Missional is not an event we tack onto our already busy lives. It is our life. Mission should be the way we live, not something we add onto life: “As you go, make disciples….”; “Walk wisely towards outsiders”; “Let your speech always be seasoned with salt”; “be prepared to give a defense for your hope”. We can be missional in everyday ways without even overloading our schedules. Here are a few suggestions:
- Eat with Non-Christians. We all eat three meals a day. Why not make a habit of sharing one of those meals with a non-Christian or with a family of non-Christians? Go to lunch with a co-worker, not by yourself. Invite the neighbors over for family dinner. If it’s too much work to cook a big dinner, just order pizza and put the focus on conversation. When you go out for a meal, invite a non-Christian friend. Or take your family to family-style restaurants where you can sit at the table with strangers and strike up conversations (Mighty Fine Burgers, Buca di Peppo, The Blue Dahlia, etc). Have cookouts and invite Christians and non-Christians. Flee the Christian subculture.
- Walk, Don’t Drive. If you live in a walkable area, make a practice of getting out and walking around your neighborhood, apartment complex, or campus. Instead of driving to the mailbox, convenience store, or apartment office, walk to get mail, groceries, and stuff. Be deliberate in your walk. Say hello to people you don’t know. Strike up conversations. Attract attention by walking the dog, taking a 6-pack (and share), bringing the kids. Make friends. Get out of your house! Last night I spend an hour outside gardening with my family. We had good conversations with 3-4 neighbors. Take interest in your neighbors. Ask questions. Engage. Pray as you go. Save some gas, the planet.
- Be a Regular. Instead of hopping all over the city for gas, groceries, haircuts, eating out, and coffee, go to the same places. Get to know the staff. Go to the same places at the same times. Smile. Ask questions. Be a regular. I have friends at coffee shops all over the city. My friends at Starbucks donate a ton of left over pastries to our church 2-3 times a week. We use for church gatherings and occasionally give to the homeless. Build relationships. Be a Regular.
- Hobby with Non-Christians. Pick a hobby that you can share. Get out and do something you enjoy with others. Try City League sports. Local rowing and cycling teams. Share your hobby by teaching lessons. Teach sewing lessons, piano lessons, violin, guitar, knitting, tennis lessons. Be prayerful. Be intentional. Be winsome. Have fun. Be yourself.
- Talk to Your Co-workers. How hard is that? Take your breaks with intentionality. Go out with your team or task force after work. Show interest in your co-workers. Pick four and pray for them. Form mom’s groups in your neighborhood and don’t make them exclusively non-Christian. Schedule play dates with the neighbors’ kids. Work on mission.
- Volunteer with Non-Profits. Find a non-profit in your part of the city and take Saturday a month to serve your city. Bring your neighbors, your friends, or your small group. Spend time with your church serving your city. Once a month. You can do it!
- Participate in City Events. Instead of playing X-Box, watching TV, or surfing the net, participate in city events. Go to fundraisers, festivals, clean-ups, summer shows, and concerts. Participate missionally. Strike up conversation. Study the culture. Reflect on what you see and hear. Pray for the city. Love the city. Participate with the city.
- Serve your Neighbors. Help a neighbor by weeding, mowing, building a cabinet, fixing a car. Stop by the neighborhood association or apartment office and ask if there is anything you can do to help improve things. Ask your local Police and Fire Stations if there is anything you can do to help them. Get creative. Just serve!
Don’t make the mistake of making “missional” another thing to add to your schedule. Instead, make your existing schedule missional. Check out this related article on integrating Gospel, Community and Mission into everyday life.
33 comments
Comments feed for this article
April 8, 2009 at 10:38 am
Being Missional Down on Earth | stephenmurray.co.za
[…] in it without bringing along a sack of guilt that just ruins the experience. Go read his ‘8 Ways to Easily be Missional‘ and be liberated and missional at the same time. This entry was posted on Wednesday, […]
April 8, 2009 at 12:32 pm
8 Ways to Easily be Missional « Point Community Church
[…] Read the whole of his post here. […]
April 8, 2009 at 2:42 pm
8 Ways to Easily Be Missional « Missional Church Network
[…] Dodson helps to remind us that living a missional life is not rocket science. In his post titled “8 Ways to Easily Be Missional” he encourages us to invite others into daily activities that we already […]
April 8, 2009 at 4:16 pm
natenavarro
SO RIGHT ON! I AM WITH YOU FOR MORE OF THIS IN AUSTIN(and beyond)!
