Planting a church isn’t rocket science

Contentment. That seems to be the church’s greatest sin. We’re content to sit in our usual seat during worship, content to celebrate the status quo when it comes to worship style, preaching style and a gradually declining church attendance. We’re content to coast.

For many of us, when we think of church growth, we think of the young couple expecting a child rather than a neighbour who needs a church invite. And when we think of The Great Commission, our first thoughts might go to a commission on sales, rather than the biblical command. In the context of a comfortable church, evangelism seems like an unnecessary challenge. But it doesn’t have to be.

I’m part of a Reformed/Presbyterian church plant that was created about eight years ago. We’ve been growing. In fact, there was a large contingent from a community about 50 kilometres away that regularly drove in for Sunday worship. We decided, as a church, to plant a church in that community, both for those who attended our church and as a community outreach.

Our process

We identified a qualified church planter who agreed to serve as an intern under our church’s leadership for a year. He was mentored and trained, then spent about six months in that new community to establish lasting relationships. Then the emerging group rented a church facility. Within a year, the group was able to buy the church building. Impressive fundraising within the church community raised enough money for a significant down payment.

Our church is looking at planting one or two other churches over the next two or three years. Meanwhile, we have hired three Redeemer University theology students as interns. They spend about 10 hours a week being mentored by our pastoral leadership team, with the aim of becoming church planters.

This didn’t involve an approved strategy, budget or strategic plan from a higher ecclesiastical body. It was a local church initiative, fully funded by church members. We raise up our own potential church planters by identifying young folks who have those gifts and that passion.

A mission mindset

My point is, most churches lack vision; they lack a desire to spread the gospel and to grow the church. Most tend to suffer from navel-gazing, quite content to coast along as church membership gradually diminishes.

Want a strategic plan? How about if every church commits to planting a new church every seven years? Church plants should be funded by their sponsoring church, and church planters should be identified, mentored and trained – raised up – within the congregation. That naturally involves a church leadership that is keen to invest in mentoring and training.

The result is a church with a mission mindset. The church would focus on evangelism and community outreach, developing appropriate programs such as Alpha, community dinners and weekly soup socials for the homeless.

The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity but its sending capacity.