Over thirty years ago Donald McGavran pointed out that recent history is often a powerful inducement to keep doing what we have recently been doing. American Christianity as a whole has experienced 4 decades of small growth, non-growth or decline (depending on the denomination). As well, most of our local congregations have had the same experiences. The result is that most Christians have never experienced vibrant, growing churches! Our past has made the vibrancy of church planting abnormal to us. So why should we break out of our recent histories in order to church plant?
Reason #1 - God commands it.
The Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20) reflects God's desire that we intentionally pursue people for Jesus. It is not enough for us to keep our doors open and our services running. Our commission is to be deliberate, purposeful and fruitful. These are precisely the qualities involved in church planting.
Reason #2 - Church Planting is a sign of the Holy Spirit.
JW McGarvey said that Acts might best be called the "Acts of the Holy Spirit." The book is a record of the Spirit's activity in leading, calling and propelling the early Christians into the world, and wherever they went, churches sprang forth!
Reason #3 - Americans are demonstrating renewed interest in spirituality.
George Gallup surveys show that there has been a steady rise in spiritual interest in the West, but that interest is quite undefined and eclectic in nature. People are looking for spiritual experiences of all kinds and from everywhere. At the same time the percentage of Christians attending religious services in the US has dropped from 59% in 1978
(Malphurs) to 50% in 2000 (Glenmary).
Reason #4 - New churches grow faster and evangelize better.
New churches are exciting places where people see the work of God, often clear and direct ways. People are drawn to those points where new life and positive change exist. Malphurs reports a Christianity Today finding that churches under 3 years old win 10 people to Christ each year for every 100 members (10:100). Churches from 3-15 years win 5:100. Churches older than 15 years win 3:100. In the 1970's Churches of Christ were converting the unchurched at a rate of 1:80 (Flavil Yeakley). In the 1980's growing churches were converting the unchurched at 5:100 while declining churches were converting the unchurched at 2:100 (John Ellas). While these numbers tell us little about new church plants, street wisdom would indicate that new plants must have higher conversion rates than this in order to survive.
Reason #5 - People are still lost!
In fact, there are more lost in the US now than ever before. George Barna reports 34% of Baby Busters (people ages 18 to 35) say they are "absolutely committed to the Christian faith," compared to 52% of Baby Boomers (ages 1946-64), 63% of the Builders (ages 55 to 73), and 70% of the Seniors (ages 74 and older). The younger the people, the less churched they are. Jack Sims (in Malphurs, p. 37) says of the babyboomers, "Most of the babyboomers I have interviewed describe their experience with church and religious media as boring, irrelevant or high-pressured." The international evangelistic Alpha Course titles its first lesson Christianity: Boring, Untrue or Irrelevant to speak straight to this modern attitude, and its attendance at its 10 week seminars has grown from 2,000 to 2,8 million in the last 10 years. The lost do respond when they are approached with a vibrant Christianity!
There are more reasons that could be given for church planting, but surely these 5 are enough for us. Planting new churches is part of God's plan and desire, a process He has been guiding for 2000 years. Let's set our minds, our hearts and our people on His task.
5 Humorous Reasons for Church Planting
1. Why clean up after someone else's mess when you can start from scratch?
2. Finally -- you can have it your way.
3. Church Planters have more fun.
4. Church planting is an extreme sport
5. You can be like Nike and "just do it."
For the sake of the kingdom,
Stanley Granberg