April 8, 2009 at 5:28 pm
zACHhARROD.com » Blog Archive » learning how to love the city
[…] weep over it (being moved to make a difference in our cities). Getting lost in loving your city? Here is a great post over at Church Planting Novice – 8 Ways to Easily be […]
April 8, 2009 at 6:50 pm
» “8 Ways to Be Missional,” i.e., live o … Downtown KC “Loop”
[…] live out the gospel in an engaging way in a community. We’ve talked about most of these. https://churchplantingnovice.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/8-ways-to-easily-be-missional/ […]
April 13, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Rev Bill » Blog Archive » 8 (Practical) Ways You Can Be Missional
[…] I shared a post this morning from Chris Walker at Evangelism Coach.org about barriers to evangelism. Here is a post he wrote about from Jonathan Dodson at Church Planting Novice on “8 Ways To Be Easily Missional”. […]
April 13, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Pastor Rant
[…] missional community | Here’s some thoughts from an Acts 29 church in Austin, Texas (Austin City Life) on how mission is an extension of our lives. Hope you find it helpful. Pastor Bryan Nelson […]
April 14, 2009 at 4:02 am
sean
Great article. How often do we forget that it’s so often the simple things that make a difference in people’s lives. And even more so, how often do we choose to do those simple things with ‘the church crowd’ when they can be done amongst those that still need to hear of Christ’s love for them. Spot on!
April 15, 2009 at 10:48 am
Friedi
hey, i would like to translate this article into German, convert some of your examples into to the German context and put it on the homepage of our mission team. http://www.mission-gvsa.de. This article is great i would really love to share it to christians in East-Germany. Is this ok?
God bless you, Friedi
April 15, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Jonathan Dodson
Absolutely! Can you send me the new, translated version before you post it?
April 15, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Michael Foster
I was wondering why I got a huge bump in hits this past week even know I’m barely blogging right now…Thanks for the link.
April 16, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Again…links « Living Orthodoxy
[…] Dodson shares some suggestions about how to easily be missional. Really helpful for a sometimes loaded concept […]
April 17, 2009 at 10:23 am
Friedi
Thanx! here it is:
8 Wege einfach missionarisch zu leben
Missionarisch zu sein ist kein Ereignis dass wir auf unser sowieso schon beschäftigtes Leben drauf packen. Mission sollte die Art und Weise sein, wie wir leben, nicht etwas, das wir unserem Leben hinzufügenWir können in unserem Alltag missionarisch sein, ohne unsere Terminkalender zu überladen. Hier sind ein paar Vorschläge:
1.Iss mit Nichtchristen.
Wir alle haben drei Mahlzeiten am Tag. Warum nicht mal angewöhnen eine dieser Mahlzeiten mit einem Nichtchristen oder einer nichtchristlichen Familie zu teilen? Geh mit einem Kollegen essen, nicht allein. Lade deine Nachbarn zu zum Abendbrot ein. Wenn es zu viel Arbeit ist selber für so viele zu kochen, bestelle Pizza und lege den Schwerpunkt auf das Gespräch miteinander. Wenn du zum Essen ausgehst, lade einen nichtchristlichen Freund ein. Besuche mit deiner Familie Orte wo man mit fremden Personen zusammen sitzen kann und unterhalte dich mit ihnen. Mach eine Grillparty und lade Christen und Nichtchristen ein. Versuche aus deiner christlichen Subkultur herauszukommen.
2.Gehen statt fahren.
Geh zu Fuß. Falls du in einer Gegend wohnst, wo man vieles gut zu Fuß erreichen kann, gewöhne dir an zu laufen. Anstelle zur Post zu fahren, laufe; Gehe einen Nachbarn besuchen; geh spazieren. Grüße Leute, die du nicht kennst. Geh mit dem Hund spazieren. Kaufe Kleinigkeiten zu Fuß. Mache dir Freunde. Verlassen das Haus, wenn die Nachbarn draußen sind (an Wochenenden, nach der Arbeit, in den Ferien, an Nachmittagen). Interessiere dich für die Hobbies deiner Nachbarn. Stelle Fragen. Engagiere dich. Bete während du unterwegs bist. Schone dein Auto und die Umwelt.
