Read more: Why Plant Churches? by Tim Keller
The Great Commission is to plant churches.
Make disciples and <u>baptize</u> them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Traditional evangelism aims at getting a "decision" for Christ. Experience, however, shows us how crucial it is for an initial convert to be tied to a healthy on-going discipling community.
Paul's primary strategy was a church planting strategy.
Paul operated under two assumptions:
the way to most permanently influence a country was through its cities.
the way to most permanently influence a city was to plant churches in it.
"Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven." C Peter Wager.
Traditional evangelism aims at getting a "decision" for Christ. Experience, however, shows us that many of these decisions disappear and never result in changed lives.
New churches best reach new generations, new residents, and new people groups.
2015 Lifeway Research study found that 42% of church plant attendees were not previously part of a church. Contrasted that with established churches, where 90% of new member are membership transfers.
Planting churches renews the whole body of Christ
Congregations that give birth to new congregations grow nearly twice the rate as those churches that do not plant.
In 2014, 3,700 churches closed their doors - a number that is certainly on the rise.
When needs are big and the mission seems impossible, prayer becomes mandatory. Church planting aims at a work that no believer can accomplish on his own. It is only the Spirit of Christ who can awaken a soul to new life. Prayer is mandatory.
New churches bring new ideas to the whole Body of Christ, challenging the church to self-examination.