Why are we committed to church planting?

We believe there is nothing else so close to God’s heart, or with so much nation changing potential as the church.

Its our conviction that many more churches planted will enable God’s people to play a greater role in changing this nation through evangelism, care for the poor, social justice & cultural transformation.

In other words, as we see more & more people come to Christ & more & more leaders trained so it will give Gods’ people greater “reach” to have an effect on their culture, to be the “salt” & “light” that Jesus called us to be.

More churches planted in this nation will result in a new wave of men & women who will go to the ends of the earth & contribute to a new missions movement that will touch many nations.

There are a number of reasons why we are committed to planting churches:

  • God has always wanted a people. Ever since God’s call to Abraham, he has shown his desire to have a people that he can pour his blessing into so that the ends of the earth can receive his blessing (Gen 12:1-3).This is why evangelism without church planting is short of God’s best. It is our conviction that God not only wants to redeem the lost but build them into his family & then bless the nations as a result.
  • It is the most effective way to reach the lost. Jesus commanded the apostles to make disciples not just converts (Matt 28:18-20). Disciples are made through building individuals into churches where they can grow, contribute & reproduce themselves.
  • It is the fastest way to fulfil the Great Commission. New churches are more orientated towards evangelism than established churches & they see more people come to Christ as a result. This makes church planting the most effective way of fulfilling Jesus’ command to make disciples of every nation.
  • If the church is the hope of the world (which it is) then the best way of transforming local communities is by starting lots of churches. These churches provide the ideal base for new believers to not only grow but work in concerted action with others to be salt & light amongst the people they live with.
  • It is the best way of pioneering into new areas with the gospel.It is critical that pioneering evangelism is linked with church planting. Otherwise, converts will lack fellowship & teaching & be in grave danger of falling away.With a church established in a new area, converts not only have somewhere to grow but have somewhere to reach out from & draw others into.This new church, in turn, becomes a base from which believers can start to reach out to the next unreached area.
  • It is the only proportionate response to the massive need we face.If revival were to break out tomorrow, then there would not be enough space in the churches that currently exist for all those that want to attend. Therefore, new churches will be needed if we are to see the change in this country that we pray & long for.
  • It produces growing Christians: it is not unusual for Christians to stop growing in their existing church & to need the challenge of a fresh setting where their gifts will be really used & valued. As a result, church planting not only wins people to Christ but helps many current disciples to grow & be more effective as a result.