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.
Does Your Gospel Actually Sound Like Good News
A lot of us have been in church for years. We’ve heard the sermons, read the books, studied the theology. But when a real conversation opens up — with a neighbor, a coworker, a friend in crisis — we freeze. The gospel we know in our heads just won’t come out naturally. That tension is real. And it matters.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’re going to explore why so many believers struggle to talk about faith naturally — and what actually changes when you get the gospel right. You’ll discover how your upbringing shapes the way you see God, and why the gospel is genuinely good news for every part of life today.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- How your upbringing quietly shapes the way you see and share the gospel
- Why so many believers feel awkward or scared talking about their faith
- What it looks like to experience the gospel in everyday life — not just Sunday
- How gospel fluency transforms your relationships, community, and conversations
Community on Mission Works in Any Context
Most church Small Groups follow the same pattern — ya meet, do the study, go home. And after a while, something starts to feel hollow. Not fake, not wrong, just… thin. Like it should be more than this. If that’s where you are, this episode is going to name something you’ve been feeling.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’re going to redefine what a missional community is actually supposed to be and do together — and it’s simpler than you think. Not more programming. Just a different posture: living like a family with organized and organic rhythms that make room for real discipleship and real life together.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- A clear biblical definition for what a missional community actually is
- What the real mission of a missional community has always been
- The organized and organic rhythms that turn a group into a family
- 6 natural rhythms any MC can adopt right now that fit every context
Ask Caesar #3
Everyone I know seems busier than ever. Work, car pools, school and life in general all seem to be at odds with living a lifestyle of discipleship and mission. In a very real way these things are all competing for the same hours and minutes each day.
One of my readers, Dale, wrote asking, “I’m trying to learn how to integrate my missional life with my family life – balancing family time with discipling in community; how do I do that without killing my family or never really living on mission in community with others?” (more…)
Are You Measuring What God Measures in Your Life and Ministry?
Last week in my post: How Leaders Keep from Tapping Out, Burning Out or Being Disqualified, I shared with you some of the things that Hugh Halter and I have been learning about being leaders who stay in the game for the long haul.
We looked at the first part of our Journeymen Oath #2: “I Commit to Move at God’s Pace and Measure what God Measures.”
And we saw how important it was to move at a sustainable pace, following Jesus’ teachings on the pattern and the promises from his parables that lead to explosive and sustainable kingdom growth. Small is big, slow is fast and multiplication wins. Now let’s finish up this “oath” and look at metrics and measurements. (more…)
Community on Mission Works in Any Context
“It won’t work in my context.” I’ve heard this everywhere — urban, suburban, rural. And honestly? I’ve probably thought it myself. We look at the gaps, the distances, the busyness of real life and quietly wonder if maybe community only works somewhere else. Turns out, everyone thinks that. And it turns out… everyone is wrong.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we’re going to dig into whether missional community is actually possible in your context — wherever that is. We’ll look at what Jesus modeled, why healthy families and missional communities share surprising DNA, and how to figure out what your specific community actually needs to thrive.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- Why Jesus always made disciples in community—not solo
- The surprising overlap between healthy families and missional life
- What every context has in common (it’s not what you think)
- How to read the DNA of your specific community and context
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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.