Together On Mission
At New City Macon we talk a lot about our identity as believers: in Christ we are a family of missionary servants. For me, family and servant are easier identities to live. I love gathering with our church family, and I am thankful for the opportunity to share life with others who know me well enough to encourage me or challenge me when I need it. And I find joy serving (most of the time!); I am energized in service when those around me are enjoying serving also. Joy can be contagious.
Missionary, however, is a struggle for me. Jesus charged His followers to make disciples of all nations through evangelism (baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and through teaching one another to do all that He commanded. If we follow Jesus, we are all missionaries.
But… what if those who I gather with, those who I work with, those who I exercise with, etc., are all believers? What if I know a couple of people who do not know the love of Jesus, but I don’t know how to share the good news of the gospel with them?
Thankfully we are not expected to live life on mission as individuals, in isolation. Part of the reason we call our small groups at New City “Missional Communities” (MCs) is that we gather in groups and encourage one another on the mission we have been given: we disciple one another to live in light of the gospel. And we work together – as family, in service, and also on mission.
In order to focus our efforts strategically, each of our MCs collaborates to decide on a “missional partnership”. This could be a local ministry, a local business, or people in a particular neighborhood. The purpose of focusing on one missional partnership is to foster the developing of relationships. When an MC shows up to love and serve, it is able to share the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection with those that the MC is loving and serving. Members of the MC are able to invite others to Sunday worship and future MC gatherings. One of our MCs invests in B Monroe Salon, encouraging the stylists and employees. Another has shared notes with neighbors offering help with household needs during COVID.
Here are our current missional partnerships: https://www.newcitychurches.org/missional-partners
A wise friend once shared that evangelism is a team sport. We are called to share the love of Jesus with others and to point them to Him. But thankfully we are not called alone! If I invite someone to an MC gathering, others in the group can invest in relationships with the visitor, and we together can share about the life we have been given in Christ.
Our hope and prayer is that each missional partnership will bear fruit, that through relationships developed, those who are far from Jesus will come to know him.