Why Plant Churches?

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis, and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

Some have said, “There is no command in the Bible telling us to plant churches. Why do you spend so much energy on church planting?” The assertion that there is no biblical command saying, “Go plant new churches!” is true. But the statement is misleading. When the apostles heard Jesus’ command recorded in Matthew 28:19,20 given on the day of his ascension, shortly before the day of Pentecost, they put His word into practice by planting churches. They planted their first church in Jerusalem. But from there they continued church planting through Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth, just as he had commanded. When we plant churches, we follow the example of Jesus’ apostles.

But why plant churches?

The Great Commission is grounded in the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor. Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as ourselves is the basis for making disciples by planting churches. Most church planters’ hearts overflow with love for those who do not yet know Christ. Does yours?

We plant churches because the love of God constrains us. We long for many, not just a few, to be reconciled to God, to experience the abundant life in Christ, to know the Good Shepherd, to live confidently and full of hope. So, we plant churches.

And we long for transformation, for liberation, for peace, and harmony. We know that only God can bring redemption. We know that only the Messiah can fulfill the deepest longings of our neighbors. But we also know that community is God’s idea and that communities are a big part of God’s plan for blessing the world. He guided Adam towards blessing when He said, “It is not good that man should be alone.” This of course applies to marriage. But it also can be applied to other communities like churches.

We plant churches because we love the blessing that is shared when followers of Jesus unite in faith, when they come together in one accord, when they submit together to the Lordship of Christ. So many people in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas who enjoy the fellowship and sense of community that comes with being a member of a healthy church say “I never experienced love like this in my family. This church is a wonderful blessing to me!”

So, we plant churches because we want people to experience authentic community where they walk in the light, as Jesus is in the light, and they enjoy life giving fellowship.

Why do we plant churches? It’s all about love. We follow the example of Jesus who loved us and gave himself for us. If you are starting to plant churches, don’t quit. If you have planted many churches, don’t quit. Church planting is love at work.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?”

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #PlantChurches