If more churches are going to be started there will be a need for greater emphasis on associational cooperation as well as increased information on the topic of church planting. I believe that there would be more funds in the ABA missions program if churches saw that there were more new churches being started.
Without compromising the autonomy of the local church it would be essential to establish some meaningful structure within our associated work that enables church planting. This structure ought to be servant to the churches providing every conceivable element necessary for successful church planting. Of course, it would not send missionaries and it would not be a board. Just a simple committee on "Church Planting" given the freedom to do everything it can to advance church planting. Is this too hard or what?
This structure could be established and funded easily by a simple motion on the floor. It would be so easy to establish a "church planting offering" once a year like the Thanksgiving offering and totally fund this effort. Why not have our own "Lottie Moon offering" or "Annie Armstrong" offering? Or maybe we ought to redirect the Thanksgiving offering to a "church planting committee"?
Thank God for at least one ministry that is trying to address this issue of church planting. O that more would arise!
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2 comments:
Would it be too difficult seeiny how we hate mandating anything to set a mandatory 1% of general fund fee to be a part of the national association. This would be used solely for the purpose of planting churches and facilitating the expansion of the cause. We all galdly pay "dues" to all types of organisations many of which we have no say in, at least here we will have a say and have an annual accounting of funds raised and churches planted. Just an idea.
Sean
Maybe there would be more funds for church planting, if churches were planted where they are needed, not 100 yards down the road from another church. Maybe there would be more funds for church planting if those planting churches focused on loving and reaching the lost instead of getting members from other churches.
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