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.
How Seasonal Rhythms Serve Our Disciple-making
Regardless of where you live, the changing seasons can provide you with diverse opportunities for gospel growth and disciple-making. God designed it that way!
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we explore how seasonal rhythms can positively impact relationships and discipleship–if you embrace them.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- Seasonal rhythms and their significance in discipleship are defined.
- How there is a natural “breathing in and breathing out” relationally as seasons change.
- Why your own seasons of life play an important role in your discipleship pace.
- 6 Discipleship Rhythms that you can engage in regardless of the weather.
How To Lead Your Small Group or Church Toward True Missional Living
In this episode of Ask Caesar #7, Chris asks the question: “How do I begin to lead my Small Group or church toward true missional living? I want our folks to really live an authentic ‘everyday faith’ in community with others. How do we begin?”
Thanks for asking Chris, I have been EXACTLY where you’re at, and it can seem daunting to say the least!
My wife and I stumbled around this stuff for years too, but now, after living this way, and training others around the world, we’ve found that there are some foundational steps that absolutely cannot be missed. (more…)
5 Ongoing Essentials Missional Leaders Need
Leadership within the Church is so much more than just tasks and jobs getting done. Biblical leadership does get things done and serve the Family, but effectiveness as leaders is so much more about character, their hearts, and a growing ability to speak and model the Gospel in all of life.
In this episode, Caesar gives you 5 ongoing essentials that every missional leader needs in their life. Unfortunately, almost no one was trained for the type of leadership that missional communities require. Let’s be the ones that change that!
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- Why the commitment to developing leaders attracts great leaders.
- What to do if YOU are not getting these 5 essentials as a leader.
- The importance of every leader having an apprentice.
- What happens if you’re missing any of these 5 essentials.
Hearing God With a Head Full of Voices
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 of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, 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.
The Common Good Should Be Good News
So we’ve seen in our discussion on the Common Good from last week that we are not looking to be “benevolent stoopers” who throw a bone to those we perceive as needy. And we’ve looked at who really are our brothers and sisters, and how our Father God would have us view them. Now, in this 3rd and final part of the series, let’s look at how the Gospel informs our response.
Hearers and Doers
So do we just hope and wish for a common good, or do we actually have to do good? Remember, Jesus said that we are to be both hearers and doers of the truth…and yet he offered no grand, sweeping social programs or schemes. (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.