Missional Church - Initial thoughts

For the past few weeks I have been trying to engage what is my foremost passion – ministry. I see myself as a minister in all that I do and my life’s passion is to minister to people through the avenue of medicine and to see my interactions with patients as places where the love, joy, and hope found in Jesus Christ can be expressed. I love ministry though I have very little interest in being a full-time pastor with a congregation. As part of my M.Div. training at ACU, I got to be a chaplain at a hospital – an experience that was extremely formative in my theological worldview. As I went room-to-room visiting patients, it became increasingly clear that God had better be working way beyond my skills as a chaplain. Before I went into a room, I had to believe God was already there working in the life of the patient and their family. And when I left each room, whether it was five minutes or two hours later, I had to believe God was still working. Such an experience forced me to think of the kingdom possibilities of each conversation, each moment, and each interaction throughout my day. It is for these reasons that I am so attracted to the idea of the Missional Church.

The question of what God is up to in the world is found most succinctly in II Corinthians 5:14-21 - one of the most theologically packed passages in all Scripture. In it, the mission of God is revealed to be that of reconciling all of creation back to himself through the sending of his Son Jesus Christ. It is this same ministry of reconciliation that God has given to his followers – called to be ambassadors of a kingdom characterized by the forgiveness of sin and righteousness found in Christ. Reconciliation is not some spiritual, abstract, psychological notion of inner peace. It is the possibility and means of bringing back into relationship with God what is now fragmented and broken – relationships, creation, families, etc. This passage and concept define my mission and allow the profession of medicine – all professions for that matter – to be Christian in that people can engage God’s mission from any field of choice. This is possible because the mission is found within the very nature of God.

"Mission is understood as being derived from the very nature of God. It is thus put in the context of the doctrine of the Trinity, not of ecclesiology or soteriology. The classical doctrine of the mission Dei as God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit is expanded to include yet another “movement:” Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sending the church into the world."
- David Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission p.390.

Trinitarian thought is essential to any theological attempt to define one’s ministry. Just as Christ was sent by the Father for a specific purpose, so I am sent – called if you will – on a mission to deny what I want and take up my cross for the sake of the kingdom of God. As a physician, what does that mean? Every patient is a human being created in the image of God? Every conversation is a locale for the Spirit to move in ways unknown to either conversation partner? This seems to work well individually but one thing is completely left out – community. At the very heart of the Trinity is community – three in one – unity without uniformity – distinct yet same. Medicine offers a tremendous opportunity for interaction with people at times of struggle though it also breeds the temptation of self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Establishing a balance between medicine, church, family, friends, other priorities will be quite the challenge. I guess that’s why they say we are saved by the tremendous grace of God!

Another Question: My instinct is to call this “Trinitarian medicine” yet I wonder if this is even possible or exists? That sort of seems like crossing a line that either can’t be crossed or shouldn’t be crossed? Another time maybe!

Until He Comes... KRS