Infinity Alliance is a surging church planting community who “exists to engage in God’s redemptive mission by reaching every man, woman, and child in America with the gospel through starting and partnering with missional churches.” They have really solid material for church leaders on how to be a church that embraces this vision of reaching their communities with the gospel.

I love their definition of a missional church. They believe a missional church embraces these seven practices:

(1) Target driven – “Churches that capture the nature of the Church as described and documented in the New Testament, start their thinking not with the church, but with the place into which God has placed them. Their key question is: what does God want for these people?”

(2) Empowered by interdependent leadership – A church that is led by a team of elders/pastors who work together to fulfill the mission and vision of the church.

(3) Driven by measurable and incarnated values – Are we clear on the life we are calling people to? Are people growing in Christlikeness and a passion for God’s mission?

(4) Laterally postured – “God moves my multiplying new churches, not just growing existing ones.”

(5) People-empowerment intensive – A church that ministers through people not simply to people. Do people come to church to learn fun insights on the Bible or to see a good show? Or do they come so they can be empowered to go and embody the life changing reality of Jesus Christ?

(6) Antioch-related to other churches – A church that focuses on what unites them with other churches and seeks to work together to reach a community.

(7) Meaningfully telescoped somewhere else in the world – Do we have a global focus other than simply shipping people off for short term projects? Are we strategically raising up church planters around the world?