We get together every Tuesday and plan for training on Friday. We ask, what do we see is needed in our groups. We've been seeing our groups have 26 members but only 10 show up. So this week we're training on Missional prayer for the missing members. I've often said the church doesn't have an empty seat problem, the church has a missing persons problem. In other words its not about the building/service it's about the people.
So what can we do about it? We need to be missional. We need to believe God knows our members better than we ever will and we need to intercede with Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Heb 7:24-25,Romans 8:26) on behalf of these missing men. BSFs mission: Global, in-depth Bible classes producing passionate commitment to Christ, His Word, and His Church.
As I was preparing for this I learned about the concept of Missional_living;
Traditionally, Christians have seen mission as a either a special event (eg, a one-week series of meetings, or a conference) or as a full-time job for a few individuals (eg, sending a missionary to a foreign country for several years to convert new people to Christianity). Missional living is seen as a way of life for all Christians at all times.
We need to have an emphasis on actio Dei ("the action of God"), seeing God as the primary acting agent in the world and within the church.
Every Christian has been sent by Jesus with the gospel into the community to live with those in the surrounding culture for the sake of the King and His kingdom: “The Church is sent into the world to continue that which he came to do, in the power of the same Spirit, reconciling people to God.” Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1989, 230
The missional church:+ avoids “tribal” language, stylized prayer language, unnecessarily pious evangelical jargon, and archaic language that seeks to set a spiritual tone.+ avoids “we-they” language, disdainful jokes that mock people of different politics and beliefs, and dismissive, disrespectful comments about those who differ with us.+ avoids sentimental, pompous, “inspirational” talk.+ avoids talking as if nonbelieving people were not present. If you speak and discourse as if your whole neighborhood were present (and not just scattered Christians), eventually more and more of your neighbors will find their way in or be invited.Unless all of the above is the outflow of a truly humble-bold, gospel-changed heart, it is all just marketing and spin.
Tim Keller, "The Missional church by Tim Keller" http://download.redeemer.com/pdf/learn/resources/Missional_Church-Keller.pdf
