Leadership

Mennonite Church USA has committed itself to being “missional.” What does that mean? And what is the responsibility of leadership in leading the church into being missional?

A simple explanation of being missional is this: As the church, we join God in reconciling a broken world. It’s about God’s activity, not ours, and God is leading. So what’s a church leader’s responsibility? It is to create an environment for discernment, learning, imagination and risk taking to empower the church to engage with God in reconciling a broken world. It’s easier said than done, but it’s possible.

Discernment takes time, and it’s an important practice for church leaders, even with our busyness. It takes a commitment to pray together and listen to each other. It also takes time for paths to appear in the direction God is calling us. I look to the way leaders in my home congregation have led through difficult decisions. Answers haven’t come quickly, but I feel confident God has led the process. Discernment may mean meeting in small groups so people can speak more comfortably. There may be times of prayer and fasting, times that create spaces for people to process what they’ve heard and be still, listening to God. Other times it may mean just taking a walk to discover what God is doing.

We often think of schools as the place for a learning community. We should also see our faith community as a learning community. In listening to God and connecting with each other, we learn and discover together. It’s not just about head learning but also heart and soul learning. We need to engage in the world and see how God is being revealed. One day on my way to work in Houston, a pink Cadillac was in front of me. In the nearly freezing weather a homeless man was walking across the street. I thought, Wow, he must be cold. His clothes were tattered, and he was coatless. All of a sudden, the woman in the Cadillac jumped out, took off her full-length fur coat and gave it to the man. That was a learning event of my heart and soul. How do we share stories of what God is doing and learn as a community? How do we engage learning events together?

The third element is imagination. Being missional means being able to imagine what we think is not possible. God does the impossible and has given us the ability to imagine so we can engage in the work of the impossible. I have learned that I have to exercise my imagination. I do this by setting my mind on Yes, that is possible, and avoid saying no. Saying yes to our imagination allows God’s creativity to flourish in our minds and in our faith communities. When someone shares an idea that we first want to oppose with, That’s impossible, what if we said, Wow, that’s great. How can I help you? We could unleash God’s power in a dynamic way. Leaders need to say yes to creative, imaginative ideas, even when they seem impossible.

Risk goes hand in hand with discernment, learning and imagination. The permission and support to take risks are crucial for the missional church. Risk involves success and failure. My youngest daughter never wanted to take risks as a child. When she was learning to skate or ride her bike, she wanted me to promise she wouldn’t fall. She wanted success without failure. My husband and I had to do a lot of convincing that it was OK to fall, and we would be there with her if she did. Leaders must encourage taking risks and assure our agencies, conferences and congregations God will be there through success and failure. From our failures, we’ll create learning opportunities that give us a chance to exercise our imagination and discern where God is leading.

Being missional is messy and risky, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity “to be followers of Jesus Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace so that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world.”

Iris de León Hartshorn is director of intercultural relations for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership.