Why Plant a New Church in the City?

Pastor Adam Sinnett The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1 the numerical growth of the !ody of Christ in any city, and " the continual corporate renewal and revival of the e#isting churches in a city$ Nothing elsenot crusades, outreach programs, para%church ministries, growing mega%churches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes will have the consistent impact of dynamic, e#tensive church planting$ This is an eye&row raising statement$ !ut to those who have done any study at all, it is not even controversial$ % Tim 'eller, (Why Plant New Churches?) *article
(Church planting? What e#actly is that?) Any way you slice it the idea of church planting is often either misunderstood or, literally, unheard of$ The +uestions are many, including, Why plant *i$e$ start a new church in a city already filled with many other churches, some even growing? Why not focus instead on helping e#isting churches grow? Won-t starting a new church merely ta.e people away from other churches? Shouldn-t we focus on cultivating &etter churches, rather than adding churches? These are valid concerns that stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of the comple#ities of revitali/ation, organi/ational life%cycles, demographic diversity, theological distinctions, leadership styles, evangelism, and general philosophies of ministry within e#isting churches$ To put it simply, it-s more complicated than we may at first reali/e$ Therefore, to simplify it a &it, the following are seven guiding principles driving us to plant a new church in the heart of the city of Seattle$

01$ 1esus- fundamental call was to plant 2ospel% centered churches$

3atthew "4,14%"5 is .nown as the (2reat Commission) from 1esus to the Church$ 6t is a commission to (ma.e disciples), (of all nations), to (&apti/e), and to (teach)$ 6n other words, 1esus commissions his followers as a sent people7 sent to all peoples, to invite them to &ecome one of 2od-s people, that results in a changed people$ 6t-s a commission to plant churches not merely isolated acts of sharing our faith$ 8ven the act of &aptism itself signifies (incorporation into a worshipping community with accounta&ility and &oundaries$) *1 *cf Acts ",9"%9: 6t is apparent the apostles interpreted 1esus- words in this way as they immediately &egan to plant churches after Pentecost$ *cf Acts 1;f

0"$ 3ore people are reached through more 2ospel% centered churches$

Statistics show that the more churches there are that preach and practice the 2ospel, the more people there will &e who are reached with the 2ospel$ The opposite is also true7 fewer 2ospel%centered churches results in fewer people changed &y the gospel$ (<o/ens of studies confirm that the average new church gains most of its new mem&ers *=5%45> from the ran.s of people who are not attending any worshipping &ody, while churches over 15%1? years of age gain 45%@5> of new mem&ers &y transfer from other congregations$) % Tim 'eller, Church Planting 3anual p;5 6n other words, the more new churches that are planted, the more new people there will &e who are reached with the gospel$ 'eller argues that if churches over 15%1? years of age gain 45%@5> of new mem&ers &y transfer growth and the maAority of churches in any given conte#t fall into that category, the num&er of active Christian churchgoers will &e shrin.ing even if some of those churches are dou&ling in attendance$ 6n this scenario, which is the case in Seattle, the church growth in e#isting churches only helps to offset the normal declines of the older churches$ 2round is still lost$ (No time in American history has the need for new churches &een more critical$ New church planters are needed now to scale &ac. the decline and death of e#isting churches$ 6n order to survive Christ-s church must &e replanted in every generation$) % 1oel Comis.ey, Planting Churches that Beproduce p"4

0;$ Newer churches reach more people than older churches$

Not only do more 2ospel%centered churches reach more people7 newer churches reach more people than older churches$ The average new CchurchD will &ring =%4 times more new people into the life of the !ody of Christ than an older congregation of the same si/eEWhat does this mean practically? The only wide%scale way to &ring in lots of new Christians to the !ody of Christ in a permanent way is to plant new churches$) % Tim 'eller, Church Planting 3anual p;5 1oel Comis.ey provides a possi&le e#planation of why this is trueE )Church plants need new people, new ideas and new vision if they are going to emerge out of the dar.ness into the sunlight$ 8sta&lished churches tend to &e more concerned a&out &uilding up.eep, the personality of the preacher, who-s on the &oard, and the program schedule for the upcoming yearEChurch plants are completely stripped of all illusions$ <o or die$ Beach out or close the doors$ 6nvite or implode$ Church CplantsD are desperate for growth$ Without growth, the church folds$ This reality .eeps church CplantsD on their .nees, crying out to 2od$) % 1oel Comis.ey, Planting Churches that Beproduce p;1

09$ !ig churches are not always the most effective$

6t is easy to assume that larger churches are more effective than smaller churches$ Though that is true in some areas, it is not true in all areas$ (Statistics do not support the assumption that si/e is necessarily the &est way to reach people$ Though large churches are often more

cost effective than small churches, new churches are more effective than large churches, particularly in evangelism$ Fn a per%capita &asis, new churches win more people to Christ than esta&lished churches$) % 8d Stet/er, Planting 3issional Churches p: Additionally, Seattle is a parado#ical, independent and slightly% anarchist city$ We love coffee, &ut prefer independent coffee shops$ We love music, particularly of the independent, home%grown variety$ We li.e creativity and innovation, as long as it was done out of a garage and not a high%rise$ We don-t ta.e well to (the man) no matter what form he *she? comes in$ !ig churches in Seattle can &e viewed in the same way$ Though &ig churches have their niches, Seattle is a city of independent, distinctive neigh&orhoods, each calling for an independent, distinctive, local gospel e#pression$

0?$ Planting new churches is often more effective than church revitali/ation$

Whatever you call it replanting, revitali/ing, or reAuvenating helping to save plateauted, declining or dead churches is ne#t to impossi&le$ (Saving dead and dying churches is more difficult and ultimately more costly than starting new ones$ Some authorities even argue that changing a rigid, tradition%&ound congregation is almost impossi&leE starting new churches is much easier and, perhaps, a &etter overall stewardship of .ingdom resources, Aust as it-s sometimes more cost%effective to purchase a new vehicle, rather than pouring money into an old one to .eep it running li.e new$) % 8d Stet/er, Planting 3issional Churches p11 Bather, argues Peter WagnerE (Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology .nown under heaven$) % C$ Peter Wagner, Strategic 2rowth p1=4

0=$ There is a great need in our city$

Amidst the &eauty, creativity, ingenuity, and passion of Seattlites less than 9> of the nearly =55,555 people here identify themselves !i&le%&elieving evangelical Christians$ The Northwest has &een descri&ed as the (None Gone) &ecause it is home to the nations highest density of people who say they have no religion, including atheists H agnostics, ma.ing sense of Seattle-s ran.ing as fourth least churched city in the country$ 6n "554 Ior&es maga/ine gave Seattle the du&ious national ran.ings of ;rd 2reediest City *9th, 11th, and 1=th richest Americans call Seattle home , 9th 3ost Justful City *1"9> more sales of contraceptives than the national average , and 9th 3ost 8nvious City *crime $ The maAority of large evangelical churches have either left the city, are located outside the city or import their Sunday message via video$ To the average Seattlite, evangelical protestantism is invisi&le$

0: 2od has made it clear to us$

After years of prayer, counsel and consideration, 1en and 6 &elieve that 1esus has called us to plant a new church in the heart of the city$ So, we-re that-s what we-re doing$ We-d love to have you Aoin us$

(Now to him who is a&le to do far more a&undantly than all that we as. or thin., according to the power at wor. within us, to him &e glory in the church and in Christ 1esus throughout all generations, forever and ever$ Amen$) 8phesians ;,"5%"1 *1 Adapted from (Why Plant Churches?) &y Tim 'eller