Church planting is essential to the growth of the Kingdom and the work of Christ through His church. The networks, movements and denominations that are thriving are thriving because they’re planting new churches. The key thing to remember here is that church planting is reaching lost people through the making of disciples that then gather into congregations.
Planting and the Mission of God
How does this relate to the mission of God? The mission of God is bigger than church planting, but it certainly includes church planting. Why? You can’t love Jesus and despise His wife. The church is the bride of Christ, and if you love the work of Christ, you love the church.
Now, you and I both know that the church is a mess sometimes. While the church is the stunning bride of Christ, she sometimes looks more like Shrek than she does beautiful. But again, you can’t love Jesus and hate His wife.
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Ultimately, if you’re going to love the mission of God, you have to love the church of God, which is sent out for the mission of God. Ephesians 3:10 tells us God has chosen the church to make known His manifold wisdom. Therefore, the church is the tool or instrument of His Kingdom agenda.
If you want to change the world, and if you want to see God at work in the world, plant change-agent churches. I think anyone who loves Jesus and His church would, by extension, love and be about the mission of God proclaiming the gospel of Christ—and that is done effectively through church planting.
So, is it the mission more than planting?
Yes, it certainly is more than that. Is every church that’s planted necessarily a good thing? No, there are always exceptions, but, as a whole, I think church planting is integral to the advance of the Kingdom.
For this reason, I think church planting and multiplication is so essential to the mission of God. None of our churches should be a cul-de-sac on the Great Commission highway.
Instead, as we plant churches that plant churches that plant churches, the Kingdom advances. The gospel is preached, men and women become believers, churches are formed, and those churches become agents of gospel transformation.
So, want to be missional? Great—plant a church!.
