"Missional" is a term that we use often at New City.  In fact, borrowing from the writings of Dan Kimball, we often describe ourselves as "a worshipping community of missional theologians." But what exactly do we mean when we speak of being "missional?"  What do we mean when we say that we want every person who is a part of New City to live a "missional" life?

A simple, biblical answer to this question is found in Mark 2.  Jesus, after healing a paralytic, calls Levi (Matthew) to follow him and, compelled by the call of Jesus, Levi immediately does so.  Levi was not a squeaky clean, morally upstanding member of the First Church of Capernaum.  Instead, he was a tax collector who had probably made himself wealthy by working for the Roman government and using his authority to rip people off.  To be sure, Levi didn't remain like he was.  His submission to Jesus led to his transformation. But Jesus did not tell Levi to clean up his act before calling him to become his follower.  Rather, he called him to become his follower, in the midst of his mess, and the transformation followed.

Not only did Jesus call Matthew (Levi) to come and follow him, but he then went to Matthew's house and shared a meal with him and some of his friends.  As Jesus and his disciples sat down to share a meal and spend some time with Matthew, Mark tells us that there were also "many tax collectors and sinners . . . reclining with Jesus and his disciples" (Mark 2:15).  In other words, by sharing a meal and spending time with these individuals, Jesus was saying, through his actions, that he loved and cared for these people.  He was not afraid to "hang out" with them; to spend time with them and be their friend.

The religious people of Jesus' day, the ones who were considered very good and moral folks, did not like the fact that Jesus would spend time with "tax collectors and sinners."  They thought that spending time with such people would make one unholy and necessarily lead to all sorts of sinful compromises.  Mark says that "the scribes and Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, 'Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" (vs.16).  This was not a simple question.  It was an accusation.  This would not be the only time that the religious folks of Jesus' day would take serious issue with his association with sinners.  According to Jesus, he was accused by the religious people of being "A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" (Luke 7:34).  Apparently, he was accused of being a glutton, drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners because he ate and drank with these very folks, the ones with which the religious people thought it wrong to associate.

Jesus' response to the question of the Scribes and Pharisees is clarifying.  He states, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17).  In other words, one of Jesus' primary reasons for coming to earth, his mission, was to call people to follow him.  He was willing to enter into relationships with people, "sinful" people, and offer them transformation through the gospel.

Jesus calls every Christian to join him on this mission of calling people to be his followers (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).  This is what it means to be "missional."  To be missional means that we, like Jesus, invite people into our lives and willingly enter their lives for the sake of the gospel.  Being "missional" means that we are not seeking the approval of the religious folks, but are seeking to follow Jesus on the mission that he so clearly demonstrated for us.  This often involves more work, vulnerability, time, and effort than, for example, simply handing a stranger a tract.  (I am not against tracts.  I am simply saying that handing a stranger a tract, which can be a very good thing, should not be used as an excuse for avoiding the hard work of relationships or for keeping away from the "sinners and tax collectors.")

In our context in the South, it is not uncommon to be told that the biblical calling to be holy means that Christians are not to associate with folks who are living in ways contrary to what the Bible reveals.  This is the same mistake that the Pharisees made.  The Pharisees thought it their job to simply confront these "sinners" from a distance while avoiding them as much as possible so as not to become contaminated by their sinfulness.  They assumed that association with sinful folks necessarily leads to compromise of biblical teaching. This is still a common assumption in the religious culture of the South.  But that is not what Jesus modeled.  Jesus was accused of being a friend of sinners because he was just that - a friend of sinners.  Yet, the fact that he was a friend of sinners does not mean that Jesus was ashamed of the gospel, condoned sinful practices, or participated in them.

At New City, we don't want to be a church that pulls our people out of the world.  Rather, we want to be a church that trains and encourages our people to engage the world with the good news of the gospel, even if that means that sometimes we might be accused of being gluttons, drunkards, or friends of sinners.  In other words, at New city, we want to be "missional."