perseverance.  Sometimes it just takes a while.  We’ve had groups that launch immediately with a sense of excitement, purpose, unity and momentum.  We’ve had others that are grounded after months of false starts.
4. Fear of offending people.  Relativism has become so pronounced in our society that holding a firm belief to the exclusion of other beliefs has been tagged at best as insensitivity and at worst illegal hate language.  The key is to live and serve out of the same love and boldness that Jesus displayed.  People will continue to be and always have been offended by the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:18, Galatians 5:11, 1 Peter 2:6-9).  But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame (1 Peter 3:14-16).
5. Fear of being unprepared.  Our culture is also big on preparation.  Prepare for your retirement.  What’s your number?  No one likes to be caught by surprise.  Most often, people don’t like neighbors just stopping by.  They want time to prepare.  People want to know how to respond to every situation that arises.  When you begin the journey of a neighborhood group or missional community, you have to become comfortable with knowing it is impossible to prepare for every situation or conversation that comes up.  But, as leaders we also must place high importance on adequate training to help others be as equipped as possible as they launch into this new experience.  We need to have good materials, ongoing strategies, collaborative meetings, prayer gatherings and the rest of it to do our part to help.

This conversation deals with the common fears that can handicap a missional movement.  Next, we’ll talk about the power of courage and how courage comes from community.  What would you add to this post?  What are your fears?  What are your thoughts?  How have you successfully moved your leaders beyond their rationalized fears and towards embodying the gospel of Christ?