The New Testament gives a picture of the early church in which new church planting is one of the major ministry strategies. And there are several important reasons new church planting needs to be a priority ministry strategy today. Below, we explore a few of the reasons why we need more new churches.

The New Testament Example

The concept of church multiplication was the underlying strategy for ministry in the first century, and it is equally crucial for effectiveness in the twenty-first century. Throughout the book of Acts we see that church planting was not a rare occurrence. Rather, church planting was woven into the foundational fabric of first-century church ministry. It happened constantly. Paul never evangelized or ministered without also planting churches.

For decades expositors have looked to Acts to find the basic elements of ministry. They have typically made lists such as this: Bible teaching, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, worship. Yet right there along with everything else is church planting, although it has often been overlooked. This oversight has created an underlying, unconscious thought that church planting is no longer necessary. However, church planting should be part of this list of basic ministry elements and must be natural and constant, not rare or episodic.

From Acts 14:21-28 we see two phases to Paul’s ministry: Christian formation and church formation. In a concise example of how Paul produced Christian formation, Acts 14 highlights the principles of evangelism and instruction.

Evangelism

The word used for “preach” (“They preached the good news,” Acts 14:21) connotes a much more comprehensive word than simply speaking; the word evangelizdomenoi carries multilevel action. There’s a great deal more to evangelism than simply preaching sermons. The book of Acts shows Paul spreading the gospel through preaching in synagogue services, sharing in small group Bible studies, speaking out in marketplaces, leading discussions in rented halls, and talking to people one on one.

Instruction

We see that Paul went back to converts to “strengthen and encourage” (Acts 14:22). These two verbs used together in Acts chapters 9, 15, 18 are what John Stott calls an “almost technical term” for building up new believers.¹ Paul preached the gospel, and then he re-taught them “the faith” (Acts 14:22, referring to a definitive body of beliefs and theology).

Here we see church formation consisting of two parts, which include, according to David Hesselgrave, the congregating of believers and the consecrating of leaders.² All through Acts chapter 14 through 16 we see new believers assembling regularly and joining a community, not simply going about their lives as before. In addition, the leaders were consecrated. In each place of ministry, Paul chose elders, leaders out of the converts, who became the ones to teach and shepherd the people in the faith. Though we have to allow flexibility for different cultures, the unavoidable principle is that Paul did not keep new believers and nascent congregations under his direct authority or dependent upon him. Rather, he organized them into churches in their own right, each with its own leadership and structure. When he began meeting with them, they were “disciples” (Acts 14:22), but when he left them, they were “churches” (Acts 14:23).

Why Do We Need New Churches Now?

A common objection to the premise of church planting today lies in thinking that this New Testament example does not apply for churches of North America and Europe where so many churches already exist. Some question the need to start new churches when so many existing churches need to be renewed and revitalized. Consider the following, however.

The Best Way to Reach Newcomers

New churches are by far the best way to reach new generations, new residents, and new people groups. Studies show that newer churches attract new groups six to ten times better than older churches do. When a church is new, younger and newer people can assimilate more readily into leadership positions. When a church is new and without underlying tradition, it can afford to experiment. When a church is new, its main goal each week is not to satisfy the desires of the long-time members but to reach new people. As a result, new churches are much better at reaching new people in a city.

Also, more than ever, cities are filled with new immigrants and new residents. Globalization has brought new, mobile populations streaming into cities; without the planting of new churches, these new city dwellers will be unreached and unreachable. Moreover, the pluralistic nature of today’s cities means that generations and groupings differ vastly from one another, making the traditional Anglican parish model obsolete for mission. And lastly, the death of Christendom means we now have something Acts did not have—a lot of dead churches. Which gives us one more reason than Paul had to plant new churches!

The Best Way to Renew Old Churches

New churches are perhaps the best way to renew older churches and enhance all ministries. By showcasing new ministry forms and ideas that would never have been adopted in older churches, new churches help the entire body of Christ. In addition, new churches provide new converts in the city that find their way to older churches. New churches can also serve to support new ministries that have citywide benefits.

Church planting helps an existing church the best when the new congregation is voluntarily birthed by a more established “mother” congregation. The daughter church affords the mother church contact with new groups of people and pioneers new programs that the mother church may have been too traditional to try. Though there is some pain in seeing good friends and some leaders go away to form a new church, the mother church usually experiences an influx of enthusiastic leaders and members. Together the two churches usually see a major increase in numbers, joy, and confidence.

It is also important to note that church planting is the only church ministry that becomes self-supporting, expanding the base for all other ministries. A city needs many ministries—youth work, schools, missions, and so on. Once they are begun, these ministries require outside funding for an indefinite period of time. A new church, however, only requires funding at its inception. Within a few years it becomes the source of Christian giving to other ministries, not the object of it. Because it brings in large numbers of unchurched people, church planting is by far the fastest way to grow the number of new givers to the kingdom work in a city.

Application

Question for Reflection

The model of church planting described above requires a radical generosity—to give away assets, to send out leaders, and to share control. Examine your own heart and the spirit of your church. Do you see that kind of desire to advance the kingdom?

Practical Application

We are working with our church-planting center, Redeemer City to City, to try to raise enough money by August 10 to seed fund 10 new gospel-centered churches in New York City.

Would you support our work with a gift of $10 or more?