Missional Migration: From Comfort
Zones to Purposeful Risks
By Ted Hartman
Migrations are about the movement of people from one place to another. Sometimes,
migrations are physical like from Egypt
to the wilderness or from the wilderness to Canaan.
Other times, migrations are theological like from circumcision to baptism or
from "Jews only" to "Gentiles as well."
Our church is migrating. Like God's people of old who carried the Ark of the
Covenant with them as they migrated, we are on the move. We are moving into new
arenas for living out our lives as God's people, carrying with us the same
Gospel, Scripture, and Faith. This isn't so much a physical move as one of practical
orientation and day to day behavior. We aren't just within the walls of the
church anymore. We are also out there in the day-to-day lives of those who
don't yet know Jesus. We are learning to "speak their language" and develop
genuine relationships. We are very similar to the Apostle Peter as he moved
from the exclusivity of Jewish tradition to speaking the Gospel to all people
whatever their current culture, language, or belief system.
Being
involved with congregations and pastors as a Mission Coach in the
California-Nevada-Hawaii District has allowed me to experience some "edginess"
as congregations begin to migrate. One of these areas of edginess is in the
movement from being comfortable with our ways of doing things, toward the more
risky ways that we have not tried. One congregation has sent out "servant
teams" without a specific evangelism purpose. One of the teams simply helped a
group of people in a local mobile home park. It took six months, but the mobile
home park folks started to realize they were not a "target" for a church but
recipients of genuine love. Relationships started to develop and, guess what,
an adult baptism happened as well.
The
approach seems to vary with the circumstances and personality of the
congregation, but involves this change in orientation. They are starting to
look outside of themselves and experience discomfort as they attempt to connect
with people who don't have a clue about who Jesus is. Members of the
congregation become even more uncomfortable when they realize that they don't
know how to even talk to some people without "church talk."
I am
watching congregations and pastors stay engaged in this initially frustrating
process. They are living with the tension because they realize that is where
the Lord wants them to be. He wants them to take some risks so that His Gospel
has an opportunity to transform some new people with the new life that only He
can bring.
There is
also something very interesting happening. These congregations are also taking
on a "quiet humility," as they realize that they don't have all the answers.
The learning curve is steep because what used to work is not working anymore.
However, they are also learning that they can depend on the Lord to lead them
through this current migration as He has with all the migrations of the past.
Ted Hartman
works with congregations and schools in the California-Nevada-Hawaii District
to reorient and redirect their ministries in order to connect with their local
community. He also coordinates the revitalization process for congregations who
want to begin a new life cycle of ministry and is a certified mission coach. You
may contact Ted at ted@cnh-lcms.org
