Missional means that all Christians, not just the professionals, are sent.

We are sent by God where He has placed us:

In offices
In neighborhoods
In coffeeshops
In libraries
in grocery stores

Missional means that every visit to Starbucks is a "short term mission trip"

Missional means that we spend more time listening than talking.

We listen to to know and to understand. Listening is not a matter of evangelistic strategy. Listening is a means of honoring the Image of God borne by the other person.

We listen without an agenda, without a need to correct or respond.

Listening is giving other people the space to be a mess.

Listening is allowing the other person to experience grace.

We don't treat people like targets in a multilevel marketing campaign. People are not prospects.

People are interesting. So we make their activities our interests. This includes:

Sports leagues
Book clubs
Foodie gatherings
Civic organizations
Hobby groups

Basically, we indulge in geekery with people.

Everyone we know is going through an epic struggle

If we've been geeking out with people and listening to them, they'll start trusting us with their hopes and fears.

God has placed us in their lives to be His hands of blessing:

Sitting with them in the doctor's office, awaiting diagnosis.
Helping them look for hospice care for a dying parent.
Bringing them meals after the birth of a baby.
Weeping with them over their child's substance abuse.

The best job advice I ever received was "become indispensable - then you'll never worry about job security"

Sounds like a challenge to the church as well. If our church closed, would anybody miss us?

Mark Twain once said "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry."

That's about what it means to become indispensable.

We understand that God is at work in the lives of people all around us. He's up to things. He is stirring in their hearts.

They may not even understand what it is that's going on.

That's why God sent us. He sent us to listen, to spend time, to serve, to become indispensable.

And when people ask why we are the way we are, we're to give answer for the hope we have in Christ. But we're to do so with gentleness and respect.

Because that's Missional