Comments on: Missional: a 'non-word' that became a word… that is slowly becoming a 'non word' again?…

By: 50 Ways to Define “Missional” - VIII : Subversive Influence

50 Ways to Define “Missional” - VIII : Subversive Influence — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:58:36 +0000

[...] Andrew (Hamo) Hamilton attempts to sum up the word’s status in his post title: “Missional: a ‘non-word’ that became a word… that is slowly becoming a ‘non word’ again?…” He contends that “missional church” would be a redundant term. The irony is that ‘missional’ became a word as churches tried to reframe their core business and identity. Today we have ‘missional churches’, but the question you have to ask is instead of what?! Its like having a goal kicking football team or a brick laying construction company… I mean what other options are there?… [...]

By: ron cole

ron cole — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:47:48 +0000

Hey Andrew, great thoughts…I love this quote from Ed Stetzer, ” It’s possible to be a missionary without ever leaving your zip code.”

By: Lance Mac

Lance Mac — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:34:22 +0000

Handwringing over the precise meaning of words isn’t very postmodern, is it?

I know this is the weakness of blogging, but I don’t think Jesus gives a stuff what we call our discipleship as long as we are His disciples. Words are not all we have to describe our lives. Our lives and the fruit of how we live describe our lives.

Personally, I’m going away from ‘missional’ and trying to establish ‘Christic agapegal’. (Sorry, I’ll be slinking away quietly now.)

By: Mark E

Mark E — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:35:53 +0000

Thats a bit like ‘evangelical’. now everyone is using it, it has lost its meaning.

Its like “Christian’ before it…which is why people started to say “born again’…implying they were passionate about their faith, not merely something they put on the census.

By: Hamo

Hamo — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:14:03 +0000

Not sure if I understand why you are foaming?

My concern is that the word missional has lost meaning, because everyone from house churches, to mainline denoms to liberals have co-opted it as the ‘in’ word.

I also tried to describe how I would see ‘missional’. Hope that helps

By: Mark E

Mark E — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:18:16 +0000

Literally foams…sounds like my old Airedale Terrier…..
Is that Andrew and Geoffs concerns? I read it that they are concerned that non funky house type churches are using the word missional, when in fact, they should always have been missional?

By: steve mac

steve mac — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:28:56 +0000

I know someone who literally foams at the mouth when I use the word “missional” (and the word “incarnational” for that matter) because he says it has no real meaning and that is what the church should be doing anyway. I can’t say I agree with him, especially since new words are always being added to the language and derive their meaning from the manner in which they are used. Having said that I’m with you on the “evangelism” term – if what we have is literally “good news” then we would be remiss to lose the proclamatory significance of that word. My concern is that a group of people end up meeting in a house, doing some funky stuff in the area and call that missional. Unless it is driven by the “evangel” then it’s not missional at all. (this is for my ears to hear!)

By: Steve Hayes

Steve Hayes — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:52:55 +0000

Yes, I agree — the only advantage to “missional” ver “missionary” as an adjective (where they mean exactly the same thing) is that it avoids a lot of the bad cultural baggage of “missionary” when used as a noun.

Though with the current vogue for verbing nouns and nouning adjectives, I don’t suppose it will be long before “missional” becomes a noun too. Then we’ll be back to square 1.

By: Hamo

Hamo — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:52:56 +0000

Yeah – words are fluid Mark.

I agree with you there, but the flip side of that is that words are all we have to describe our lives.

So somehow we need to keep on grappling with that tension.

By: Mark E

Mark E — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:30:55 +0000

Who is the arbitrator in words? Who says their definition is wrong?
Words are fluid…..even old ones.

I like your definition of yourself as a missionary AH…