Before we talk about the missio dei, let’s first talk about lighthouses. Portland Maine 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 of 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 itself in a similar position. The central purpose of the church has been clouded, diluted, even lost, in similar form, as culture has emerged around it. As a result, honest men and women who desire biblical faithfulness and cultural relevance need to re-evaluate the central purpose of the church as it relates to life in North America.

As one observes the landscape of the Christian church, one can observe churches that stand as monuments to the past, museums with dying displays. They’re pretty. People take pictures. Some resemble carnivals with events and side shows to be taken in. These are fun and entertaining. Some mimic mini shopping malls, where the latest Christian gizmos are consumed with fervor. These are seductive and attractive and cause people to “shop around for the best deals.” Yet, the nagging question remains, what purpose does the church serve?

The modern church and the modern lighthouse suffer from the same complex: Identity Crisis! Neither understands themselves in the context of postmodern culture, therefore, in an attempt to perpetuate themselves, they do any number of things to offer the illusion of life, purpose, and relevance. In doing so, the central purpose is lost amongst the buffet of endless identities. Thus, the central purpose (read mission) no longer defines the church’s existence, but becomes a part of the larger whole, thus clouded and confused churches.

Missio Dei simply means “mission of God.” The Missio Dei is what offers the church orientation, direction, and purpose in an emerging culture that has deemed the church irrelevant and outdated. It is the central belief that God is a missionary God and that He has sent the church into the world to be an agent of His redemptive plan and purpose (John 17:21). With that in mind let me address several challenges we face in light of the Missio Dei.

First, the modern church is a product in many ways of the reformation, which took place in the sixteenth century, which for the most part is good. The reformers (Martin Luther, John Calvin, etc) fought for the purity of the church and in turn created a “place where” mentality. Over the years, churches associated with the reformed tradition became know as churches “where certain things happened” such as: the word preached, the sacraments administered, and discipline offered. This created a faulty view of the church as a “place where” Christian civilization gathered for worship and spiritual formation, as opposed to emphasizing its communal aspect, not to mention the community’s missional purpose. These thought patterns are seen in the church today as it becomes more institutional and emphasizes professional clergy. You hear people speak today of “going” to church as if it were Wal-Mart, or “attending” church as if it were a ball game or car show. Not to mention my personal favorite, we “belong to such and such church” as if it were the Elks Club with its variety of programs and activities.

Secondly, it is widely understood that the Reformers understood the mission of the church to be largely accomplished as the Gospel spread throughout the known world in their century. Yet, with the colonial expansion of Europe underway in the late Middle Ages, new questions began to surface challenging the once held notion that the mission endeavor of the church was complete. Seeing how it was the local magistrate’s duty to look after the spiritual well being of the people who lived under his authority, the Christianization of the barbarian took place, soon to be out done by the mission societies that sprung into existence. Although many of the mission societies were welcomed into the life and ministry of the church, the church still conceived of mission as something done at great distances, whether socially or physically. The great missions movements of the eighteenth centuries did little to inform the church as she still possessed a “place where” mentality, while defining mission as but a piece of the overall program of the church that took place at great distances. This is evidenced in modern churches with mission boards and mission budgets, assigning money to far away people in far away places, as opposed to seeing the whole budget as mission both near and far. Thus creating a dichotomy between what we do there (mission) and what we do here (teach, serve, sacraments).

In the past century, churches, denominational boards, and mission agencies have been challenged to rethink the mission of the church based on a renewed interest in the Missio Dei concept. The Missio Dei has challenged churches to reconsider their view of mission as a church centered activity to a God centered activity. This emphasis has defied the common notion that church is a “place where” certain things happen, to a belief that church is a community birthed and defined by God’s mission. Therefore, mission is not something that the church does to perpetuate itself; rather it is something that God is doing through the church in and to the world, which defines our central purpose as “goers with Gospel.”

The practical ramifications of the missio Dei for today’s church is that it “sends” the church back into culture as a redemptive force on mission with God. Therefore, we are to be intersecting the cultures of the world with an authentic Gospel witness. We are to be in, not of, meaning we are to be an incarnational expression of the love of God to the world, thus making disciples, the life on life way. This is the only acceptable answer for the church as she finds herself in the midst of an emerging culture, which challenges her relevance and central purpose. We are not a purveyor of religious goods and services, a chaplain to society, or an organization of “good will” with services and programs to be consumed. Rather, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit send us into the world as a redemptive force on His mission. The church is the church and disciples are disciples only as they embrace God’s mission for themselves as missional communities and peoples who actively engage the cultures of the world with the Gospel. This is the Missio Dei and in an effort to keep us centered on mission we have chosen the name Missio Dei Church.

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

This is why we started Missio Dei. Our vision was simply to tell an old story in a new way...A way that resonates with a new generation.

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 denominational. It just means that we felt like our mission would be better served by being independent.

We are associated with the Acts 29 Network of churches, which is a group of like minded planters who are passionate about Jesus, the culture, and the church.

This is a big question, but I will try and offer a concise answer.

Basically, we believe that the Bible is authoritative, holding power and authority over us, our ideas, preferences, and desires.

We believe that the Bible is authoritative because it is sourced in God and reveals His presence. So, our passion is to study the scriptures not to simply learn the bible, but to learn Him.

This leaves us in a position of humility and submission as opposed to a secular humanistic scientific approach where we sit over the text in an effort to study it, impose our preferences and expectations upon it, and come out little "g"ods.

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.

Maybe.

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 for individuals in search of "spiritual goods and services".

In the end, Missio Dei is not about providing religious goods and services. What we are about is finding redemtpion from sin and self in Christ. Period.

If you have a churched background we simply ask that you check your expectations at the door and allow the Spirit to be the Spirit in us together.

If you do not have church in your background, then you have a slight advantage, as your expectations for the trimming and trappings of church are significanly less.

In the end, just come. Jump in and swim in the waters of faith with us for a while. I am sure it will be clear in good time whether or not you are in the right stream.

Preferably clothes.

In the end, if you are sweating your digs, then you're most likely either overly Emo or ultra spiritual. Just wear what you feel most comfortable in besides your bare skin;)

Good question.

Let it be said that our goal is not to be different as a church. In reality there are actually more things that unite us in practice with other churches than does separate us.

Yet, the heartbeat of Missio Dei as a church in Portland Maine, is to love Jesus, Portland, and each other. 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 separate 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 of the mission of Christ. Here at Missio Dei, we appreciate the clarity 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 the 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 consumation 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...