A Celebration Worth Having

By Daniel Vestal
June 6, 2011

Congregational leaders often ask, “Can a church be ‘attractional’ and ‘missional’ at the same time?” The next question tends to be “Is such a question even appropriate given the gravity of human need all around us?”

My answer to both questions is ‘yes,’ and I would suggest a reasoning that is rooted in the example and ministry of Jesus. Two words illustrate the point: “come” and “go.”

Jesus was always issuing invitations for people to “come.” He said, “Come to me all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” He called disciples to come after him, to be with him, to learn from him, to believe in him. Jesus was an attractional figure, especially to the broken and bruised. But Jesus was also a missional figure commanding people to “go.” He often told those who had been healed to go and tell what the Lord had done for them. He told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more. And after the resurrection he told the disciples to go preach the good news. Jesus was a sent person, and he was always sending those around him.

Those of us who follow Christ and are part of his Church should exhibit both of these qualities. Our local congregations should be so warm and winsome, loving and caring that people are drawn to them and to the One we follow. Our worship and fellowship should be so authentic that people are nourished and even transformed by the Spirit’s presence among us. Yet at the same time, we should be so consumed with God’s redemptive purposes in the world that we are selfless and sensitive to the human condition. We are always looking for ways to witness and work, to serve and sacrifice for the sake of others.

In considering the 20-year history of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, these same two qualities come to mind. From our beginning we have known a freedom and freshness that has been attractive to people. We have been a place where God is worshipped, Scripture is honored and people are valued. From our earliest gatherings and in our founding documents we have celebrated the Lordship of Christ, the priesthood of each believer, the freedom of conscience. We have been a fellowship where women are affirmed and encouraged to follow their call and where mission includes biblical ministries of mercy and justice as well as faith sharing and church planting. These values have been, and continue to be, appealing both to old and young. Through the years CBF has been an inviting and supportive community for a growing number of Baptists. This is worth celebrating.

We have also become a missional community with a passion for the mission of God in the world, a mission to reconcile and redeem all things through Jesus Christ. Increasingly we see ourselves as a sent people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to embody Christ and proclaim Christ. We resource and network congregations for their missional formation and engagement.  We send and support missionaries. We endorse chaplains and pastoral counselors. We respond to natural disasters and advocate for the poor. We participate in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. Even our gatherings and institutional partnerships are to encourage and empower us for the global mission of Christ’s church. This is worth celebrating.

So I will go to Tampa in a few days to see old friends and make new ones, to connect and network with folk who share some common understandings of the gospel, to receive inspiration and also to be challenged. But this year, especially, I will go to Tampa to celebrate a community that is both attractional and missional. I realize we have real challenges and many questions before us, and that with the 2012 Task Force working we will need to make some hard decisions about our future. But this Assembly is a party to enjoy. It’s a moment for us to claim who we are and to rejoice in God’s goodness and presence among us. It’s a celebration worth having.

Daniel Vestal is executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, serving since 1996.