What Does It Mean to Live Missionally?

The Table, as a congregation, turned 5 this month! We celebrated with a big barbeque and pool party. And we found small ways, that night, and throughout the month to practice what it means to be a community of Christ-followers committed to living missionally.

What do you picture when you hear the phrase, “living missionally”? Maybe the Blues Brothers. And that’s ok. Or, if you grew up in the church like I (Pastor Christy) did, maybe you picture a missionary speaker from Africa, complete with a slide show and potluck in the fellowship hall. These are treasured and important memories and one important example of someone living missionally. 

In our context at the Table, we’ve come to think of missional living as living with our eyes looking outward, our arms wide open, and our hearts ready to share the Good News of Jesus’ redeeming work in the world and his invitation to join Him.

We had three opportunities to really experience that idea intentionally together in August.

Because of our friendship with Phoenix Refugee Connection, we were invited to attend a worship service alongside our Arabic speaking brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Missional” might be a bit of a stretch here because the point of this field trip for us wasn’t to share Jesus. They had Jesus. It was to be aware, observe, learn, join, and open our arms wider, which is exactly what was done for us. The grace and hospitality shown us that evening, not just through great food and coffee, but a willingness to adapt, share, and acknowledge taught us so much about the kind of congregation we hope to be.

For the next two experiences, we joined one of our fellow Nazarene faith communities, Trinitas, at the gatherings they do around a veteran’s center in Phoenix..

Three of our adult congregants joined in a Bible study with a residential treatment home there. Several of the “city missionaries” for Trinitas facilitate this entry-level study every Sunday morning, and have a way of connecting with individuals in all phases of their healing journey. There is no way to give you the fly on the wall version of this, first, for privacy reasons, but also because it was so deeply raw and personal, both for them and us. But I will say that God spoke directly to us and some of the guarded and even wounded spots in our hearts in a way that was so obviously divine intervention. 

That afternoon, another one of our Table families joined in across the way at a Veteran’s cafe. This gathering looked a little more like our Table gatherings, with pizza, conversation, prayer, and a brief homily. Our group reported having had the opportunity to practice what we’ve learned about living missionally because of the chances they had to look outside of their immediate circle, and open their arms a little wider with an awareness of people whose lives are different than their own. 

Sunday evening, we gathered together at our usual time to swap stories of what the Holy Spirit taught us through these experiences. What we learned about the broader meaning of Church. Where we saw Christ reflected in both those serving and being served. How God is stretching us outside our comfort zone. What it looks like to offer the same grace both to those who we don’t know yet, and those who we maybe know too well.

For both those who were able to attend these “field trips”, and those who weren’t, the start of the school year has given us all many chances to practice living missionally. In some households this has meant more intentionally making friends with the other parents at our kids’ soccer games. For others it means something like volunteering to join the parent boosters in writing encouraging words in chalk all over the local high school campus for suicide prevention month. In one family it means preparing an in-home child development center to build stronger families. It has also meant showing extra patience with a patient, client, student or co-worker because we know that’s what Jesus would do.

It’s our prayer that we continue to be mindful in everything we do that our mission is to look outside our own selves, open our arms wide, and be available and ready to share what Jesus has done and wants them to participate in as well.

In what ways do you feel God calling you to live more missionally? And how can our group at The Table support you in that calling?