Missional Livingfeatured

By Jill Kandel

I attended Shannon Moser’s breakout session which focused on the topic of Missional Living. Each member of the group, about twenty of us, introduced ourselves and Shannon gave us a handout called, “Everyday Being Missional.” She spoke about what it means to interact with people outside of the Christian sub-culture, the Christian Ghetto, the place where so many of us hang out because we are comfortable and have friends.

As an introvert, this message is sometimes difficult for me to listen to. I basically hear, “Do more. Meet more people. Get out there! Hey, how hard can it be?” And for years, my response to this topic has been, “Go ahead you extroverted people. Knock yourselves out. But, this isn’t for me.”

Shannon’s talk, however, was about something deeper than our personalities, while at the same time, she didn’t exclude the fact that we each have our own ways of interacting with the world around us.

Her handout listed some of the following ideas.

• Eat with Non-Christians: all of us eat three meals a day. You’re eating anyway. It’s not adding another activity into an already full schedule.
• Be a Regular: if you get your hair done, get gas, get pizza, buy groceries, then do it at the same time & place. You’ll get to know people.
• Participate in City Events: Go to festivals, summer shows, concerts, fundraisers. Strike up a conversation.
• Walk, Don’t Drive: When possible walk around your neighborhood, walk to parks and stores.
• Compliment people’s yards. Find a way to get out of your house.
• Hobby with Non-Christians: Do you take your kids to baseball or play yourself? Great! Can you teach your hobby? Give baking lessons or piano or knitting. Learn to do these things with believer and non-believers alike. Flee the Christian sub-culture.

There was good conversation around the circle and a lot of nodding of heads.

The talking made me think about my own life journey. As an introvert and a writer, I have had a long standing suspicion of “Getting out there.” Small talk gives me a stomach ache. I found myself thinking, “That’s fine for you, but it’s just not for me.” But God, in His mercy, has opened doors for me to learn how to be missional. And He’s done it in a way that fits my skills, gifts and interests.

A few years ago, I was asked to do a local magazine story about a woman who’d been in jail, become a believer, and had been free of drugs for five years. While doing the story, I met the head of programs at the jail. He later asked if I’d consider teaching journal writing classes to female inmates. I said, “NO.” I stewed over that NO for almost a year, before calling him back and saying, “Yes.” I’ve been teaching at Cass County for three years. So God took my writing, and brought me into a broader and very diverse group of women.

I thought about Shannon’s idea, “Hobby with Non-Christians,” and realized that God had opened that door, too. A couple years ago, I started a writer’s club. We’re a mixed bunch of women, all ages, writing poetry, fiction, memoir, and YA. We’re believer and non-believers. I’ve come to love those women and cherish our time together.

It’s funny looking back. I didn’t plan to “leave the Christian sub-culture Ghetto” but these are some of the doors God has opened. I’m a writer and an introvert. But you know what? There are other writers and introverts that need to hear about Jesus. He called me to live out my life in the context of a larger world, not to be a different person. Who are you? What are the things you are good at and enjoy? Other people share those same interests and hobbies.

Be who you are. Just be who you are, with an open heart and soul, with compassion for this world and the hurting and loving and beautiful people that surround you.

That’s what Jesus did, after all.

He ate. He walked. He taught. He went to weddings. He went to funerals. In short, He entered into LIFE. And that’s what being missional is all about.