Yesterday, I had the opportunity to connect with some of the denominational leadership of the Assemblies of God. Unlike many denominations, the Assemblies of God are still seeing growth. One of the primary reasons for that is their commitment to planting churches. Check out these stats:
- Through mid-June, the denomination had already planted 113 churches in 2010.
- By the end of the year, they’re projecting that they’ll plant 300 new churches.
- Their goal is to ultimately plant 500 new churches a year…just so they can keep up with population growth.
When I hear stories like this, it makes me excited that Mac Lake is pulling together a team and a strategy to plant churches throughout the country through The Launch Network. We need more healthy churches.
At the same time, I get kind of frustrated thinking about how most denominations use their resources. Typically denominations take money from the most vibrant churches to subsidize the dead and dying churches. I wonder what would happen if denominations shared the same commitment that the Assemblies of God has to planting new churches.
Of course, that’s tough to do when your institution is structured to preserve the past.
