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Dr. Gregg Allison is teaching a course on Missional Ecclesiology at the Resurgence Training Center this fall. Find out more at ReTrain.org.

The Missional Church

“Missional Ecclesiology” takes its cue from Jesus’ words to his disciples: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). By this pronouncement, Jesus commissioned and launched the missional church as the community of divinely-called and divinely-sent ministers to proclaim the gospel and advance the kingdom of God.

The Father sent the Son, and the Son willingly and obediently came, that the world would be saved through him. Jesus accomplished salvation through his sinless and holy life, three-year Spirit-empowered ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. As the Son was commissioned by the Father with this mission, so the Son commissioned his disciples with that mission. The church announces the salvation accomplished by the Son through its proclamation of the gospel while working and praying for the advancement of God’s kingdom. This is the missional church.

Of course, the identity of the church is not limited to this missional attribute. Six other essential characteristics constitute the church. The first three are reflective of the Trinity:

1. Doxological: Oriented to the Glory of God

The church is doxological, or oriented to the glory of God. Like everything else that God has created—the heavens and the earth (Ps. 19:1; 108:5), the angelic realm (Ps. 29:1-2), and human beings as the divine image-bearers (Ps. 8:5), the church is characterized by an orientation to give God glory (Eph. 3:21).

Specifically, the church is to be orthodoxological, or oriented to the proper (Gr. ortho) glory (Gr. doxa) of God. Implied in this imperative is the possibility for the church to engage in false glory giving, or idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14; 1 John 5:20-21; 2 Cor. 11:1-4). Manifestations of the church’s false gods include money, power, societal approbation, its pastor or its programs, political persuasion, size, and the like. The church must avoid such idolatry and be oriented to the proper glory of God.

2. Logocentric: Focused on the Word

The church is logocentric, or focused on the logos, the Word, understood in two senses to refer to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, and Scripture, the inspired Word of God. As for the first sense, the eternal Word of God, the second person of the Trinity, took on the fullness of human nature and became the incarnate God-man, Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14). He promised, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18), and he is its cornerstone (Eph. 2:20) and its head (Eph. 1:20-23). The church is centered on this incarnate Word of God.

In the second sense of logos, the church is Word-centered in that it focuses on Scripture, the inspired Word of God. This inspired, sufficient, necessary, truthful (inerrant), clear, authoritative, and productive Word announces salvation (2 Thess. 2:13-14), brings new birth (1 Pet. 1:23), ignites faith (Rom. 10:13-17), presents sound doctrine and equips the church for good works (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and, while providing cohesion and nourishment for the church, also destabilizes it by confronting its many sins. The church is centered on this inspired Word of God.

3. Pneumadynamic: Empowered by the Spirit

The church is pneumadynamic, or created, gathered, gifted, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He inaugurated the first church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-5), and this church in Jerusalem multiplied and expanded through the evangelistic centrifugal movement orchestrated by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). In these churches, the Spirit distributes spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:11) for “the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7), while also being the creator and sustainer of unity (Eph. 4:3) by supplying genuine love among church members (Rom. 15:30; Col 1:8) and fostering an atmosphere of righteousness, peace, and joy (Rom. 14:17). Certain members are installed as leaders in the church by the appointment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28; 13:2-3). Thus, the church is Spirit-activated.

These first three attributes of the church—doxological, logocentric, and pneumadynamic—are reflective of the Trinity (God/Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

To be continued.

Check out some of Dr. Allison’s books:

• Getting Deep: Understand What You Believe About God and Why
• Jesusology: Understand What You Believe About Jesus and Why
• A Theology for Christian Education

He also has two new books coming out in 2010: one on the doctrine of the church and the other a historical theology which will be the companion to Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.

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