Reflections on God's missionary people by Charles Van Engen

Introduction

Van Engen states the need to find new avenues for contextualizing congregations. Most pastors prioritize maintaining members happiness and to keep getting paid by members. This leaves them frustrated and not fulfilling God’s purpose for the local church as a missionary congregation.

Chapter 1

The author states that there needs to be closer relationship between the concept of mission and church. Many church members see mission and church as distinct and separate from each other and oftentimes in conflict with each other. This has happened in the past because of mission organizations operating separately from local church structures. The church is not separate from mission but exists by mission.

Chapter 2

The post Augustinian church shifted from self examination and criticism to self congratulation and static definition. This happened as the Roman church identified itself with the kingdom of God. The church is an emerging reality. It is always becoming. The church is always reaching forward to fulfill its calling and never arrives.

Chapter 3

Ephesians describes the “one, holy, catholic,” attributes of the church. The local church derives its ultimate meaning from the whole church. Oneness is intended to assist and enable mission and ministry. It is a oneness of numbers, spirituality, service, and theology.

Chapter 4

The reformation “marks” of the church were misrepresented to signify a local inclusive place and not actions to be performed in the world. It closed off the church from the world and divided the church against itself. The four attributes of the church oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity are adverbs of missionary action and set the local church’s agenda.

Chapter 5

Van Engen restates the missionary intention of the local church as being for the world, identification with the oppressed, mission, proclamation witness, and yearning for numerical growth. This yearning is inclusive of all four of the the attributes of the creedal church. The church’s nature emerges from its reality and its center which is Jesus Christ.


Chapter 6

The purpose of the church involves koinonia (fellowship), kerygma (proclamation), diakonia (service), and marturia (witness). All four function as a witness to the world of God with us. He then asks is this the reason for which our congregations, mission churches, or denominations exist today?

Chapter 7

Van Engen describes and defines the relationship between the church and the kingdom of God. He asserts that the church is not the kingdom but an anticipatory sign of the kingdom of God. It witnesses to this kingdom reality. He also points out that the 3 self formula promoted by Venn and Anderson is deficient in light of the church being the anticipatory sign of the kingdom and hinders the church from being a true missionary people.

Chapter 8

The church is called to fulfill the three roles of prophet, priest, and king in the world. These three roles must be contextualized by a particular local church in its context. This is Jesus’ ministry transferred to his followers. This awareness has brought about new forms of church organized and shaped around ministry in the world.

Chapter 9

In the chapter on the missional goals of the local church the author states that each Christian is called to build the church. As salt is ineffective unless it is dispersed, the people of God will not be effected unless they are scattered and launched into the world and the surrounding context. As the context changes the priorities for life and ministry of the local church will change.

Chapter 10

The laity are the whole people of God who are called to minister. In order for this to happen there must be a conversion to Christ, a conversion to his church and a conversion to his ministry in the world. There must be a broad development of the people of God and not just the ten percent who do most of the work. Ordained persons are set apart to equip God’s missionary people so that the church is not simply a dictatorship, democracy, tribe, or club.

Chapter 11

Church leadership is described as a missiological event. The leader catalysts must embody and ignite mission in the congregation. This means that every church leader does tasks alongside another church member while having the ultimate goal of equipping them to be a leader. In this way effectiveness is measured by equipping.


Chapter 12

Van Engen concludes with the most critical step in leading missionary congregations and must be considered a spiritual activity. It is in administration that all of the missional goals of the congregation are given practical form. It must reflect the congregation’s context and launch them out as missionaries to the world.