Do We Really Need to Plant More Churches?

Planting churches, or church multiplication as some call it, seems to be the popular church growth tool for all denominations these days. New churches of all kinds are popping up faster than new McDonalds did in the 60s and 70s. You can find one on almost every corner. While church planting has been around forever, over the last 5 years or so it's popularity has really ramped up. But do we really need more churches? Some would argue that a new church plant will see more people come to Christ in the first 7 years than an existing work. I'm not sure that is really true. While there are new converts most of the new church's growth occurs via transfer. People like something new and fresh so they hop over there. If that doesn't happen what is the long term viability of these churches? Many don't make it after 3 years. It seems we are planting churches more for the sake of planting churches rather than strategically. We place a church in a community already saturated with good bible believing churches thinking they need one more from a different denomination. Denominations will put similar churches within miles of each other. Unless a community is rapidly growing, this really is not a recipe for success. If the "pie" isn't getting any bigger we are only slicing it into more pieces. In other words these new churches aren't reaching the lost but just providing more choice for the local believer. With the average evangelical church running about 100 people, wouldn't it make more sense to put some of the time, money and other resources into helping these existing churches thrive and grow, rather than put another "just around the corner"? Occasionally we hear of a church plant that explodes from the get go and every church planter thinks that will be them. But that is the exception rather than the rule. Church planting is a long hard road of faithfulness and obedience and many ups and downs along the way. It is not for everyone. While assessments have gotten better as to who should plant we still see many who go in really unprepared for what lies ahead. For many this is the first time they have pastored on any level.

So should we plant more churches? Absolutely! But we need to be more strategic about it. We need to ask, is the community really growing? How many other good bible based churches already exist there? Are the fields really "ripe" for harvest? Is this really the right man for the job? I don't claim to know it all but what I see happening is these new works are mostly going into middle to upper middle class suburbs already saturated with good churches, with a few in the inner city. I have yet to hear of one going into a rural community or small town. I wonder why that is?

For the record, I LOVE church planting and church planters. I am one. I just think we need to do it more strategically in the future. This way the lost will be reached, communities in need will be impacted and these churches will have a greater chance for long term success.

Until next time,

Pastor Paul

Moses or Joshua

Moses or Joshua? Who was more successful? Moses faithfully led the Israelites without ever getting to the promised land. God showed it to him but he never got there before he died. Joshua it seems reaped all the benefits of Moses long time of faithfulness and obedience to God. That's not to say Joshua was not just as faithful or obedient because he was. He was doing what God had for HIM to do. He was the one chosen to bring the people into the promised land.

In the church we have pastors who are Moses and those who are Joshuas. The Moses pastors plant and plow, sometimes for years never really realizing the harvest. Then a Joshua comes in an "Boom!" We have a tendency in the church culture to celebrate the Joshuas as highly successful and the Moses as failures. Why? Because of how we gauge success. That being how many people are in a church, that is, "church growth". The pastor who plants and faithfully plows in obdeince but never gets those high attendence numbers is deemed a failure. Yet he is just as successful because of his faithfulness and obedience, something that God wants from all of us regardless of visible results.

As pastors we may have seasons during our ministry. There may be times when God asks us to be a Moses and others when we will be privileged to be a Joshua. This could happen in one place or in multiple places as God leads.  Whatever role God has you in embrace it and do what he tells you. Don't listen to the naysayers or so called experts. And when God tells you to move, move. Don't stay somewhere because you want to. Because you are achieving "success". Remember pastoring is a calling not a career path (or at least that's what it should be). As such we need to be sensitive to the Spirit. Sometimes that means we need to embrace our role and sometimes that means we need to move. Again, whatever it is be faithful and obedient and you will never go wrong.

And to all of you who are not pastors, stop judging ministries and pastors based on church size or other numbers. Take a good look at the man. What is his heart? Is He faithful and obedient regardless of our measure of success? Or is he out to build a career?

Until next time,

Pastor Paul