The simplicity of the gospel must tell us something.
Church planting has become all too difficult for the average Church to really figure out. If the simple gospel is going to be simply told we are going to have to simply start churches.
All too often our churches have agonized over the expense of starting a new church. For example: raising enough money to partly or even fully pay the salary of a church planter; raising funds to buy land and ultimately build a building. These are legitimate expenses if we choose to start churches the complicated way. That is not to say that at some time in the future these will be real expenses; but who should bear the greater part of this? If it is going to be simply a church then the church that is being started ought to carry the bulk of the burden from the beginning. And when it is ready to buy land and build a building, it will by God's grace.
But simply, why would a new church want to buy land and build a building when it can rent facilities or meet in donated buildings for a lot less than engaging in great financial manuevers. Most unbelievers don't have a church building orientation, therefore they will probably not care if they have their own property unless someone tells them differently. It's the Christian crowd that looks for nice facilities to worship in and that's ok, but who are we trying to reach anyways? Who are we trying to please?
There are numerous places in the free world, including the USA, where churches do not have their own facilities and are quite happy, growing and not saddled with huge million dollar pieces of property. They are simply doing church without all of the trappings. And that's allright, isn't it?
Simply starting a church must be simpler than what some have made it to be.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
I am going to read this entry to our church as a back up response of what I shared on Sunday evening. We are getting close to launching out!
Amen...
I really appreciate this blog. Missionary Baptists have fallen in love with procedures for church rather than lost souls. What happened to sending out men to start churches? Now we have to send them to start missions with the hope that someday down the road they will be a church, after they have 50 members + a nice building + it must be paid for + the Pastor must have a full time salary. In the mean time years have passed without being able to faithfully act as a church. Many cases the members have never participated in the Lord's Supper unless they travel to the sending "mother-church". All because (in some cases) we are afraid churches won't support a church if it is called a church. So hold on to that mission status until there is absolutely no need for help. There is no faith in this system. We no longer walk by faith, but completely by sight in missions. Sorry for the rant. God Bless you all.
Bro. David,
As always I am impressed with your thoughts. I fully agree that we should simply start churches.
Maybe that has been my problem. I have talked with my pastor long before I surrendered to preach about starting a church and I kept trying to figure out where the money was coming from and how to get started when I should have been trusting God to take care of all that and just gotten started.
I fully agree with your thoughts about the buildings. Building are an obligation and a distraction from the real work that we are called to do .... make disciples. I have been really impressed with Stonebridge out in West Virginia and the work they are doing from a movie theater. How much more ministry could we be doing if we weren't always worrying about the expenses of owning land and a building.
As I head off to TBI I am seeking God's direction. I feel so strongly about God's will in leading my to start a new church. I am seeking God's leadership in when and where.
My greatest prayer is that we all remember the commission is to make disciples and God will build the church.
Skippypreacherman@yahoo.com
What an awesome idea. It would seem that we havhe pushed the idea of the 'professional pastor' too much especailly in my generation. Maybe we just need a bunch of guys who will get a job in a location and move there and start a church. Ideally we need 2 guys (families) who will work together to get things going. All too often in the past a man by himself has spent so much time setting up a church he has lost his family, we need to concious of this and make the work a two man work from the outset and the sponsoring church should mandate this. There is no urgency for the kingdom that scarifices the family. We sure could use some of those families here in the Toronto area, we have a good group of conservative churches, not all ABA, but we are beinig over grown by Islam right now. Help.
Sean
I agree wholeheartedly with you. I think we have made just about everything too complicated (from the national meeting to establishing churches, etc.).
Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira. Até mais.
Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira. Até mais.
I am an immature sermon person, being still young but think that it has hope mainly and that it wants to establish a new Baptist church in the future.
Economically, it is weak and however, the church in Japan thinks that there is always help when entrusting to the god.
It thinks that America is the country which is blessed by the Holy Bible and also the god.
The function of ABA gives the we Japanese nerve.
It thinks that Japan, too, increases a good news sermon person more and that it should send him to the world.
It thinks that KTBC, too, has a vision and that it wants to walk.
If we want to fly ,God will provide us wings.Every needs will be satisfied that I believe. So we can strongly evangialize.God bless you!!
When seeing that the brothers are exerting in America which crossed the sea, we which are necessary for Japan are coming-off.
The student of the part-time job who distributes a free of charge tissue is crowded with the street corner.
To distribute a tract in such isn't simple.
The Japanese please pray to the god for the heart to open.
Post a Comment