Within the church the Kingdom of God is manifested by living out the reality of Jesus' statement, "By this shall all people know you are my disciples, by your love for one another." This is the manner by which the missional church establishes a credible witness to the world.

Outside the walls of the church, God's mission is manifested by the church recognizing and ministering to those situations that are not yet under the reign of God: people's spiritual and practical needs as well as to the "principalities and powers" in the community affecting people's lives in an adverse manner.

God is the source, life, director, and the power of God's mission through the Holy Spirit. As Henry Blackaby says in his study, Experiencing God (p.28), "You never find God asking persons to dream up what they want to do for God"  (www.blackabyministries.org). Instead, we join God in what God is already doing in the ways God calls us to be involved. There are always more needs and situations than an individual church can address, so we seek God's leadership. Even with God's specific leading, the ministry to which we are called is larger than our spiritual or physical resources, necessitating our complete dependence upon God.

In his book, Shaped by God's Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches, Milfred Minatrea (www.missional.org) speaks of the imago dei, the missio dei, and the gloria dei. "The Bible reveals that people are created for relationship with God for specific purposes. Foundationally, individuals are created to reflect the image of God, or imago dei." "The New Testament "Body" metaphor evidences God's purpose that the Church reflect [God's] image, as God's Body being present in the world." "The Body of Christ will seek to accomplish [God's] purpose. Those who bear [God's] image are sent to serve [God's] mission, missio dei." "Ultimately, the church exists for the glory of God, gloria dei." "The church is a Body, made in God's image, sent on God's mission, to be God's glory!"