The Forgotten Ways

Several months ago, I read the following quote, and it has prompted me to reflect on the shape of Hilton Church as far as mission is concerned. To what extent are the ministries of Hilton Church driven by a missional imperative?

"In a remark ascribed to Gordon Cosby, the pioneering leader of that remarkable community Church of the Savior in Washington, D.C. He noted that in over sixty years of significant ministry, he had observed that no groups that came together around a non-missional purpose (e.g. prayer, worship, study, etc.) ever ended up becoming missional. It was only those groups that set out to be missional (while embracing prayer, worship, study, etc. in the process) that actually got to doing it.... Experience tells us that a church that aims at ministry seldom gets to mission even if it sincerely intends to do so. But the church that aims at mission will have to do ministry, because ministry is the means to do mission. Our services, our ministries, need a greater cause to keep them alive and give their broader meaning. by planting the flag outside the walls and boundaries of the church, so to speak, the church discovers itself by rallying to it--this is mission."

In thinking more deeply about this I have been greatly helped by Alan Hirsch's book THE FORGOTTEN WAYS. If the notion of being a church which aims at mission fires your soul, this is a book worth reading. You will find many of the book's key ideas in Alan's very engaging blog, also called The Forgotten Ways.

DM