The concept of the human sin and the propensity toward making errors in their judgment as the core characteristics of people can be considered one of the foundational ideas of Christianity. While the concept in question is perpetuated in both the Old and the New Testament, is treated differently in each. In contrast to the Old Testament, wherein the concept of the human error and the unavoidable probability of making a mistake are presented rather matter-of-factly, the New Testament suggests that the specified description of the human nature should inform the relationships within a Christian community. Thus, the foundational principle of the New Church aligns with the Missional Theology theory, offering an accurate description of its function.
Examining the ways of using the Missional Theory in encouraging compliance with the principles of the New Testament Church, one should focus closer on the values and ideas that the aid New Testament Church invites. For instance, the cornerstone concept of Christianity, namely, the opportunity for salvation, is interpreted in a much more hopeful manner in the New Testament Church. Specifically, implying hat unity and compliance with the traditional Christian values will lead to better outcomes and contribute to one’s salvation, the missional Theory encourages the acceptance of the Christian religion. As a result, one of the core functions of faith, namely, attracting new followers and promoting the development of a bond between them, is achieved. Moreover, the community-based nature of the New Testament Church can be considered as the direct extension of the Missional Theology principles. Since the Missional theology theoretical framework encourages collaboration, it can also be seen as one of the direct forces behind the enhancement of unity among its members.
The promotion of the New Testament principles and practices also becomes significantly easier with the introduction of the Missional Theology doctrine. It is noteworthy that the New Testament centers primarily the life of Christ in its narrative, which suggests that the ideas that Jesus Christ held as essential for Christianity and promoted actively should also be laced at the forefront of the New Testament Church. Specifically, one will need to consider traditional Christian values as the cornerstone of the New Testament Church. In turn, the adoption of the Missional Theory perspective into the spiritual framework of the church will allow one to maintain the ecclesiology of the New Testament without deviating into other areas. Namely, the Missional Theory encourages one to develop guidance to repentance as the foundation for salvation and the basis for the promotion of Cristian values within the community.
Consequently, the inclusion of missional structures into the New Testament Church needs to be acknowledged as the main step toward building a profound theoretical framework and a practical guide for leading a community in its spiritual development. The missional Theory involves parish members to accept the ideas promoted by Christ in the New Testament easier. Overall, the transformative function of missional structures and the Missional Theory is the main justification of the reason for integrating it into the church framework, in general, and the New Testament church environment, in particular. The leadership potential of the missional structure and the impetus for change that I provides are so vast that thy can be used to center the necessary value as the focus of people’s attention, thus reinforcing their effect and encouraging people to accept them wholeheartedly. In the wake of fast information and knowledge sharing, planting the seed of doubt into the minds and hearts of parish members becomes quite a tangible possibility, which is why reinforcing Christian values and unity among Christians is essential.
Arguably, the emphasis on the Missionary principles in the church setting may also lead to certain difficulties in advancing certain principles and ideas. For example, McGrath warns that the focus on the Missionary Theory will inevitably cause the church to adopt the trinitary position, which, in turn, will obscure the mission of establishing what McGrath referred to as “the universal lordship of the Christ” within a Christian community. Although acknowledging the importance of the ideas and principles that Jesus established in the New Testament is crucial for allowing people to accept the values such as unity, piety, and compassion, negative effects may ensue. For instance, the resounding effects of the ideas in question being implemented in the church setting may imply that the specified framework could displace the implementation of a mission, thus reducing the effectiveness of the traditional approach without offering a high-quality substitute.
However, the introduction of the Missionary strategy into the New Testament church will also help to place the trinitary position at the forefront, encouraging Christians to return to the traditional Christian values, while simultaneously embracing change. The inclusion of the specified principles will allow incorporating the notion of the Transformational Leadership into the Christian Church, thus breathing a new life into its values and ideas. By transforming the approaches for communication and management of people’s spiritual needs, one will be able to increase engagement without changing the essence of the core message significantly. As a result, the crucial postulates of the Christian leadership will remain in their place, whereas innovative approaches toward instilling the said values and ideas into the target community will be created. Moreover, the incorporation of the Transformational Leadership approach will help to ignite enthusiasm in parish members and motivate them to participate in the process of spreading the word about Christianity. Thus, the unity among Christians will be reinforced, whereas the ideas of the Christian faith will reach other demographics, allowing other people to consider and even accept Christianity as their source of spiritual growth.
Moreover, the integration of the Missional Theory principles into the New Testament church will help to build a healthier environment in it. The introduction of a homogenous set of Christian values and ideas, as well as the creation of a single goal, will erase the threat of conflicts developing within the target setting among members of the church. Moreover, the confrontations that cannot be avoided will be resolved peacefully and in the way that will keep all parties satisfied. Thus, the members of the church will have an opportunity to focus on the issues of major importance, such as the strategies for inspiring people to accept the authority and importance of the Scripture as the guiding set of ideas and the foundation for their philosophical beliefs. Armed with the principles of the Transformational Leadership, a pastor can become a powerful leader capable of changing people’s mindset and influencing the extent of their motivation, encouraging them to become more active churchgoers and community members.
The suggested changes will help to set a new model of managing change within a church. Namely, with the incorporation of the suggested framework of the Missional Theory and the creation of the New Testament church, one will address the problem of change that has been in existence in the Christian context for centuries. Retaining core values and philosophies while introducing innovative thinking is a rather difficult task, especially for the Christian faith, where traditional approaches may easily clash with innovative solutions. Therefore, as a leader of the New Testament church, one will need the Missional framework as the tool for uniting community members and reminding them of the shared values while performing change. In turn, the proposed framework will help to create urgency and reconcile traditional approaches with innovative ones, at the same time abandoning the strategies that have worn out their welcome.
By allowing one to reinterpret the traditional notion and perception of sin in the Old Testament as the cause of the fall of a human being into its more sympathetic reiteration of the New Testament, the Missional Theology encourages one to promote Christian values not only within the community but also globally. With the focus on spreading the principles of Christianity on the worldwide level, the Missional Theory creates perfect premises for furthering the agenda of the New Testament Church. Indeed, with the focus on salvation as one of its primary goals, the New Testament Church can be considered a much milder and more flexible one than the Old Testament Church with its unmovable and unchangeable principles. Thus, the Missional Theory can be used to promote the notions of Christian values and the principles of Christianity, including unity and collaboration, far beyond the community, thus increasing its reach.
Bibliography
Herrington, Jim, Mike Bonem, and James Harold Furr. Leading Congregational Change: A Practical Guide for the Transformational Journey. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2000.
Lewis, Phillip V. Transformational Leadership: A New Model for Total Church Involvement. Broadman & Holman, 1996.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.
Richardson, Ronald W. Creating a Healthier Church: Family Systems Theory, Leadership, and Congregational Life. Fortress Press, 1995.
Roxburgh, Alan, and Fred Romanuk. The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World. Volume 17. John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
Roxburgh, Alan. Missional Map-Making: Skills for Leading in Times of Transition. Volume 43. John Wiley & Sons, 2010.