MISSIONAL LEADERS NEEDED

BY DR STEVE DUNN

Thirty years ago, a pastor named Frank Tillapaugh wrote a powerful and compelling book called Unleashing the Church. It was subtitled “Getting the People Out of the Fortress and Into Ministry.”  He was one of the first to address the issue of churches that had become more organizational than the organic Body of Christ.  Tillapaugh saw the church as seeking to live behind fortress-like walls that kept protected from the world and its problems, that attempted to give Christians a safe place to stay out of the battle.

 

Tillapaugh also recognized that the leaders of these “fortresses” were more concerned with maintenance than mission.  In fact, their “preservation” or “maintaining” mindset insured the church having an inward focus, by seeing that as the focus as something to be preserved and protected.  Their whole modus operandii was to preserve and protect by controlling as much as possible, eliminating any risk, resistng any change.

Yet when the Holy Spirit leads the church, He calls and sends.  The Spirit unleashes God’s power and sends the Church out into the world.  For the Holy Spirit empowers a mission that reflects the Great Commission.  “Go and make” were Jesus words.

This is why a church that seeks to impact our world and to help be transformed by working of God–must give up that old maintenance mentality that builds fortresses rather than launching  out to reach people who needs Jesus/

 A maintenance leader builds fortresses.

 A missional leader takes the church out to fulfill the Great Commssion.

In our world today the church MUST have missional leaders.

 © 2015 by Stephen L Dunn
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