Missional communities are groups of people, generally about the size of an extended family, who are united around being a Christian witness to a particular neighborhood or network of relationships.
Core characteristics of missional communities include life-on-life discipleship, where members share money, resources, needs, hurts, and successes as a spiritual family. While not exclusively charismatic, they tend to have a Spirit-led and Spirit-filled orientation, prioritizing obedience to the Holy Spirit over pragmatic agendas so that mission emerges organically in daily routines. Members share a common missionary purpose, with schedules, resources, and decisions collectively shaped around reaching a particular geographic region or demographic. As they are lay organizations, there is often collaborative leadership, in which different members are responsible for various parts of a common agenda, and these roles may change frequently.
While the impulse to live missionally dates back to the earliest days of Christianity, rooted in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), formal missional communities emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries as Christians sought more incarnational models of mission. Among the first sending agencies, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (1701) was a predecessor to modern missions societies.
The apostolic era set the template for mission. The Twelve apostles, Paul, and others, carried the gospel from Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria, and other regions, as a start to reaching "the ends of the earth' (Acts 1:8), planting house churches that met in private homes. By the 2nd and 3rd centuries, these churches had spread through urban and rural areas across the Roman Empire, supported by formal structures, creeds, and scriptures to sustain growth under persecution.
Throughout the history of Christianity, mission strategies have evolved, from itinerant apostles to denominational mission boards, yet the fundamental missional DNA remains: small, relational communities living out the gospel in proximity to those yet unreached.
Missional communities typically organize in federated networks rather than hierarchical denominational systems. When supported by a denominational body, a missional community may be accountable to a local church, yet exercises significant autonomy in its contextual mission. Key elements include decentralized hubs consisting of multiple missional communities connected by a common vision, sharing resources, training, and care without rigid denominational control. Leaders and communities gather periodically for conferences, workshops, and mutual encouragement, forming missionary family networks across cities or regions. Communities tailored practices, such as worship, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and mercy missions, to the local culture, emphasizing incarnational engagement over standard program models. This approach encourages unity in the core values and flexibility in form, allowing communities to multiply and adapt to various contexts.
Although participants may be non-denominational or ascribe to one denomination or another, the theology of missional communities comes directly from God's sending mission (Missio Dei) and the church's calling to participate in it. Known as the "Great Commission," Jesus commands Christians to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20). The sending paradigm is found in John 20:21: "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.'" Missional communities embody the biblical pattern by living as "sent ones" in everyday contexts, proclaiming the gospel through both word and deed.
Missional communities maintain accountability relationally and structurally, avoiding the isolation of freelance ministry. Many of these communities are affirmed and sent by a local church leadership team, which prays for them and provides pastoral oversight. Missionary teams also report regularly to one another, sharing prayer requests, financial updates, and other reports. Additionally, communities set attainable and measurable milestones, such as evangelistic events hosted, new believers discipled, and service projects completed.
While denominational or church missions programs often operate as centralized agencies dispatching missionaries abroad or organizing parachurch events, missional communities represent an incarnational, decentralized alternative. In a sense, they may blur the lines between "church" and "mission," living out the gospel wherever they are, rather than treating mission as a separate programmatic endeavor.
Recommended Resources
Founded by Mike and Sandy Breen, Discipling Culture seeks to encourage the creation of communities that embody discipleship as Jesus demonstrated. Featured books and resources include "Building a Discipling Culture," by Mike Breen, along with a study guide for the book, and "Lifeshapes Teaching Series," an eight-part series, "Leading Missional Communities," "Multiplying Missional Leaders," "Missional Disciple-Making," and other books by Breen, which are available for purchase.
https://www.disciplingculture.com/
The network of diverse missional congregations operates in the Phoenix metropolitan area, each uniquely embodying the kingdom of God while sharing a unified mission: to declare and demonstrate the good news of Jesus and His kingdom wherever they live, work, and play. Their core beliefs are that God forms them, as they follow the Bible, the true story of the world, and that God's family exists not merely for personal transformation but to bless neighbors, cities, and the world.
https://missiodeicommunities.com/
This is an online platform dedicated to empowering every follower of Jesus in their mission, discipleship, and evangelism. It reframes traditional distinctions, challenging the idea that evangelism is only for the lost and discipleship is only for converts, by promoting an integrated "Kingdom" approach to faith and practice. In that quest, several informational articles are provided, including "Rethinking Discipleship & Evangelism," and "Centered-Set Missiology."
https://www.missionalchurchnetwork.com/
The digital platform presents a modern-day expression of the Early Church, seeking to equip individuals and small groups to live out the gospel together in mission, offering training, resources, and a network for connection and support. Its core mission is to unite believers around a shared mission to serve and witness in a specific context, to foster deep, familial bonds that mirror the early Christian community, provide ongoing resources, and to encourage registration of existing groups.
https://www.missional.community/
The online platform is designed for Christians who feel called to missions and want ongoing encouragement, accountability, and practical support. It brings together individuals, churches, and sending agencies in one space to share updates, prayer needs, and resources. Members can post stories, pictures, and updates about ongoing mission activities, as well as prayer requests, set goals, and track tasks, such as classes to take, books to read, of conferences to attend.
https://www.missional.life/
With three Bay Area (Fremont, Hayward, and Oakland, California) campuses and a vibrant online community, each of which offers weekend worship gatherings, children's and student programs, along with community life groups. Resonate aims to be a missional movement to bring the beauty of the gospel to our cities through the transformative love of Jesus, empowering disciples to plant new churches that will impact the Bay Area. Its vision, mission, and schedules are posted on the website.
http://resonatemovement.org
"We Are Soma" is a network of churches committed to equipping every disciple for everyday life. It embodies the idea that the Church is the living body ("soma" in Greek) of Christ, actively on mission across workplaces, schools, cafes, and communities for the glory of God. Soma School provides immersive training environments where church leaders and planters experience missional community in practice, with participants living in the homes of community leaders, engaging in real-life mission.
https://www.wearesoma.com/
Located in Tacoma, Washington, Soma Tacoma is a missionary community. The community (church) meets at 4 pm on Sundays in Resurrection Church's building, and a monthly family meal is held after the gathering on the first Sunday of the month. As a missional community, Soma Tacoma is a small group of disciples devoted to living out their identity as a family of servant missionaries, with a focus on being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what Jesus does.
https://www.somatacoma.org
Verge Network is a faith-based platform designed to equip followers of Jesus with practical, missional resources for discipleship and spiritual growth. It features daily devotionals, informational articles, and tools to inspire new and experienced believers to live out their faith in tangible ways. It includes in-depth articles on disciplemaking, missional leadership, and family discipleship, along with free resources, premium classes, and a disciplemaking blueprint course for leaders.
https://vergenetwork.org/
