More Than a Program: Becoming a Missional Church

Mission isn’t a program we run—it’s a way of life we’re invited into. Sometimes, it begins with something as simple as opening a door… or setting an extra place at the table.

Key learning: Participants will reframe mission as a lived, relational calling rather than a structured program, reflecting on how God is already at work in their everyday contexts and beginning to identify how their lives and congregations can more intentionally join in.

Discussion questions:

1. As a Christ-follower, being missional at its very basic means stepping into the lives of others with humility and love, trusting that God is already at work there and is inviting you to join in. How are you personally living this out? What barriers do you experience or what opportunities do you notice but aren’t sure to act on? Give specific examples.
2. How would you describe your congregation’s missional identity currently?
3. What might you want your church’s missional identity to grow into?

Before we talk about what it practically means for us to be missional, we need to start with something bigger—God’s mission. Because the story of God doesn’t begin with the church; it begins with God.

Key learning: Mission begins with God, not the church. As participants reflect on God’s ongoing work of restoration through Scripture and story, they will reimagine the church’s identity as inherently missional—joining the Holy Spirit in everyday opportunities both locally and globally.

Discussion questions:

1. In what ways do you see your congregation (or specific members) living their everyday life on purpose for mission? How might you tap into a specific individual or group’s energy and vision and leadership to bring the rest of the congregation along?
2. Partnerships with mission organizations are a great way to get involved, but so easily we can fall into outsourcing our mission through just writing checks to support the work of someone else and not actually taking a deeper step into mission. Do you see this happening in your congregation and how might you work toward changing that? How might the relationship you have with a missionary grow deeper? How might your congregation take one more steps into involvement with a local partnership you are financially supporting?

Want to learn more about Ida Scudder’s story and bring a missional element to your children’s ministry at church? Purchase a copy of Ida and the Three Visitors and use this free curriculum to guide your church through an easy entry point into missional conversation.

Interested in learning more about a church who learned from their global engagement how to connect better with their local community? Check out this testimony from Fellowship Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan. Note that this video is a few years old and the partnerships may no longer be active, but the work and the intention behind the work is still impacting the church today.

If mission is more than a program, then it changes how we show up. We’re not always the ones setting the table—sometimes, we’re invited to take a seat.

Key learning: Mission is a shared participation in God’s work, inviting us into partnerships marked by humility, mutuality, and a willingness to learn. As participants reflect on both local and global contexts, they will reconsider what faithful mission looks like—not defined by outcomes, but by relationships, presence, and trust in God’s ongoing work.

Discussion questions:

1. When your church makes mission plans, are community voices at the table? Is there anyone else who should be invited to the conversation and discernment process?
2. When you think about your congregation’s definition of faithfulness as it connects to mission, what does that look like? How might that need to shift or change to fit the context you’re working in, or how you view faithful mission work?

Mission doesn’t look the same everywhere—but it always flows from the same calling. Around the world, the church is living this out in diverse and beautiful ways, shaped by local cultures, communities, and needs.

Key learning: Mission is expressed differently across contexts, but rooted in the same calling. By listening to and learning from the global church, participants will deepen their understanding of missional life and reflect on how these insights can shape a more connected and contextually relevant expression of mission in their own congregation. 

Take a few moments to explore one (or more!) of the videos below. When we listen to the experiences of others—especially our global sisters and brothers—our understanding of what it means to be missional begins to grow and deepen.

See the global church living out its missional calling:

If mission is more than a program, then it’s something we grow into together. Like a table that’s continually being set, there’s always an invitation—and a role for each of us to play.

So what does this actually look like for your church? How do you move from understanding mission to living it out in your everyday context? Let’s dive in together.

Key learning: Missional living is something we grow into together. As participants reflect on their context, relationships, and calling, they will begin to discern practical next steps—embracing their role within a broader local and global community participating in God’s mission.

Discussion questions:

1. What places in the world is God putting on your heart?
2. How are you praying for those places—and for your neighborhood?
3. How are you developing leaders locally and globally? This is a key part of developing a strong missional community and partner in the work God is already doing.
4. How might you invite/include all generations into this process and conversation?
5. Who in your community is being called to go?
6. What passions for mission already live within your congregation but might need some further development or resourcing?
7. How can genuine global partnerships enrich both your ministry and theirs? What did you learn from this video that you might be able to carry into your own missional living?