Alan brought the heat and light in the Starfish Accelerator yesterday, pouring out his heart on Incarnational Mission.
Now, it's here for you—to challenge, inspire, and equip both you and those you disciple and serve.
Incarnation isn’t just a doctrine—it’s a way of life, a posture, and a pattern for mission. When Jesus took on flesh and dwelled among us (John 1:14), He revealed the very nature of God’s sentness. The Father sends the Son, the Son sends the Spirit, and the Spirit sends us. We are a sent people, and our mission must reflect the way of the One who sends us.
Much of Western church growth strategies have lacked deep theological grounding, often reducing the Great Commission to a call for conversion rather than a mandate to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). But when we look to Jesus as our model, we see that mission is not just about proclamation—it is about presence, proximity, powerlessness, passion, prevenience, and proclamation.
These Six P’s form the foundation of an incarnational approach to disciple-making and mission. They are not a strategy developed in a boardroom but a way of engaging the world that flows from the very life of Jesus. If this is the way of Jesus, then it must also be our way.
1. Presence: Becoming Part of the Fabric of a Community
Jesus lived among the people for 30 years before stepping into public ministry. The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood (John 1:14), unnoticed at first. This is profound. The Creator of the universe entered human history not with spectacle and force, but with quiet presence.
Many modern mission efforts rely on events, programs, and strategies that disrupt and impose. But Jesus models a different way—being present long before making pronouncements. He lived in Nazareth, and Nazareth got into Him. True incarnation means becoming part of the fabric of a people, embodying the gospel long before we proclaim it.
You can’t commute to mission. It happens where you live, in the relationships you cultivate daily.
2. Proximity: Immersing Ourselves in the Lives of Others
Jesus didn’t isolate Himself in a religious institution. He didn’t build a platform and wait for people to come to Him. He walked the streets, ate in people’s homes, and engaged at every level of society—Pharisees, tax collectors, prostitutes, and fishermen alike.
Proximity is about being deeply embedded in people’s lives. It’s about availability. Incarnational mission means not just showing up occasionally but being intentionally and relationally present—adopting a neighborhood, frequenting the same local spots, and building friendships that extend beyond convenience.
Mission isn’t just about outreach events. It’s about where you live, eat, work, and play.
3. Prevenience: Joining What God Is Already Doing
One of the most freeing truths of mission is this: God got there first.
Too often, we act as if we’re bringing God into a space, rather than realizing that He has already been at work long before we arrived. The theological concept of prevenience (well-known in the Wesleyan tradition) reminds us that God is continually wooing people to Himself, preparing hearts to receive the gospel. Jesus operated this way—He only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19).
Incarnational mission means entering a space with humility, eyes open to how God is already at work. Instead of assuming we have all the answers, we start by asking, “What is God doing here?” and then we join in.
4. Powerlessness: Rejecting Coercion and Embracing Servanthood
The way of Jesus is the way of the cross.
Though He had all power, He chose powerlessness—born in a manger, raised in obscurity, executed as a criminal. He did not come as a dominant force, imposing His will, but as a suffering servant (Philippians 2:5-8).
Modern Christianity, particularly in the West, has often aligned itself with political and cultural power. But the way of Jesus is not about coercion or dominance. It’s about serving, listening, and loving people into the Kingdom. Incarnational mission means refusing to play power games, choosing instead to come alongside people with humility, vulnerability, and sacrificial love.
5. Passion: Entering Into the Pain of Others
Jesus didn’t just teach about suffering—He felt it. He was moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36). He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). He entered into the suffering of humanity, carrying our burdens, touching the untouchable, and dignifying the outcast.
Incarnational mission isn’t about maintaining emotional distance. It’s about feeling with people.
What are the deep pains in your community? What wounds and longings shape the people around you? True incarnation means being so close to people that their pain becomes your pain. It’s not about fixing people; it’s about bearing witness to their stories, sharing in their suffering, and pointing to the hope of the gospel.
6. Proclamation: Declaring the Kingdom After Living It
Proclamation is essential. But it is the last of the Six P’s for a reason.
Too often, we lead with proclamation, assuming that words alone will change lives. But Jesus models a different approach. He lived among people, loved them, served them, and then proclaimed the Kingdom.
When we follow this pattern, proclamation is not just words—it is the natural outflow of a transformed life, deeply embedded in a community, living in the power of the Spirit. When people have experienced the presence, proximity, prevenience, powerlessness, and passion of Jesus in us, then our words about the Kingdom carry weight.
Proclamation is not a script. It’s not about forcing a message into conversations. It’s about declaring, in word and deed, that Jesus is King—at the right time, in the right way, in the context of real relationships.
Living the Six P’s in Your Context
The way of Jesus is the way of incarnation. It’s about stepping into people’s lives with humility, living among them with love, and joining what God is already doing. But it’s impossible to live incarnationally without clarity on your one primary mission context.
Take a moment to reflect:
Presence: How deeply are you planted in a particular place or among a particular people?
Proximity: How much are you engaged in daily relationships in that place?
Prevenience: How aware are you of what God is already doing?
Powerlessness: How much are you embracing the service of others?
Passion: How deeply do you feel and share in the burdens of others?
Proclamation: How naturally does the gospel flow from your life and relationships?
Ask the Spirit, “What are you saying to me about my people, my place, my context? What would you have me do next?” Consider writing an “I will…” statement. Who could you share that with?
If you don’t yet have clarity on your mission context, go to kcunderground.org/toolkit and explore the Relational Mapping tool (kcunderground.org/resources-content/relationship-mapping) and Mapping Your Neighborhood tool (kcunderground.org/resources-content/mapping-your-neighborhood). These tools will help you discern where God is sending you.
Where do you see these dynamics of the six P’s at work in your life? Let’s learn from each other in the comments below.
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