Notes from Michael Frost on Mission as the Organizing Principle of the Church

Notes from YouTube video of Michael Frost at a recent Presbytery meeting.

Theme: "MISSION" should be the organizing priniciple of the church

• mission means "to be sent" - a movement outwards
• not something added on
• all other things should fall under mission - including worship, fellowship, discipleship, etc

1. We must see GOD differently as missio dei, the missioning God

• not, "come up to Zion," that is, expecting people to come to him on their own
• rather, an incarnational God who moves into people's lives, a missionary God
• God is going after people - in search of man
• God is in Babylon too
• the Father sends the Son and they send the Holy Spirit, the three send us (Jn 17), missio dei = the missioning God
• filled with the Spirit = sent into the world
• temple of God is our bodies
• Jesus shattered traditional views of Sabbath, etc; we must shatter traditional views of "church"

2. We must see CHURCH differently as participatio Christi, participating with what Jesus is doing in the world

• the gathering of the sent ones
• ecclesia - to go forth, called out ones
• ecclesia in the ancient near east (ANE) was a meeting by the city gates of the elders who solved ethical dilemnas, etc of the people of the village
• ADDING VALUE to the village
• a gift to the community
• like salt and light
• adding beauty, peace, goodness, wisdom, etc
• WOULD YOUR CHURCH BE MISSED IF IT WERE GONE FROM THE COMMUNITY? WOULD ANYONE GRIEVE (besides the members themselves)?
• add value to your neighborhood
• open the doors of your church to your neighborhood
• art gallery in the sanctuary
• musical groups
• forums
• neighborhood groups
• ask WHOM CAN WE SERVE? TO WHOM CAN WE GO?
• ecclesia - go as the sent ones

3. We must see the WORLD differently as imago dei, the image of God

• not how wonderful it is "in here," and how icky it is "out there"
• the world is not so icky, the church is not so wonderful
• there are wheat and weeds inside and outside the church
• imago dei, everyone bears the image of God
• as they say on the program CSI, "every single point of contact leaves a trace"
• God leaves a trace on every soul
• all one wheat field
• every person reflects the image of God; we must tease it out of them
• Willa Cather's Death Comes to the Missionary - "finding the treasure buried in the hearts of people"

4. When will you go? When do we leave? What are you wating for?