Strategic Missional Principles: Biblical
Something that has been important all along in these Strategic Missional Principles—but perhaps not obviously so—is the fact that they need to be Biblically grounded. The reason that it has been hard to make that clear is the limited entry length here at NonModernBlog, and the desire to not proof text.
It would be easy perhaps to list a verse or two here to go along with each principle, but the hope is that each one is born out of an overarching theme that the Bible presents. The Bible has several themes, for sure, but one of the major ones is what is often called “The Missionary Message of the Bible.” From the first interaction between God and mankind in Genesis 1 and 2 to the appeal of the Spirit and the Church in Revelation 22 and all the way through, God is pursuing people and looking for people who will help in His pursuit.
What these Strategic Missional Principles are not (we hope) is Pragmatic. In fact, this final principle might be just as easily called Non-Pragmatic. Missional strategy should never be built around ideas and things that have worked somewhere. Just because something works once does not mean it will everywhere or when-else, or even that it is therefore the right thing to do. Often, the things the Bible tells us to do are exactly contrary to what reason or experience tells us will succeed. They are non-pragmatic because God wants to be glorified in the results of our efforts, and things that would naturally work are… natural.
So save some space in your strategy for marching around fortified cities, or carrying torches in clay pots, or whatever else “feels” right in spite of the crazy sense it makes.
It would be easy perhaps to list a verse or two here to go along with each principle, but the hope is that each one is born out of an overarching theme that the Bible presents. The Bible has several themes, for sure, but one of the major ones is what is often called “The Missionary Message of the Bible.” From the first interaction between God and mankind in Genesis 1 and 2 to the appeal of the Spirit and the Church in Revelation 22 and all the way through, God is pursuing people and looking for people who will help in His pursuit.
What these Strategic Missional Principles are not (we hope) is Pragmatic. In fact, this final principle might be just as easily called Non-Pragmatic. Missional strategy should never be built around ideas and things that have worked somewhere. Just because something works once does not mean it will everywhere or when-else, or even that it is therefore the right thing to do. Often, the things the Bible tells us to do are exactly contrary to what reason or experience tells us will succeed. They are non-pragmatic because God wants to be glorified in the results of our efforts, and things that would naturally work are… natural.
So save some space in your strategy for marching around fortified cities, or carrying torches in clay pots, or whatever else “feels” right in spite of the crazy sense it makes.
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