Why plant a Church?

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Why should we plant Churches? I was reminded today of the importance of this when we helped with the first worship service at Mountainview Church in Anniston, AL. It's a project that our Church has become involved with as we move forward in our vision to be a Church-planting Church. We have another Church plant planned this next year, and I sincerely pray that we'll be planting a Church in Beirut, Lebanon the following year.

The local Church is God's chosen instrument to change the world. We are meant to be members of a body, loving one another and living life together. When we make disciples of all nations, it's that model that we need to extend to them. They don't need to be under our authority, or to be like us. They need to worship and follow the Lord Jesus Christ as a body.


Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


We throw around terms like "multiplication" to describe what the Apostle Paul did in the book of Acts. Paul moved into a city and began to teach. When there were enough believers to carry on the work of the Church, he moved on to the next Church plant. Other disciples also moved among the Churches, encouraging them to grow. We don't see the first Church in Jerusalem putting their focus on doing all the ministry from Jerusalem. They understood that each Church would be light in it's own city.

The Arab world will not be reached by some well meaning missionaries from the US doing good works. There aren't enough well-meaning missionaries in the US, or in the whole world for that matter, to accomplish that. We can plant seeds, but the seeds must grow in the soil of, and be fed by the waters of, the nation in which it is planted. It is local Churches planted throughout the Arab world that will win those nations for the kingdom of God.