Establishing a missional culture: welcome and hospitality

About a year ago a friend was talking about a verse from the Psalms that God had been speaking to them about.  The "God speaking" was a contagious condition.  I'd never noticed them before, but but now can't seem to shake these words:


"God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."  Psalm 68:6.


It's that first phrase that keeps chasing me: God sets the lonely in families.  For me, that gets close to what establishing a missional culture is all about out.  We are working on our lives, communities and churches so that they become a place where the lonely find a place to belong in His family.


Over the summer I've been reading Ian Adams' excellent book; Cave, Refectory, Road. Adams explores the ancient rhythms and practices of Christian monastics and makes some great suggestions about how those principles might help communities and individuals today.  One of those practices, is hospitality.  From their foundations in the ancient world up until the present day,  Monasteries have always been supposed to be place where the stranger, the poor and the lonely are welcomed.

In our own way, my family and I are experiencing a little of the loneliness of the road right now, and also the beauty of welcome and hospitality.  We've recently left Sheffield to live and work in Deal, Kent.  Before I go on, please don't feel too sorry for us, the area is lovely and we're very happy here.  Even so, our lives were recently full of old friends and familiarity and suddenly feel a lot emptier as we start to build relationships all over again.  What has really helped us is the welcome we've received.  Strangers have come round to help us unpack, boxes of food and goodies waited for us when we arrived, friendly smiles and words have been given the end of church.  We are being pulled into a new family.

All of these different things are pushing me towards one realisation: hospitality and welcome are fundamental to a missional culture.  God sets the lonely in families and he wants to do it in our communities.

But good hospitality takes sacrifice.  Lonely people, new people, are often difficult and require effort.  They don't know how the community works, they may not be on board with the vision, they don't get the in jokes.  They may be lonely because they're weird or awkward.  They may be awkward because they're lonely.  They will at times be hard work.

The effort is worth it.  If you can establish a culture of welcome and of hospitality then you're already a long way to getting a missional culture.  The difficult, but new, awkward people are essential to your life and your group; find them and welcome them.