Incarnational ministry or Attractional ministry.

I have been thinking about the call on the church in this day. (thanks Teri) How a church should ministry to those around it. This line of thinking is often called a philosophy of church ministry.

I have found two ways churchs goes about reaching the world: Incarnational or Attritional ministry.

Attractional ministry
The most popular in modern evangelicalism is the attractional ministry model. Growing up in the church I have seen much of this model. Here is the basic rundown as I see it.

• The foundational principle is gospelized, baptized, pragmatism.
• The aim of church ministry is to attract people. So the Church’s get cultural face lifts every few years to remain current.
• Ministry values consist of growing wide before growing deep this meeting the needs of the people is highly valued. Thus regrettably catering to our cultures sense of entitlement.
• The ministry methods function much like commercialism. The will use mass media marketing ploys and trendy advertising to draw people to the services in the hopes that they might get saved while they drink there non-fat mocha latté. In this way, they seek to make the church name like a brand name, and if they’re successful the pastor may get a book deal out of it.
• Ministry structure is segregated. The segregated groups are often based on age and sex to better meet their need. But cut off the life and generational impartation that happens when we all do life together. Such structure is like ministry Prozac; it cuts the highs and lows out of life together.

The over al theme of this model is its man-centered mode of operation.

The other can be called incarnational ministry

• The foundational principle is theological. The incarnation of Christ as the model for ministry understood to operate in the power and passion of the Holy Spirit.
• The aim of church ministry is to go to people. The gospel is a Go forth Gospel. God is understood to be pushing people out towards the masses.
• Ministry values are spiritual depth over Congregation size. The church is not structured to meet people’s needs people are equipped to meet people where they are.
• The ministry methods rise from worship and fellowship. Small groups, bible studies, and training courses and pastoral counseling and life-couching are aimed at growth Christians for the mission of Going out to the world. Such methods place service over publicity, character over style and honesty over pretension. The individual Christian is to serve other, use their spiritual gifts and deepen relationships as part of being a part of the church. The preaching and teaching of the church is to seek those ends.
• Ministry structure is life together but segregated. The structure of the church is to equip people to do the work of the ministry. Character is developed in community so Worship, Education and life in community are especial structural elements of a churches ministry to make us missional.

As you can see I favor the later only because I love the church and desire to see the church fulfill its mission. Incarnational ministry means being the body of Christ. It is people of God knowing who they are in christ and living as vesicles of God turned to the world. We are to all to incarnate Jesus in T-shirt and jeans, being real before looking cool. Attritional ministry would tell you be cool, look trendy, image is everything, and then you can minister, incarnational encourages you to be yourself but with the hope of glory on the inside. This clip is helpful to show what I am getting at.

As Keven Deyoung reminds us to be real before being trendy,

“…so much that passes for spirituality these days is nothing more than middle class, 20something coffee culture. If you like jazz, soul patches, earth tone furniture, and lattes, that’s cool. But this culture is no holier than the McNugget, Hi-C, Value City, football culture that most people live in... Jesus came to save Grimace and Hamburglar too.”

Chruch minisrty is simple. We make it complicated. So Go get out of yourself, and get out of your life and get into what God is doing. Go be incarnational, be missionally and by all means Just Be You!