Nothing helps us to stay humble more than service. At every juncture when his disciples argued and were divided over "greatness", Jesus emphatically talked about being a servant, yes, even a slave, to those they led. Jesus himself served at the table, washed his disciples' feet and commands that we do likewise. If we want to lead people, we must serve those very same people... Serving those under us bring our pride to the forefront and tests our willingness to be humble.

pp.108-109, The Prideful Soul’s Guide to Humility, Fontenot/Jones

MISSIO DEI

Discipleship Point

Today we focus on part two of:
Why and how are missional practices aligned to the MISSIO DEI (sending of God)?

Missional practices, performances, facilities, properties, and arrangements are beneficial aids, which must be aligned to the mission of God. This means that every congregational activity, program, project, and organization must be rooted in the Missio Dei. We cannot confuse the actions and activities that support the Missio Dei as the Missio Dei. Such actions and activities are rather supporting elements of the Missio Dei.

Any missional practices in a healthy missional congregation will be designed for making Gospel contact, useful for connecting, caring, cultivating, communicating, and community-creating, all with the intention of pointing the focus to Christ’s apostolic authority. Thus, it is important for congregations to examine who they are – their whole mission ethos, culture, and behavior. In order to be missional, a congregation must solidly understand the difference between the sending of God and human-appointed sending practices. The sending practices point to the mission of God but are not by themselves the mission of God.