Effective Missioning

What kind of people do we need to be in order to engage in effective ministry and mission?  What are the gifts or attributes that will really contribute in a good way?  I have been reading on through Michael Moynagh’s “Church for Every Context”.

Drawing on some ideas from Martin Robinson, Moynagh suggests a list of five useful characteristics that we might look for when we are trying to discover good missioners and ministers – and remember that we are all called to mission and ministry.

It will be good to find people who are:

Faithful – people who stick to it, and who are passionate about what they are doing;

Available – it requires people who are going to find the time and space to do what’s needed;

Conscientious – it’s hard work and it is going to demand commitment;

Teachable – there is always new stuff to learn, and those who think they know it all are not going to be effective;

Servant-hearted – if we are looking to people who are not willing to serve, forget it.

With these characteristics setting us on the right road, we then need to look to the needs of the locality.  As Moynagh puts it: “A key aspect of the mission call is a willingness to put aside preconceptions and listen to God through the context.”