The Top Ten

Before we talk about the missio dei, let’s first talk about lighthouses. Cape Elizabeth is home to a famous lighthouse called the Headlight. The Headlight is much like other working lighthouses in that it provides safe passage to sea fairing vessels by offering orientation and direction. Yet, to many, this purpose is forgotten based on the assumption that modern technology has replaced the central function of the lighthouse, which in some cases is true. This belief, I think, is reinforced by the atmosphere surrounding some lighthouses, which suggest that it is “retired.” The Headlight has this feel, although it is a working lighthouse. In fair weather, you can visit the Headlight to find the keepers quarters turned into a museum with artifacts and displays. You can also pick up gifts and other trinkets at a seasonal shop located on the Headlight premises, not to mention the recreational opportunities that the Headlight grounds provide. The point, if you have not gotten it yet, is that the central purpose of the Headlight has been clouded, and for some called into question, as culture has emerged around it, which for the Headlight is OK.

The church finds herself in a similar situation. It is very easy for the central purpose of the church to become clouded, diluted, and even lost, as culture and Christian sub-culture emerge around it. As a result, the church can become less of what Jesus intended and more a reflection of man’s selfishness and self-righteousness.

Enter the "missio dei"...

Missio Dei simply means “mission of God.” Missio Dei is what offers us as a church orientation and direction in an ever-changing culture by reminding us that God is going before us and preparing our way. It also reminds us that the central function of the church is no to be a social club where people “come and get”, but rather a community on mission who “go and give”, as embodied in Christ and the incarnation.

So, to keep things simple Missio Dei Church is not a place to get religion. Missio Dei is a place to experience the life and love of Christ as we love the world around us and the God above us.

A lot of people often ask this question with the underlying thought that there are enough churches already…so why another. Good question.

We did not start Missio Dei because we thought Portland needed another church. There are a lot of good churches in Portland. We started Missio Dei because we have a unique vision to create a church that is faithful first to Jesus and then to the culture that we live in. We are not based on the traditional paradigm of church. Not that those kinds of churches are wrong or even irrelevant. They reach the kind of people that resonate with them.

Missio Dei is attracting the kind of people who want more than traditional church forms and structures. It is for people who love our city and feel comfortable and at home in bars, art galleries, political meetings, social gatherings, and the like. We think that being a follower of Jesus is about going to our culture, living in it, all the while living different lives. We don’t run or point fingers or separate from the world that Jesus loves. We go, we give, we love.

No. We are not a part of a denomination. We feel like there is a lot of baggage with denominations, not to mention the kind of church we wanted to start would have had to wade through a lot of red tape to get started. This does not mean that we do not associate with other churches in Portland Maine who are Main-line or denominational. It just means that we felt like our mission would be better served by being independent.

Well, I am a little biased here, but yea, I think so. What I won’t do in this short post is to try and argue my position in an attempt to “win the argument”. At the end of the day, a person is either willing to take a risk and find himself in the narrative or he is not. And, there is nothing I can say to change that. Yet, what I will say is that I think people often make choices on these matters based solely on reason/logic and not experience, which I think is unfortunate.

What I once told a young woman who asked me this question is this, come to Missio Dei, hang out with the people, listen to the talks, and watch us live. If we are fake than don’t believe us or what we have to say. Yet, if you see something here that transcends logic, then maybe there is something to this book that we love…just maybe…

No. let me offer you a quote from the Evangelical Manifesto…

First, we repudiate two equal and opposite errors into which many Christians have fallen. One error is to privatize faith, applying it to the personal and spiritual realm only. Such dualism falsely divorces the spiritual from the secular and causes faith to lose its integrity.

The other error, made by both the religious left and the religious right, is to politicize faith, using faith to express essentially political points that have lost touch with biblical truth. That way faith loses its independence, Christians become the “useful idiots” for one political party or another, and the Christian faith becomes an ideology. Christian beliefs become the weapons of political factions.

Called to an allegiance higher than party, ideology, economic system, and nationality, we Evangelicals see it our duty to engage with politics, but our equal duty never to be completely equated with any party, partisan ideology, or nationality. The politicization of faith is never a sign of strength but of weakness.

http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/manifesto.php

I think it is important to note that the idea of “church” has taken on a life of its own with a certain set of expectations and stereotypes. I think it safe to say that we break most of these…

In the end, I guess all I can say is that if you are looking for a neat and tidy sheltered religious experience, MDC might not be the place for you. MDC is a group of individuals, couples, and families who are committed to following and/or investigating the real Jesus. We don’t do the religious game.

There it is, I said it.

It is funny to me that people still ask this question. Jesus was pretty clear that what matters most is the heart and what is on the inside, as opposed to fancy threads.

So, wear whatever makes you comfortable and is not a huge distraction to the people around you is fine with us.

No Barny suits please. It will scare the children and clash with out colors;)

Good question.

Let it be said that our goal is not to be different. In reality there are actually more things that unite us in practice then do seperate us.

Yet, the heart beat of Missio Dei as a church in Portland Maine, is to love this city. We are pretty comfortable mixing it up with about anyone, especially those who don't fit the religious mold. We don't believe that we will catch sin like catching a cold. We don't seperate from the world around us. After all, we are pretty broken ourselves.

In the end, we wanna be like Jesus. We wanna go to our world and love it.

Period.

No questions, no finger pointing, no pious judging.

We find our roots as a church in the rich simplicity of Christ and the Apostles. Since then, the church universal has wrestled and debated doctrinal issues to both the help and detriment to the mission of Christ. Here at Missio Dei, we appreciate the clearly and simplicity of the the following two early creeds: The Apostles Creed and The Nicene Creed as a guide to living out Christian faith in the present age.

Our approach to doctrinal issues is also non-complicated as there are certain things that we hold to tightly as a church, which form for us to core of our identity as followers of Christ. These doctrines are as follows:

The sacred and authoritative nature of scripture.

The Trinitarian nature of God, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The Beauty and Depravity of Mankind

The salvation of God offered in Jesus Christ

One catholic (universal) and Apostolic Church

The consummation of creation and Judgment of God

On the other hand, there are doctrines that we do not believe are worth fighting over, as the goal of the church is unity and not unanimity. These kinds of doctrines are as follows:

The "how" of creation and the age of the world

The existence of certain spiritual gifts

Escatology or the "end of the world"

Please refer to question one...