When I think about a missional ecclesiology (study of the church), I am reminded of one of the most influential theologians of the last century, Karl Barth.  He reintroduced the classic doctrine of missio Dei which is Latin for "Missioin of God."  This is the idea we find in scripture where you ave God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit, and the Father, Son and Spirit sending the church into the world.

In other words, mission is not primarily an activity in the church.  It is derived from the very nature of God.  Jürgen Moltmann puts it this way: “It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world: it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church.”  A missional ecclesiology is rooted in God's love, focused on Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  In other words, the mission is God's.  We are involved in mission because we have received God's grace and have been invited by God to share the same love for the world that God demonstrated in sending Jesus.

If you want to learn more about a missional ecclesiology, go and visit the most visited blog post on my side, entitled "A Primer on Today's Missional Church."  You will find many rich missional resources. In addition, my recent book Creating a Missional Culture: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World (IVP 2012) is an important read.