A simple question can sometimes explode hidden assumptions. So here is a question regarding the five concentric circles in the purpose driven model: Where is God on that chart?

Rick Warren’s five Circles of Commitment describe degrees of commitment to Christ and to the mission of Christ, all in relationship to the church. The outer ring is the Community of unchurched people; next is the Crowd of church attenders who have not yet become Christians. The Congregation is the next smaller ring, comprised of people who have confessed Christ and joined the church. The Committed are the members who have begun the journey of discipleship, and the Core are those members who are trained and ready to minister to others.

To ask where God is, on the chart of five circles, is to identify a common assumption among Christians: since non-Christians are out of contact with God, then the process of becoming a Christian and growing in faith brings the believer more and more into the sphere where God is most present and active.

On the other hand, the missional perspective emphasizes that God’s concern for the world is more comprehensive than the sphere of the church. When Christians join Christ’s mission, we often find God was at work before we were there. It is mistaken to assume that God is more profoundly present among “core” Christians at the center of the purpose driven chart.

But in what ways? First of all, when we joyfully declare, “Jesus is Lord,” we affirm that God is sovereign over all creation, even those aspects that are in rebellion from God’s rule. The Westminster Confession of Faith boldly states, “God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence.” In that sense we should expect that God is somehow present, though perhaps unacknowledged, to those who are in the outer circle of faith commitment.

Following this first assertion of God’s sovereign rule over all is the observation that God must begin to open the way for faith to develop before anyone can respond to Christ. Echoing Romans 8:30, the Westminster Confession describes God’s work of calling people to faith: “enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God.” When we find to our delight that some people seem to be prepared to respond to the gospel, we believe God has been at work, laying the groundwork for saving faith.

In sum, the missional movement provides an important corrective to the purpose driven model by widening the focus of interest beyond the church. Craig Van Gelder, in The Ministry of the Missional Church, highlights the difference. “When one starts by focusing on the purpose of the church, the church tends to become the primary location of God, which makes the church itself responsible to carry out activities in the world on behalf of God. A trinitarian understanding shifts the focus such that the Spirit-led, missional church participates in God’s mission in the world.” (p. 19)