A few weeks ago I participated in a church planting meeting where the focus of the time together was on raising up and sending out missional minded planters. One of the sessions was led by Dr. Dan Morgan, Church Planting Professor at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth. Dr. Morgan shared his heart regarding the need for planting missional minded churches and where to find planters that exhibited missional qualities. At one point he shared seven characteristics or distinctives that he observed in missional leaders.
- They grasp the importance of leading like Jesus.
- They don’t assume a friendly environment in which to carry out church life.
- They work opportunistically rather than routinely.
- Their focus is on the Kingdom, not preservation of an institution.
- They foster relational structures rather than institutional structures.
- They disciple with a view towards deployment on mission, not servicing the organization.
- They believe the Kingdom is bigger than the church.
In the coming days I plan to elaborate on Morgan’s seven distinctives and consider what other aspects of missional leadership is important.
I cant wait to hear the rest of your commentary.
I really like this so far. It sounds right on.