The word “missional” really started coming into its own in the last 20 years. For a while, everyone from churches to businesses to community centers were calling themselves missional. So what does it mean to be missional?
The term communicates a person or organization’s desire to look beyond their own concerns to prioritize a larger purpose or goal. When someone refers to themselves as missional, they’re trying to communicate that they’re intentionally outward-focused.
For churches and parachurch organizations, it means that they want their energy expended to larger goals than growth or gain. They want to contribute meaningfully to God’s kingdom and service to others.
The individual Christian becomes more missional as the focus becomes less about asking, “What do I get for following Jesus?” and more about “How can I fulfill God’s calling for me?”
Here are some tips for becoming more missional in your everyday life.
1. Take the Great Commission seriously
The Great Commission summed up Jesus’ marching orders for his new movement. The entire Book of Acts is the unfolding of His call to go into all the world, making disciples of all people. This wasn’t just intended for the disciples or some full-time Christian workers but for all of us. And when we take these words seriously, it’s impossible not to become more mission-minded.
2. Cultivate a heart for others
As you read the gospels, you recognize something very interesting about Jesus. He constantly allowed Himself to be interrupted by people around Him. If the whole point of His ministry was the crucifixion and resurrection, He didn’t need to stop for everyone who asked for healing or called out to Him on the street. He didn’t need to go to Pharisee dinner parties or weddings.
The simple truth is that Jesus came to redeem people; people were important to Him. He didn’t separate the ministry from those He was ministering to. We can foster the same kind of heart for people in our own lives when we learn to see people as Jesus did.
3. Pray for opportunities to love and serve others
We’re constantly surrounded by opportunities to love, serve and share our faith with others. However, we don’t often recognize them because we’re so busy and focused on our own agendas. Like the priest in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, we can often miss out on opportunities to serve needs right in front of us because we have ministries and church activities to get to.
When we pray for opportunities to serve others, God will definitely provide them. But what might be even more important is that we’ll begin recognizing the opportunities we miss daily.
4. Support mission work around the world
We should all be sharing our faith with the people around us. But another way we can be more missional is by supporting the work of Christian missional organizations that serve and evangelize around the world. Not only does our giving help fulfill the Great Commission, but when we sacrificially invest in this work, we become more passionate about it.
Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). If His words are true, then we can develop our passions by strategically investing in specific areas. If we want to be more missional in our daily lives, we’ll be more missional in how we spend our time and resources.
5. Get better equipped to serve
We might have a heart for ministry but feel anxious that we don’t have the necessary skills. An opportunity to share our faith might present itself, but we’re so nervous about doing it wrong that we don’t do it at all. Anyone can share their faith, but there are definitely skills you can develop that can help you feel more comfortable doing so.
Reach out to leadership in your church or to other believers you know and ask them about classes or mentoring relationships you can pursue to grow these skills.
We also have blog posts with tips on sharing your faith. Check them out here:
- How to Get Better Equipped to Share Your Faith
- What Is the Gospel, and How Do I Share It?
- 4 Tips for Sharing Your Faith With the World Around You
- How to Make Faith a Natural & Normal Part of Daily Conversation
Consider supporting the work of Jesus Film Project
There are many wonderful ministries out there that could use the support of mission-minded followers of Jesus. We’d encourage you to prayerfully consider being a part of the work of Jesus Film Project®—even if that simply means praying with and for this ministry. Your prayers mean the world to us.
If you’re interested in offering financial support, visit our website for information on ways you can give.
