Sunday, December 19, 2010

Missional vs Attractional?


Mike Breen is a writer I came across earlier in the year, and I've just been alerted to a blog post he wrote recently in which he discusses the (mostly positive) reactions of J R Rozko to the book Breen wrote with Alex Absalom [in discussing this review he writes: His review of Alex and I’s book - one of those awful things that slip into blogs because of the speed with which most of them are written - I hope!]

The book is Launching Missional Communities, and in it Breen and Absalom discuss whether attractional and missional need to be at odds with each other. Breen comments in the blog:
There is something inherently attractive about a group of people coming together to worship their Father and King once they’ve been actively engaged in the mission field. In other words, the gathered church, coming in from being scattered, is unbelievably attractive. Why? Because it is the power of the reconciled community.

One of the big discussions in the circles I inhabit seems to have been that attractional is on the way out and missional is definitely in. Breen and Absalom seem to indicate that the two aren't necessarily incompatible. Check out the rest of what he has to say here, and read an excerpt from the book itself here.

2 comments:

Paul Fromont said...

I'd agree Mike. There's been a lot of emphasis on "missional" versus "attractional" - the pendulum has swung to the opposite pole.
Seems to me its a "both/and". Jesus sent followers AND called/attracted followers.
We need both - we gather and we are sent.

All the very best to you this Christmas, and may 2011 be a life-giving and fruitful year.

Take care
Paul

Mike Crowl said...

Thanks, Paul, hope you have a great Christmas too, and are looking forward to a prosperous New Year...!