Missionary, it seems like a magic word these days in the church. Missionary awareness, missionary community building, missionary activities, what do we really mean by it?
No doubt the word evokes very different reactions from different people. But what it really means, and how essential it is for the Christian congregation, is what we were immersed in last term. Together with eight other students, I followed the course Missionary Diaconate, which consisted of a triptych of lectures and practical working visits.
Reflecting the heart of God
In the lectures, we were equipped to better understand, define and shape the missionary vocation of the church. Because being missional is not a sort of icing on the cake, a matter of: oh yes, we have to do that, in addition to all other activities. No, it is linked to the essence of the church. It permeates all aspects of it.
Mission begins with the heart of God. He is a seeking, outgoing God, and so may we as a congregation be too. Missionary Being Biblically, then, is really: reflecting the heart of God, in everything you do and who you are. Not an activity, but a heart attitude and a lifestyle.
Learning from different insights
Very different (guest) lecturers came to tell us something. That made the lectures diverse and valuable. For example, we were given missiological perspectives from theology, but we also heard from a missionary in the field in Asia what it is like to actually spread the Gospel in practice.
There was also plenty of room for conversation. Because: so many heads, so many sentences, and especially with a topic like 'being missionary' it soon became clear that not everyone thinks the same about it. For instance, how should you see the relationship between witnessing with words and deeds? And to what extent should a congregation cooperate with social initiatives? What I found valuable was the mutual openness to discuss this, and the willingness to learn from each other. Practical experiences were very important here. Some guest speakers work in missionary places themselves, which allowed them to cite many examples. For example, do you confront Muslims directly with the message that Jesus is the Son of God, or do you first highlight other sides of who Jesus is?
Praying for God's guidance
What really appealed to me was the message the missionary from Asia passed on to us. He stressed the importance of prayer and living close to the Lord God. We can make a lot of plans as a church, and that is not wrong. But in life with God, our plans often go awry, and are replaced by His plans. Therefore, it is crucial to ask for God's guidance and then wait for His guidance.
Personally, this profession has encouraged me not to place mission in a narrow box, but to see it as leaven that permeates the whole dough; that permeates all aspects of being a church. And thus it is also a mirroring question for myself: am I really missionary in the biblical sense of that word? Is my whole life steeped in it? If not, I have homework to do!
Fortunately, this starts with the realisation that it is not about our programmes, but about God's mission, which He will complete.
Lydia Ippel, second-year undergraduate theology student
