In 2011, we celebrated our first Orphan Sunday, and have made it a part of our annual rhythm as a church ever since. As result, more and more people in our church started getting involved in adoption, foster care, safe families and Global Orphan Care. On any given Sunday, we have more than 100 children in our Children’s Ministry that have been adopted or are being fostered.

When you think about a Missional Community, I find that it is helpful to think about a team of missionaries in a foreign context. What characteristics would you expect to find in a healthy team of missionaries in another country? We expect certain things of missionaries who go serve in another country. Why would we not expect the same things of team of missionaries serving locally in our context? As I think about the expectations of teams of missionaries and apply those to a Missional Community, here is the list that I discover.

A Missional Community is a group of people who orient their lives around being on mission together to make the Gospel known among a target group of people (a shared network of relationships, neighborhood, or need in their city). A Missional Community is a team of Missionaries working together for the glory of God in their local context. There are three reasons why I believe Missional Communities are the best way for a local church to live out the gospel in community on mission.