When we want to impress others with how knowledgeable we are on a particular subject, buzzwords and phrases sometimes come in handy. Every field has them—fashionable terms that can morph into annoying jargon. Jargon includes those words and phrases that grow tired from overuse while remaining notoriously difficult for outsiders to understand. Educators may speak of instructional scaffolding, flipped classrooms, and self-blended learning. Business people talk about deliverables, synergistic game changers, and moving the needle.
Christian professionals have their own share of irritating words and phrases that creep into church lingo. Jargon doesn’t exactly build bridges of welcome to spiritual newcomers. And even when used with sincerity, such words rarely nourish the soul. Here’s my latest list of words and phrases that need to take a serious vacation from the Christian lexicon.
The word missional took off in popularity two decades ago and fast became a favorite among many church leaders. It soon came to mean anything people wanted it to mean. I’ve seen churches so thoroughly missional that their donuts taste missional, their signage reads missional, and their floor wax smells missional. God’s mission in remaking the world is a lovely idea. But adding a couple of extra letters to make a straightforward reality sound sophisticated doesn’t work. Missional is fuzzy jargon, pure and simple.
