The First Time I Tried Starting a Missional Community I Failed
Have you ever tried starting a missional community from scratch?
“Missional” is a label we give to the qualitative and descriptive aspect of how a church or group of people actually lives. My buddy Hugh Halter says it simply,
“It’s about how much like Jesus people become… how much they influence, woo, and transform the culture in which they are placed.”
A family, group of friends or church that lives like this… Sounds good!
Well, a few years ago my friends all thought so too. We were excited to be rebels who were starting a missional community.
Excited, that is, until things progressed to where we moved beyond our weekly meal and discussion about being missional. It was time to start heading out and building new relationships, serving those in need in our city… actually making disciples.
That’s when everyone recoiled a bit.
Let’s Try This Missional Community Thing Again
Now I’ve learned how to make discipleship and mission a reality–something simple that everyone can live out in everyday life.
What I didn’t know back in those earlier days of starting a missional community was that while most Christians want to make disciples and live on mission with God, they also feel way to busy!
Often, when moving toward a lifestyle of discipleship and mission, people become overwhelmed with what they perceive as the risk of their family time, “margins” and sanity!
The secret is moving from “additional” to “intentional” in our thinking.
Discipleship is not a set of activities we need to jam into our lives, or a series classes that we need to take. And a missional community is more than just a weekly meeting of our small group with a name change.
It’s a series of simple, rhythms or “moves” we can easily, and intentionally, engage in our everyday life. Step by step.
Imagine…
- Making new friendships that naturally lead to “doing life” together.
(I can show you how.) - Or knowing how to talk with others about spiritual things without feeling awkward or pushy.
Discipleship becomes a way of life that includes your kids, close friends and neighbors.
That’s what my family and friends now experience.
If you want it… I’m here to get you started without all the headaches, stop/starts and frustration.
The best part? It’s 7 simple steps.
This process takes a little effort and intentionality. But it’s not complicated. And it’s one of the fastest ways I’ve discovered to get started with others making disciples and building community.
(You can do Steps 1 and 2 today!)
I want to give you access to this free Start-Up Guide (including ‘How To Start a Missional Community From Scratch’). Just click the button below and I’ll send it over.
From Small Group to Spiritual Family
Living as a family on mission in community with others is a big shift—and a big commitment. It gets even trickier when you’re trying to start or transition a small group that originally formed for reasons other than discipleship and mission.
This week on the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’re asking the honest question: Why is missional living so hard? We’ll unpack some of the common challenges and give you practical tips, hope, and encouragement for when things feel tough.
Sure, it might feel hard at first… (because it is!). But once you’ve experienced the beauty of gospel-centered community—living like a true spiritual family—there’s no going back to simply checking the church box on Sundays.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- The key differences between a traditional small group and a true missional community
- How time, schedules, personal preferences, and priorities shape our ability to live this out
- Why it’s crucial for married couples to be aligned in mission
- What a sustainable, healthy pace looks like for long-term community life
Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started.
Please check out this new episode and be sure to get this week’s FREE Download of the Big 3.
Salami Eggs
If you’ve been following this blog or read any of my books you know that life in community–lived like a family– is a big deal for me…and my family, both natural and extended. And meals are a HUGE part of building traditions and really feeling like a family.
One sure way to get our family and friends out of bed and around the breakfast table is to make a Team K family favorite dish … salami eggs. (Imagine in your mind a plate of food with a glowing orb of joy around it!)
This is one of our own concoctions, combining a few different ethnic traditions into one unique and totally delicious meal. Add to this a little breakfast cake, some black coffee, and the occasional mimosa, and an instant brunch-time feast erupts every time.
What’s kind of amazing about this particular dish is how many of our friends have started making it themselves, posting pictures online and seeking our vote of approval as they declare this meal to be one of their absolute favorites. Why? Because they’ve been so blessed by our tradition and want to faithfully pass it on and bless others. It is, in fact, an impossibly easy meal to make—once you’ve seen it cooked and eaten it a few times.
Countless times my wife and I have shown how many eggs per person ratio we use and how to cut the salami into little half-inch squares and fry them just right before adding the whipped eggs. We have confided in them which of the corn and wheat tortillas they should buy that will hold the cooked salami and eggs. And we have showed them just the right amount of cream cheese to spread on the tortillas before adding a favorite hot sauce. All of it adds up to one amazing bite of righteousness!
To be repeated and passed on, again and again…
This meal has become a ritual, a favored tradition in our household, and now in many others as well. It has multiplied out to new “generations” of salami and egg makers, many whom we have never even met. Each one is putting their unique little spin and nuance on it, but passing it on faithfully with love.
Imagine if life and discipleship all followed this same pattern or process.
It can, and it must.
It’s critical that we not only learn to live as extended families on mission, but that we faithfully and intentionally learn how to pass this life of Jesus on to others who in turn make more disciples.
You’ve probably never enjoyed the salami eggs before…but the next best time is now. Go for it. Here’s a link to the recipe and pictures…I KNOW you’ll enjoy it!
How Introverts and Extroverts Shape a Family on Mission
The difference between introverts and extroverts is one of the most misunderstood aspects of personality. So many people get it wrong, leading to myths and assumptions that just don’t hold up.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’re setting the record straight. We’ll break down the biggest misconceptions and uncover how both introverts and extroverts play a vital role in living together as a family on mission.
The truth is, we all have moments when we crave solitude and quiet—Jesus certainly did. And at times, even the most introverted among us step into social settings and engage with others—just like Jesus often did. Understanding this balance is key to thriving together.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- How introversion has nothing to do with “being shy”
- Why extroverts don’t always have to be the life of the party
- How spouses that are on opposite ends of this can better understand each other
- Ways culture has taught us to hide our self-love behind these distinctions
- Why we need each other to be more fully like Jesus and make disciples
Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started.
Please check out this new episode and be sure to get this week’s FREE Download of the Big 3.
Tuning Into God Over the Mental Static
Are we hearing impaired when it comes to the voice of God? Could it be that what we believe and have labeled as relational, emotional, and spiritual problems are actually ‘hearing’ problems?
In this episode, Caesar shows us how to turn down the negative voices in our heads, dial in the authentic divine Voice, and listen intently. The voices you believe will determine the life you experience!
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- Ways to sort out all of the chatter coming your way each day.
- Why the voices you listen to shape your own voice in the world.
- How to apply the “Jesus filter” to everything you’re hearing.
- Why listening prayer is so different from the ways we usually pray.
Death Makes No Sense
Today I want to talk with you for a bit about a really cheery topic. Death.
Wait! Don’t go away just yet, stay with me.
Recently I was at a funeral. The mother of a friend of mine passed away and there were hundreds of people who came to say their goodbyes and be with the family. The ceremony went on for hours.
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ABOUT ME
I am the author of the top selling book, The Gospel Primer. My latest books, Transformed and Small is Big, Slow is Fast came out recently on Zondervan.
I help those with a high commitment to intentional living in the areas of their discipleship, family and mission acquire the leadership skills and tools necessary to succeed and leave a lasting legacy.