3.Sei ein Stammgast.
Anstelle an immer wieder unterschiedlichen Orte einzukaufen, zu tanken, zum Friseur zu gehen, Kaffee zutrinken, essen zugehen, gehe immer an die gleichen Orte. Lerne das Personal kennen. Gehe, wenn möglich, immer zu den gleichen Zeiten. Stelle Fragen. Sei ein Stammgast. „Ich habe Freunde in Kaffees in der ganzen Stadt. Ich bete für sie. Sie geben mir kostenlos Essen und Trinken und ich gebe ihnen kostenlos das Evangelium.“ „ Ich kenne einen Professor, der regelmäßig bei seiner Mülltonne auf das Müllauto gewartet hat, um den Müllfahrern etwas zu trinken anzubieten.“ Sei ein Stammgast.
4.Hobbies mit Nichtchristen.
Suche dir ein Hobby, das du mit deiner Stadt, Umgebung, Nachbarschaft teilen kannst. Geh raus und tue etwas, das dir Freunde macht, mit anderen. Singen, Joggen, Nordic-Walking, Fußball, Basketball, Volleyball, Fahrradfahren, Rudern – auch im Team. Gib Nähunterricht; Klavier-, Geigen-, Gitarren,- Strickunterricht. Lebe andächtig. Lebe bewusst. Lebe gewinnend. Lebe gütig. Habe Freude. Sei du selbst.
5.Sprich mit deinen Kollegen.
Ist das schwer? Lege deine Pausen bewusst. Geh nach der Arbeit mit deinen Kollegen etwas trinken. Interessiere dich für deine Kollegen. Suche dir 4 Kollegen aus und bete für sie. Forme Mütterkreise – für Christen und Nichtchristen. Organisiere regelmäßige Zeiten, wo die Nachbarkinder miteinander spielen können. Sozialisiere dich.
6.Werde ehrenamtlich tätig.
Versuche eine ehrenamtliche Aufgabe in deinem Ort zu finden. Wo kannst du deinem Ort dienen (Stadtrat, Suppenküche, Freiwillige Feuerwehr, usw.)? Versuche dann Freunde und Nachbarn mit einzubeziehen. Es gibt viele Möglichkeiten. Du musst es nur tun.
7.Nimm an Veranstaltungen deines Ortes teil
Anstelle fernzusehen, vor dem Computer zu sitzen, Briefmarken zu ordnen oder jedes Wochenende mit deiner Mutter zu telefonieren, gehe zu den Ereignissen, die von deinem Ort angeboten werden. Rummel, Feste, Kundgebungen, Ausstellungen, Fußballspiele, usw. Geh und triff die Menschen. Lerne über ihre Kultur. Reflektiere, was du siehst und hörst. Bete für deinen Ort. Liebe deinen Ort. Nimm am Leben deines Ortes teil.
8.Suche nach Möglichkeiten, wie du deinen Nachbarn dienen kannst.
Hilf einem Nachbarn beim Rasen mähen, beim Umziehen, das Auto zu reparieren, die Hecke zu schneiden, Straße zu fegen, Treppenhaus zu putzen, usw. Geh bei den Verantwortlichen deines Ortes vorbei und frage, was du tun kannst um die Situation zu verbessern. Werde kreativ.
Mach nicht den Fehler eine missionarische Aktion deinem Zeitplan hinzuzufügen. Mache anstelle dessen deinen Zeitplan missionarisch.
April 21, 2009 at 3:32 am
QOTD | The Thoughts of Ryan-C
[…] can see the related post on his blog here. No TweetBacks yet. (Be the first to Tweet this post) This entry was posted on Monday, April […]
April 23, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Lester Davis
Glory to God,
My wife and I have served as missionaries, pastors, childrens leaders and janitors in churches for many years. We have tried to get those around us to understand the call of God on our lives of teaching that the church is in each of us worldwide. We felt that God was moving the Church back to basic mission which is to preach, teach, witness, act the word and then he will come back for his people. We have been misunderstood, shunned, and basically treated as speaking another language to many. We are very thankfull that “Missional” thinking seems to be what we were trying to communicate to the Churches and christians in our influence. Keep up the good work.
