H07. Missional Team D – Important Additions
List of the Online Lessons: A B C D E F G H
H07. Missional Team D – Important Additions
The goal of the missional team is to support each other in making and building disciples who will make and build other disciples. At the same time, a local or regional missional team can naturally aim to starting a new small fellowship with new people. There is a section G. The Movement and the Church about it on this website. Let me make a few important additions to the missional teams.
1. Sharing of the Good News Is a Realm of Spiritual Confrontation!
If we respect the principles that we learn here, the attacks from people „out there“ are not so bad these days. By important principles I mean, for example, truly listening to people’s needs, breaking down Christianeese, using tested tools, our own listening to Jesus, etc. All this together with a firm grasp of our identity in Jesus. These days we do not experience much external adversity, but we are inevitably exposed to subtle internal pressures: internal attacks on our emotions, on our motivation and perseverance. It’s surprising how little things can deter sincere believers from blessing people and sharing the Good News! The missional team is often a very significant help here: My comrades pray for me. If something doesn’t work out for me, I have someone to talk to, they encourage me.
2. Invite a Coach
When Christians don’t have support after the Bridges to People training and don’t become a support to someone else themselves, everything soon goes back to the routine of just going to church. And the people around continue to go into irrevocable spiritual destruction by the hundreds every day. Although we try to provide at least an initial experience with a missional team at the Bridges to People training, I understand that you might not be able to imagine it in your own environment, and certainly not that you would personally start something like this. If you want to learn it practically, let us know. We will look for a way to effectively help you; probably remotely – via internet connection. It is important that you have two or three believers around you who will go along with you and regularly serve non-believers. They can also be from the opposite side of the country. The trainer will guide your missional team, explain important principles and gradually pass the individual parts on to you. When you experience it a few times as active participants, you will perceive the benefits, inspiration, encouragement and your own need to move things forward. From experience, we recommend an initial agreement with a trainer for two to three months. Then you will agree on another two or three months, or the trainer will be a remote advisor to just one of you, or you will continue on your own. And if you decide to quit the missional team, we will be sorry, but it is your free choice at any time.
3. Benefits
The third addition to the missional team is its benefits. You make some partial decisions in life yourself. But really few people stick with any major new decision – especially when no one around is doing it. We need long-term mutual support. At the same time, it is support of my own decision, of my faith, my expectation that living Jesus will do something! At the same time, it is a practical support in development of my skills and concrete activities with non-believers: You will like the mutual support in the missional team! You will begin to break down your inner barriers in relation to non-believers. You will acquire skills that you never had before. And in direct connection with this, you will see fruit that you did not even think about!
4. Whom Will You Invite?
As a fourth stimulus to missional teams, I will add a question: Whom can you involve? When you start your missional team, for example as three believers, prayerfully make a relationship map of Christians! Who in your reach has unbelieving people on their hearts? Who would be willing to learn important tools? You don’t have to invite these believers among you right away! In the missional team, you want only those who are already serving non-believers in some rhythm. But try to talk with them! Ask someone to pray for Your people, and you pray for their unbelieving acquaintances and their efforts with them. Offer them tools or take them to Bridges to People training.
Lord Jesus, thank You that everything is prepared from Your side. Your Spirit is ready to empower us as we obey Your call.