Missio What?

Missio Dei... not exactly a phrase that is familiar with people, but when going through the process of praying through names for this new church we wanted to choose a name that says something about who we are and what we are about. Missio Dei does just that.

Missio Dei Church desires to be a missional church. The missional church philosophy begins with the idea that it is God who is on mission for His own purposes and it is the church's mission to become enlisted in that purpose in the world. David Bosch writes, "The term mission presupposes a sender, a person or persons sent by the sender, those to who one is sent, and an assignment." (David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission, pg. 1) Verses from the Bible such as John 20:21 become the tool for the missional church. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Jesus Christ embodied that mission and sent us. The Holy Spirit empowers that mission, the church is the instrument of that mission, and the culture is the context of that mission.

So what is with the funky name?

"Missio Dei" means Mission of God in Latin. We desire to be all about being highly tuned into what God desires for the church.

We believe that we are called to train missionaries to GO into our culture, proclaim and demonstrate the gospel to their spheres of influence.

Therefore, Missio Dei Church doesn't shape their programs around consumeristic christian needs, but around ministries designed to proclaim the gospel to the non-believer. This is not done as a program but a lifestyle.