Many churches say they are missional because they have a mission committee and/or program. Usually a mission program in a church consists of sending individuals on a mission trip, supporting missionaries both local and international, or providing items like school supplies, medicine, etc to a mission. There is nothing wrong with any of this, however, it does not make a church "missional". Missional is not a program---it is a mindset. Missional is not about just a few it is about everyone. To be a missional church would mean that whole body would think of themselves as being in mission---at work, at play, at home, at the store---wherever they find themselves. I think of a missional church as being sort of like Wiki. Wiki is a collaborative website which can be directly edited by anyone. A missional church is one in which everyone would think of themselves as being sent into the world to "edit" it. With the end result being God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

In my opinion a missional church is a church that empowers its congregants to be "missionaries" to the community in which the church is based. A church with a strong missions program may transition into a missional model more easily because it would be evident that they are used to thinking beyond themselves, however, it could also be pre-established in the mindset of the congregation that "we are reaching 'them'" which would be devestating to a missional model, where the idea is building a spiritual community for a regional community and empowering others to do the same.