Missional and Community

February 16, 2009

I found an interesting article that discusses the relationship of community and mission.

Three years ago, Austin Stone Community Church in Texas was recognized as one of the fastest growing churches in America by Outreach magazine.

But what might have privately been a proud moment for most church leaders was keeping the megachurch’s lead pastor, Matt Carter, awake at night.

“I knew we might have just made a list for the top whatever fastest growing churches of wherever, but I knew that I would also make another list if we were making a real true list of the churches, and that’s the top 10 crappiest churches in America in assimilating growth,” recalled Carter during a recent gathering of church leaders and innovators.

Matt Carter, the Pastor of the church, realized people were coming but they weren’t connecting. They had community groups, but according to Carter, most of them weren’t working.

“Most of them were dismal failures. They couldn’t connect with one another. They didn’t feel like they fit in. Or they became inwardly focused and were completely not on mission to engage culture or the city or people that didn’t know Jesus. Or they began to fight and argue … it was ridiculous,” Carter said. “We stunk at building community as a church. [We were] growing, but stinking at community.”

Carter and his staff went back to scripture to try to find out what it should look like and how they did it. The book “Band of Brothers” also made an impact. The key to creating bonds and community was “mission.”

According to Carter, his ah-ha moment was that he realized that is exactly how Jesus built community. “He called them (his disciples) to himself, and secondly … he called them to mission.”

After identifying that principle, Austin Stone staff took it and applied it to the church’s small group ministries, centering them on mission – around a cause or a need – rather than around “chips and dip,” fellowship, or on Bible studies alone. And the result was “missional communities” that looked far different from “community groups” the church started off with.

“Bible studies are happening. They’re loving each other. They’re walking together. They’re serving together. And this beautiful, beautiful picture of biblical, authentic, deep bond and community is forming there,” Carter reported. “And it’s happening all over our church. We have 300 ‘missional communities.’”

I believe that Matt Carter has identified something very important. Community is not formed then they “do mission,” real community is formed as people are involved in mission together.

That has happened a great deal in my own experience and also has resulted in longer lasting relationships. I was involved in a street church in Dallas. I still have those relationships. Even after that mission ceased for us, we continued in relationship. Now I found myself involved in another mission with many of those same friends.

I think this is an important concept for churches and those wanting to start Christian communities to realize.

Posted in Missional, The Church