A Vision for Missional Churches

Justin Burkholder has been TEAM’s International Director since 2024. Recently, he shared with us about TEAM’s renewed vision – a vision that is focused on partnering with and building up missional churches.

TEAM: Justin, how would you define a missional church?

Justin: I think we can talk about what a church is, that it is this kind of community of followers of Christ under healthy leadership, practicing baptism, Lord’s Supper, obeying what Christ did. What makes a church a missional church is the fact that from its earliest days, it is considering and engaging with God’s mission outside of its local assembly. There’s a heart for holistic ministry. There’s a heart for being a response to Christ’s prayer. What does it mean for the kingdom of God to come in this place as it is in heaven? And then they’re engaging in that.

How is that definition lived out here at TEAM?

Justin: I think we want to form bodies of believers in every context who are really engaging and discerning the needs that exist in their context and how the Spirit might be at work and then responding in obedience both to the need and what the Spirit has given them and what they’re doing.… So whether you find yourself in Amman, Jordan, whether you find yourself in Tokyo, whether you find yourself in Madrid or in Guatemala City, every one of those contexts is different, but there is a way in which the kingdom of Jesus might exist there as it is in heaven.

Will this renewed vision for missional churches change the way that TEAM works?

Justin: I hope that those who have been deeply embedded in churches and maybe have spent most of their time thinking about the assembly and gathering of believers will be able to be prophetic and apostolic and help us think about what happens outside of the gathering and maturing of believers. And I hope [that] the ministries that have been very church-focused, I hope it helps them to begin thinking about mobilizing the church outward.

Those that have been outside of the confines of a typical assembly or church, I hope it helps them think about how they can contribute to churches and actually connect in some ways their work to churches because ultimately, we want these churches to sustain that lasting Gospel kingdom witness wherever it is that we serve.

Is this a shift for TEAM?

Justin: I think this has been TEAM’s commitment over 130+ years. That TEAM has sought to obey Christ’s commission of going to the nations, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them, teaching them everything Christ commanded. TEAM has done this following the pattern of the apostles in making disciples and gathering them into bodies of believers…. We’re just attempting to refresh our language and speak about it in ways that take into consideration our current context.

So with a renewed vision, where do you see TEAM at our 150^th anniversary?

Justin: I think one of the very obvious things we want to see is more missional churches. If we’re talking just very concretely, we would love to see that number of churches increased by whatever measure…. We want to see more and more people who are engaged with churches and helping those churches involve themselves in the breadth of efforts that God’s mission demands of them.

How would you encourage our audience to participate in TEAM’s vision?

Justin: The first thing I would say is that when they give, they’re doing more than supporting a particular missionary or supporting TEAM’s operation. They are directly contributing to establishing lasting Gospel witness in places in the world that maybe haven’t had access to the Gospel….

I think the second thing that I would just invite everyone to do is, if we believe that the church is crucial and God’s primary agent and mission, then I think some of it is even evaluating our own engagement with the church. How are you strengthening and forming the missional posture of your own church? In what ways might your church be better or be stronger in responding to the needs that exist in your context?

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our audience?

Justin: I’m just fully convinced that the Church has changed the world. And I think this is the beauty of what we’re doing. We get to drop into contexts and help to develop the types of communities that will have an enduring transformational presence for years after we’re gone.

And so when you contribute, when you pray, this is not even about the work that’s being done today. This has a net effect over decades. And we’re seeing that in the places that we’ve served in the past, how God has sustained this work and churches continue to multiply, continue to do significant work around the world.

I really think the Church has changed the world. And when you’re giving or praying or joining TEAM, you’re joining God’s transformation process through His Church in all these different places.

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