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What does it mean to be missional and Reformed? The Reformed emphasis on the power of God's Word and Spirit can give the missional church a more fully biblical theology, while a missional vision can remind Reformed believers that the Word is sent evangelistically into and for the world.

What does it mean to be missional and Lutheran? The Lutheran tradition's theology of the Cross can bring a much-needed Pauline emphasis to the missional church's theology of the kingdom, while a missional vision can remind Lutherans of the centrality of the kingdom reign of God.

What does it mean to be missional and Mennonite? The Mennonite tradition of "the way of Jesus" can sharpen the missional church's vision of itself, while a missional vision can keep Mennonites culturally engaged in God's mission to the world.

A vision for the missional church will push against parts of our historic traditions, just as these traditions will critique parts of the missional vision. If we want to hear God's Word in its fullness, we must recognize the need for both old and new traditions. The language of the missional church can be dangerous when it becomes just another excuse to dismiss the Spirit's work throughout the vast sweep of church history. Yet thinkers like D. H. Williams and James K. A. Smith, as well as the ancient-future movement (see "The Future Lies in the Past," CT, February 2008, p. 22), are helping evangelicals overcome such chronological snobbery. The Holy Spirit has united us not only to Jesus Christ but also to his body, which spans the globe and history.

Thus, we should not be surprised that God's new work in mission is also an old work. For we are not shaped primarily by the spirit of the 1950s, the 1990s, or 2008, but by the eternal Spirit, who has been shaping and sending witnesses to the gospel for thousands of years.

J. Todd Billings is assistant professor of Reformed theology at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

In "Stopping Cultural Drift," Simon Chan outlined a theology of the church for stopping evangelical cultural accommodation.

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March 2008, Vol. 52, No. 3