Why should small, unhealthy churches attempt to plant other churches?
Jun 16th, 2009 | By art rogers | Category: Church, General Christian, MissionalBecause if you wait to be healthy enough to start a new church, you will never be healthy enough.
You become a healthier church by doing what healthy churches do.
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I struggled with this exact question my first year or so of pastoring. I had a church with what I thought were such glaring problems that I actually refrained from inviting people I met to church. I specifically remember this one guy who was seeking a church and I pointed him to a neighboring church. He asked “What about your church?” He was very confused.
I struggled with how much outreach, ministry and evangelism we could do. I poured myself into a focus on God’s Word trying to grow my folks to the point where they were motivated with a right understanding of ministry. I felt the Lord told me that that was all they had ever been doing. Learning…head knowledge…with no application. Did Jesus ask the disciples to just walk around talk for a few years or did He talk while He set an example in front of them leading them to join?
I resolved to lead our church into evangelistic ministries and relationships with the community even if few joined me and I feel God blessed it. It seemed to accomplish more than months of sermons ever would have. In fact, by year three, we put on an intentional evangelistic event in the form of a 3D bow tournament (focusing on our hunting culture) in which nearly 100% of the church participated! I don’t know if I was more excited in the man that came to know Christ or in the fat God moved my entire church to do something they had no knowledge of, were getting nothing out of, and it required much of them (it was a bitterly cold February morning to do so much labor). God is so good!
A M E N ! ! ! !
Rick Boynes last blog post..VBS Update
Amen, Art. FBC started Riverchase Baptist when we had 350 in Sunday School; we have about 1,000 now and haven’t started a church since Riverchase.
Bob Clevelands last blog post..God, Shock Absorbers, and Dental Needles
Great vision to catch!
Benjies last blog post..Spell "Laodicean"
Where does get the plank out of your eye before getting the speck out of another’s fall into this thinking. I humbly disagree with this approach my friend. Have a good day.
Cole Hedgecocks last blog post..Religious Freedom Threatened In America
Cole,
The removal of planks in eyes refers to hypocritical legalism and judgmentalism.
I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand how you are trying to apply this to my statement. Could you explain?