Congratulations! You Have Been Chosen!

This issue of the Christian Citizen explores an emerging mental model of church that takes seriously the need for churches to be reconnected with their world for the purposes of participating in the work of God in a post-Christendom era.

You have been chosen to live during the most accelerated rate of change in human history. Human knowledge is doubling every two years. Think for a moment of all the ways life has changed in the last fifty years: communication, technology, medicine, science, culture, global economy. How has all this change affected the church?

Just fifty years ago, eight out of ten Americans got up on Sunday morning and went to Christian worship. Today fewer than two out of ten Americans attend worship on any average Sunday. What changed? Everything!

As Christians we believe that the gospel message of Jesus is good news for every era, and we know that the church has adjusted to every new challenge in each new generation. How will the church respond to today's challenge?

Missional church is a growing movement throughout America in response to this time of change. A missional church is "an authentic community of faith that primarily directs its ministry focus outward toward the context in which it is located and to the broader world beyond."

We invite you on this missional journey with us as we seek God's Spirit and ask the important question, "What is God asking of the church today as we serve in this time of change?"

On this site you will find two other pages: Resources and Contacts.

On the Resources page, you will be offered a wide variety of changing information and links to help you decipher your missional journey. On the Contact page, you will find information about who is available to assist you in your exploration of missional church.

Why not start right now by linking to an extended definition of missional church?

Let us hear from you: your questions, ideas, stories, and suggestions. We are in this missional journey together.

Rev. Dr. Ron Carlson, Missional Church Strategist
Rev. Glynis LaBarre, Transformation Strategist