The Netherlands is mission country, the synod pronounced in 2001. To equip elders for their task of encouraging church members to express their faith in Jesus, the entire issue of Ambtelijk Contact (magazine for church council members) was dedicated to the theme:
missional church and what is the role of ministers in it.
On 7 October, we talked about it further online with a sizeable group of church council members from all corners of our 'mission land': from Goes to Opperdoes and from Kantens to Capelle aan den IJssel!
God's mission
Red line in that issue of Ambtelijk Contact was the mission God has. God wants to take the blessing of His grace further into the world through His church. That relaxes: being missional is first and foremost the mission God has given Himself and in which we may move with Him. Rev Jan van 't Spijker recently received his PhD from TUA and writes in his dissertation that we should always keep our agendas in the church in the light of God's mission. This way, we move with what God wants to do and achieve.
Prayer and listening
But how then does God want to use our church for His mission? How do you track that? We talked through that using the method of 'fourfold listening'. Being missional does not start with doing, but with prayer and listening.
1. listening to God
Asking in prayer for God to show us where He is at work around us in the world and where He wants to engage us in His work;
2. listening to the context / environment
What is happening around us, who lives in the neighbourhood, where are the people Jesus would look for if he were here. For this listening, you need contacts with 'key people' in neighbourhood / village or city. People who help discover what is going on and what is needed. Perhaps that includes things where we may bring something of the salvation in Christ with our presence. Not only in words, but also in deeds (Matth. 25:31-46);
3. listening to each other (the circle of your own congregation, or smaller: your own neighbourhood)
Who are we ourselves, what gifts - in terms of things we can do, money, building(s), time, etc. - has the Lord God given us to be used for His mission;
4. listening to the wider church (the denomination and the other churches there are in your village/town).
If one church is committed to a particular neighbourhood or target group, that's something you don't have to start something yourself as well. Or you should be able to link that together.
Interested in the themed issue of Ambtelijk Contact?
Ask your church council about it. Six months after publication, the issue is also available for download at Digibron.co.uk.
Advice on 'four-way listening'
Also interested in how to shape missionary assignment as a church council? The missionary consultants gladly advise On how to work concretely with the congregation on the missionary task. Get in touch via evangelisatie@cgk.nl.
