One of the fundamental principles of being missional is contextualization. In short, contextualization simply means to take into consideration the context where one lives and serves.
With all the noteriety that missional practitioners serving in clearly post-Christian areas have gained, it seems some, desiring to follow the example of these leaders, all too readily foresake the principle of contextualization.
It is understandable to want to copy the methods and messages of Tim Keller or Mark Driscoll, among others. No doubt there is much to be learned from these guys. But the temptation to copy is really a trap that will lead most of us to ineffectiveness. Those guys serve in New York and Seattle, respectively. What is needed to serve in those contexts is vastly different than what may be needed in Nashville, Birmingham, or small towns like where I live – Bristol, TN/VA. Principles should be benchmarked and translated, not copied. All effective ministry is local.
In the above video Tim Keller offers some helpful thoughts about advancing the gospel in different social contexts.
GRACE & PEACE 
Would respectfully suggest you forget “conservatism,” please. It has, operationally, de facto, been Godless and thus irrelevant. Secular conservatism will not defeat secular liberalism because to God they are two atheistic peas-in-a-pod and thus predestined to failure. As Stonewall Jackson’s Chief of Staff R.L. Dabney said of such a humanistic belief more than 100 years ago:
”[Secular conservatism] is a party which never conserves anything. Its history has been that it demurs to each aggression of the progressive party, and aims to save its credit by a respectable amount of growling, but always acquiesces at last in the innovation. What was the resisted novelty of yesterday is today .one of the accepted principles of conservatism; it is now conservative only in affecting to resist the next innovation, which will tomorrow be forced upon its timidity and will be succeeded by some third revolution; to be denounced and then adopted in its turn. American conservatism is merely the shadow that follows Radicalism as it moves forward towards perdition. It remains behind it, but never retards it, and always advances near its leader. This pretended salt hath utterly lost its savor: wherewith shall it be salted? Its impotency is not hard, indeed, to explain. It .is worthless because it is the conservatism of expediency only, and not of sturdy principle. It intends to risk nothing serious for the sake of the truth.”
Our country is collapsing because we have turned our back on God (Psalm 9:17) and refused to kiss His Son (Psalm 2).
John Lofton, Editor, Archive.TheAmericanView.com
Recovering Republican
JLof@aol.com
Dennis I think your correct ! I would say we need both. That is we need to be missional minded and have effective out reach with the gospel at the same time.
We live in a place where some / many don’t understand the Gospel and are trenched in a legal type of religion based upon what is done, and those that are younger and don’t hold to any idea of who Jesus really is and what he really offers.
So yah, I think I agree we need to consider where we live and who & what the people are like, no question.
At the same time, and in order to put feet to our words we must put our resources in our immediate communities. Being missional starts at home in our community as does being evanglistic.
The goal being to offer people a picture of our redeemer and very help in which lives are transformed.
We as a church can not do that till we stop fussing about style, music, dress, worship litergy etc and focus instead on really showing God’s Love in our immediate community, inviting people to Worship, and putting others first, and demonistrating the Love of Jesus to others.
That means for me bringing all we do in focus and conformed to the Mission and Vision God has given us. If that means changing worship we do that, if that means changing music we do that. If that means a different worship style we do that too.
Not to change just to change, thats silly, but to change for the sake of transforing lives and our community. We do whatever it takes to bring people into an environment where the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of people.
Some whould say thats being too seeker friendly….so…If I can create an environment where people can come to a right relationship in Jesus in todays culture then so be it. I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen. Paul said something similar when he said I will be all things to all people if perhaps I may win some!
We have a mission and it’s not beating the air !