But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,are only a small village among all the people of Judah.Yet a ruler of Israel,whose origins are in the distant past,will come from you on my behalf.The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemiesuntil the woman in labor gives birth.Then at last his fellow countrymenwill return from exile to their own land.And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD’s strength,in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.Then his people will live there undisturbed,for he will be highly honored around the world.And he will be the source of peace. (Micah 5:2–5 NLT)
In a recent musing on his semi-regular blog, David Fitch reminisces about the early days of the missional church movement. In an effort to be forces for good in their communities, churches started focusing more and more on ways they could care for their neighbors through meeting tangible needs. Yet, per Fitch, rather than empower their congregations to be missional in their everyday lives, many of these churches instead tacked on “missional” events or programs to what they were already doing.
This misapplication of missional theology often manifests in two ways: events hosted at the church for people to come to – like free car maintenance workshops in the parking lot – or groups of people sent out into the neighborhood – such as joining in a Habit for Humanity home build.
The first type of event perpetuates church as a good to be consumed; people travel to the location, receive the service or good, then go home, largely unchanged by the experience.
The second type of “missional” event is closer to the mark but still misses. It is meeting people where they are, but it still treats them like a task to be checked off a list rather than individuals imprinted with the image of God.
As Fitch notes, God can work through these efforts, and through them there is good being done and people coming to faith, but there is a better way to announce the in-breaking of the Kingdom in our neighborhoods. Fitch writes, “God works to transform people’s lives when we join with God in people’s lives.”
One of the key aspects of missional theology is practicing an incarnational lifestyle. This means we need to stick around beyond the ministry hours allocated for serving others. We are not called to parachute into the middle of a neighborhood and leave once the assigned task is complete; if we want to truly follow in the footsteps of our Savior, we must become an active part of the community.
Eugene Peterson describes the incarnation this way: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14 MSG).
When Micah 5 describes the Messiah as leading his people home from their exile, the picture is of a leader standing in their midst, showing them the way. And the end result is “he will be the source of peace.”
While we cannot be the source of peace for our neighbors and neighborhoods, we can still be agents working on his behalf. But first we must model our lives after the one who “gave up his divine privileges” and “took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being” (Philippians 2:7 NLT).
What are some ways you can practice an incarnational lifestyle where you are? God has placed you in your neighborhood for a reason; how can you be an agent of peace by joining with God in people’s lives?