Obviously, I’m passionate about church planting. On the blog of the Acts 29 Network is a great article that echoes my heart about the matter. It’s an adaptation of a writing by Tim Keller, and it really reflects the reason why we’re planning on planting out of Grace Hills as soon as possible.
The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1) the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and 2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else-not crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes-will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting. This is an eyebrow raising statement. But to those who have done any study at all, it is not even controversial…
It is a great mistake to think that we have to choose between church planting and church renewal. Strange as it may seem, the planting of new churches in a city is one of the very best ways to revitalize many older churches in the vicinity and renew the whole Body of Christ….
New church planting is the only way that we can be sure we are going to increase the number of believers in a city and one of the best ways to renew the whole Body of Christ. The evidence for this statement is strong-Biblically, sociologically, and historically. In the end, a lack of kingdom-mindedness may simply blind us to all this evidence. We must beware of that.
Read the rest at Acts 29.
