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.
Shifting Your Small Groups to Vibrant Missional Communities
Around the world thousands of churches have loads of people involved in what we’ve come to know as “small groups”. And that’s a good thing. But often these groups can become very inward focused–not a lot of outward or missional impulse. It’s time to shift those small groups to missional communities!
Transitioning small groups or community groups to missional communities is much more than a name change. It’s much more than a weekly meeting (of mostly Christians) and it’s not just a monthly service project added in and called “mission”. (more…)
Faith is Not a Product
We’ve all felt it — that restless sense that something’s missing, that maybe a better church would fix it. So we start shopping around. But here’s the thing: when we bring our consumer mindset with us, no new building or better band is going to solve what’s actually going on inside us.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’re going to dig into how consumerism creeps into our faith without us even noticing — and what Jesus actually says about it. This isn’t about guilt. It’s about finding something way better than anything you can shop for.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- A shockingly familiar definition of consumerism that will stop you cold
- 3 ways consumerism quietly shapes how you think about church
- What Jesus actually taught about consumerism and material desire
- Practical ways to stop feeding the consumer mindset in your own faith
Why Daddies Should Date Their Daughters
Listen up fathers out there: if you have the privilege of raising daughters (or a daughter) then you are one lucky fella. Here’s why Daddies should date their daughters.
My wife Tina and I have a son and two daughters. We are a very blessed couple. We’ve done a lot of things wrong as parents, but one thing we got right was dating our kids–regularly taking them out on “dates”.
[Click Here to get my “The Perfect Daddy – Daughter Date Checklist”.] (more…)
Are You Believing a Holistic Gospel?
Most of us think of faith as something that lives in the spiritual lane. We go to church, read our Bibles, pray — and that’s the Christian life. But what about your mental health? Your physical health? What if God actually cares about all of it, and the gospel was always meant to speak to your whole life — mind, body, and soul?
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’re going to explore what it looks like to believe and live out a truly holistic gospel. You’ll discover why caring for the whole person isn’t optional — it’s at the heart of God’s design. And how stepping into those conversations with others can bring real hope to a world that’s sick and dying for it.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- How God’s story in Scripture has always been holistic in nature
- Jesus’ surprisingly simple explanation of the Law and Commandments
- Why a holistic gospel naturally sends us out on mission
- Practical steps to care for your physical, spiritual, and mental health today
Life in a True Gospel-Centered Community: Kirstan’s Story
Life in a vibrant gospel-centered community –a missional community– is an amazing thing to experience. It’s something I believe we were all created to enjoy. But what does this really look like? How is it different than your current church or small group situation? Let me tell you a true story that will help illustrate the beauty of this.
A Broken Family
Good friends of mine, Greg and Mary, came to faith and become part of our community a few years back. They pretty immediately began to loop others into this life with us as they learned to live as full-time missionaries. One of the very first families that Greg and his wife Mary began to invite into their lives was a 16-year-old girl named Kirstan and her widowed mother, Julianna. They had a pretty rough story. (more…)
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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.