Attractional vs. Missional

(Okay, okay - it's time to move the bloody teeth down a post.) There has been a lot of talk in the church world lately about either being "attactional" (come and see) or "missional" (go and tell). Usually in those discussions, like we do in most things in the church world, it's always either/or. I think it's both/and. I want our services to lift up Jesus so high and so clear that you can't stop talking about it and inviting people to come. I want the Word of God to be so powerfully proclaimed that you can't help but want to bring someone with you. I want you to be so confident that your friends who are far from God are going to hear the gospel at Coastal in creative, relevant ways that inviting them to come is second nature.

But I also want you to see your very lives as missionaries in a foreign world - a world that you are called to learn about, study, and strategically live. I want you to see your lives as the life of Jesus for all to see. I want you to know and understand that God has called you and placed you in a work place, a family, a neighborhood, a school, and a community to reach people that I will never be able to reach. Every contact, every interaction is an opportunity. I want you to live, give, serve, and love like Jesus in this world. And when the watching world asks - and they will - tell them the reason for the the hope that you have! And yes, invite them to Coastal! You see, we are in partnership together! Go and tell your friends to come and see! See you and them on Sunday!