Creative Missional Engagement (6)

Make an investigative trip to the local Mall with intentions of leasing the next vacant storefront. Create a café environment with comfortable seating, relaxing music, and coffee. Set up a wi-fi hot spot and offer free internet access to anyone with a wireless enabled device such as a laptop or PDA. Purchase a Multimedia Projector, computer, and software and once a week offer an evening of Movie Karaoke. Don’t let “How will we finance this?” become the obstacle that stops creative enterprising. Instead, believe that God will provide the resources necessary to create a safe place for Christians to connect with pre-Christians. Connect—belong—and let God do what He wills by intentionally positioning ourselves where the people He misses most do their shopping, living, and playing. We’ve spent years and years (and millions of dollars) building edifices for our people subordinate to our plans and ideas while neglecting the common-ground principle of relating and connecting with culture.

Dan Kimball, author of The Emerging Church, says he spends two days a week in the office on the church campus conducting church business and two days outside the office at a coffee house where he prepares his lessons while establishing friendships with pre-Christians, Dan says, “I’ve realized this has extreme value, not only in building friendships with those who aren’t Christians, but it also keeps me in connection with how nonchurched people are viewing church and Christianity.”