Lester Davis
May 2, 2009 at 8:34 am
Jonathan Dodson on being missional « fresh expressions…
[…] Read the whole thing here. […]
May 2, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Jim Kane
Although I am a boomer, I have never, ever been comfortable with the programmatic salespitch of Christianity that was always presented as the way to share one’s faith with others. This is a great post that I shall be using in my current sermon series on love (with credit given!)
Thanks for your thoughts… this is a way to spread the gospel with out slinging it all over the place!
May 5, 2009 at 3:00 pm
8 Ways to easily be missional « Chris242’s Weblog
[…] This was a down to earth practical guide by Jonathan Dodson called 8 Ways to easily be missional. […]
May 16, 2009 at 4:05 am
Steve D
I’m new to this blog, so I have a newbie question. What’s your definition of “non-Christian”? That’s not a rhetorical question and I’m not trying to call you out. But the use of the phrase makes me uncomfortable. There are so many CHRISTIANS who need to experience what you describe here that it just feels limiting to say, “reach out to non-Christians”.
Thanks for the great and honest article.
May 16, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Jonathan Dodson
A broad definition–someone who does not claim to be a Christian. You are correct, “Christians” need to be converted to missional living, which happens naturally when they participate in a missional church. However, our focus is not to swap Christians with other churches; we aim to engage those who have not received Jesus Christ as their Lord and live accordingly.
May 29, 2009 at 11:01 am
Pierre Smith
I like nr 8, the other day i was digging away in the garden and thought what a great way to serve others, like neighbours. Instead of burning kilojules in the gym offer this availbale energy to your neighbour or some other worthier course than a piece of dead iron in the gym.
Go for it Jacques, I will use these tips tonight at our “church”
June 1, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Simple Steps We Can All Take « Just Another Broken Pilgrim
[…] 1, 2009 · No Comments Jonathan Dodson gives some tips over at his blog on 8 Ways to Easily be Missional. We don’t necessarily have to become part of some big program or organization to have a […]
August 21, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Sharing Jesus Without Fear :: In Response to “Missional” :: August :: 2009
[…] https://churchplantingnovice.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/8-ways-to-easily-be-missional/ […]
October 6, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Loving Hannibal « Hannibalian
[…] a blog post entitled “8 Ways to Easily be Missional” church planter Jonathan Dodson says, Instead of playing X-Box, watching TV, or surfing the […]
October 9, 2009 at 4:51 am
Cornelia Schlotnig
You cannot take the issue much better.
November 18, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Being on Mission | The Resolved Church, San Diego, CA
[…] something we do rather than something we are. Fellow Acts 29 pastor Jonathan Dodson recently wrote a blog addressing this. In it he writes, “(Being) missional is not an event we tack onto our already […]
January 20, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Intersected » Blog Archive » Small Group / Engage Group / Missional Community Posts
[…] Out loud, let gospel talk be ordinary talk. Don’t hide your faith. Here’s the link and below are the 8 […]
February 3, 2011 at 5:37 am
Lomo Nosta
Wirklich ein wahrer Kommentar. Ich söllte churchplantingnovice.wordpress.com mal häufiger lesen 😉
June 2, 2011 at 1:28 pm
How to Go and Make Disciples | Our Life On Christ
[…] first eight ideas I got from Church Planting Novice blog. 1. Eat with Non-Christians. We all eat three meals a day. Why not make a habit of […]
January 30, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Steven A. Chaparro
Love this. Thanks for sharing.
March 21, 2013 at 9:43 pm
8 Ways to be Easily Missional | Northbrook Baptist Church
[…] Jonathan Dodson, author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship, offers 8 suggestions in how to be easily missional in your life: […]
September 24, 2013 at 11:49 am
8 Easy Ways To Be Missional | Immanuel Blog
[…] from Jonathan Dodson, “Eight Ways to Easily Be Missional,” April 7, 2009, Church Planting […]