Very good, short definition of missional disciples and communities on the Desiring God blog, here. Quite similar to some of the stuff I have been writing about recently, but very well expressed and worth a look.
The question that springs instantly to mind is, aren't all churches missional communities? Isn't the phrase "missional community" an exact synonym for "local church"? And the answer is: no, they should be, but often they aren't. There are plenty of "churches" that define themselves according to non-biblical activities, principles and definitions. And to the degree that they aren't, they aren't being truly biblical.
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Missional communities are gathered around missional goals - beign good news and speaking good news to a place, network or people group.Missional communities don't let members define their participation in church according to to their relationships with other Christians, but according to their relationship to the misisonal priority. It is a group for whom mission is their very identity - perhaps more akin to a foreign missions model of sending people to embody the gospel in a particular areas than it is to much that passes for gathered church. Missional communities have clear, strong purposes for disciple-making.
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