Mention the word “missionary” and some people picture someone who travels far away to share the Christian message.

But an international movement called Forge teaches that every believer should be a missionary right where they are. The group will bring its Forge America Summit to Colorado Springs on April 28-30 to encourage and inform like-minded “missional practitioners.”

Here’s how it defines these terms:

• Missional: To be sent to carry on a service or activity.

• Practitioner: One who carries out a skill.

“Forge exists to help mobilise and equip the people of God to participate in the mission of God,” says the Forge Global website.

Rowland Smith is a pastor at the Church at Pulpit Rock and national director of Forge America, a U.S. branch of the movement that started in Australia in 1996. He also teaches at Denver and Fuller seminaries.

“Missional practitioners are people who don’t see mission as something overseas, but something they do all the time,” said Smith.

“People are tired of hearing about the love of God,” he said. “They want to see it.”

Outward or inward focus?

The term missional practitioner sounds complicated, but Smith says it starts with a heart for others. He promotes this spirit in his work at the Pulpit Rock church, where his job title is “missional culture pastor.”

“At Pulpit Rock, we want every person in our community to see themselves as a missionary, living out the kingdom of God in the places they live, work and play,” he says.

Examples of Pulpit Rock’s missional practices include a ministry called Love Your Neighbor that constructs and donates bunkbeds for children in the foster care system.

The ministry began in the garage of one member who possessed a concern for foster kids and woodworking skills. Today, 160 people from the church volunteer to make beds in a fully equipped woodshop that’s housed inside the church.

Every bed includes slats inscribed with the words:

You are seen

You are known

You are loved

The ministry has served more than 3,500 kids with beds worth an estimated $1 million.

Another example: One Pulpit Rock couple decided to reach out to their neighbors by feeding them pancakes from their front porch on Saturday mornings. Dozens of people now participate in the gathering, which has its own Facebook group.

Missional thinking has inspired the leadership of the Church at Pulpit Rock to devote more of its budget to outreach to those outside the church, while decreasing spending on programs for those who are part of the congregation.

Smith says the typical church spends 10% of its budget on outreach and mission to others. Pulpit Rock now spends 30% of its budget on outreach and plans to increase that amount year by year.

“I will celebrate when we reach 51%” of spending on mission, Smith said.

Smith loves seeing people attend church, but he says vital churches need more than “butts in seats.” They need church people to get off their butts and go out into the community.

Summit topics

The Forge America Summit will be held at Sanctuary Church, a west-side congregation known for its outreach to the local community.

One of the speakers will be Stu Davis, executive director of COSILoveYou, which will organize its annual Springs Cityserve weekend on May 2 and 3. Last year’s Cityserve weekend saw 3,831 volunteers from 72 church partners donate 11,264 volunteer hours to 219 projects around the city.

Mayor Yemi Mobolade, a co-founder of COSILoveYou, will also speak at the summit.

A recurring theme will be collaborating in mission, rather than going it alone or competing with others, something Smith says the Springs is well positioned to do more of.

Keynote speaker is Lisa Rodriguez Watson, associate pastor of Christ City Church in Washington, D.C., and a former international missionary, church planter, collegiate minister, seminary professor and community development practitioner.

Additional talks will cover America’s growing ethnic diversity, ministry to the ethnically marginalized, and a session on what people think they know about homelessness delivered by two presenters who were previously homeless and addicted.

Click here to buy Summit tickets

For more on Forge America and the summit, go to forgeamerica.com.