A MISSION-FOCUSED REPRODUCING CHURCH: Part 6

This is the final post in our examination of what it means to be a Mission-Focused Reproducing Church. Today we look at the concluding reasons why Newfrontiers is committed to aggressively planting mission-focused reproducing churches.

5. Planting mission-focused reproducing churches keeps us open-handed.

Church planting is a purposeful upstream swim against the current of institutionalism. As we plant churches that have mission within the very center of their DNA, these churches will reflect the generosity and openness of Jesus in a culture that is wary of institutionalism.

6. It keeps us fresh

By constantly sending people out, we allow for new people to take their “seats” and new leaders to emerge. Churches don’t institutionalize because they have grown to a certain size over a long period of time. Institutionalization occurs because they fail to look outside their own walls.

7. It keeps us focused

By repeatedly participating in the birthing process of new churches, we are constantly reminded of our own mission and vision and why we seek to plant mission-focused reproducing churches in the first place.

Planting churches is much more than self-preservation. Included in the church planting process is biblical teaching, evangelism, discipling and worship!

8. It keeps us dependent

It’s hard to let good leaders go. It’s hard to let money go. Birthing new churches helps us to trust God as our constant Provider. We must be willing to risk significant sums of money, members, and leaders. We will miss those whom we send, but we will rejoice in the many people the kingdom of God will gain.

Jesus has called us to “march off of the map.” Like the Church in Acts we are a reproducing church movement.

Each Church must own this vision, it’s not enough for this vision to just be the property of apostolic leaders. Being a reproducing church is what you are, not just what you do.

If you have connected to our apostolic team then you have joined a vision. You are a part of this world-changing vision through your participation, financial giving, serving, witness, availability and care for one another. Let’s strengthen our commitment to the mission the Lord Jesus has called us to by planting mission-focused reproducing churches everywhere we go.

A MISSION-FOCUSED REPRODUCING CHURCH: Part 5

The final thing we will examine in this post and the next will be the “why” of church planting. There are definite reasons Newfrontiers is committed to aggressively planting mission-focused reproducing churches. I’ll share some of these reasons with you now and some in my final post next week.

1. New churches reach more people.

Christian Schwarz of Natural Church Development surveyed over 1,000 churches and discovered that smaller churches were 16 times more effective in winning new converts to Jesus than mega-churches. Having more entry points into the Kingdom of God increases the possibility of people coming to faith in Christ.

Ron Gladden poses the question, “If your city had only one restaurant, would more people eat out?” The obvious is that the more restaurants increase the possibilities of more people eating out. The more churches the greater potential for reaching more people with the gospel.

2. New churches reach new people.

New churches reach new generations, new residents and new people groups. New churches attract new groups about 6-10 times better and faster than older churches do. In a new church, younger and newer people can get into its leadership faster. New churches have a goal to reach new people and aren’t hindered by attempting to satisfy the desires of long-time members.

70% of people in the USA have no meaningful church relationship. The harvest is great and many new people will not be reached without new churches. Jesus said “open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35)

The harvest is not only plentiful but it is also diverse. Around our building it is estimated that 70 different languages are spoken. Walk our streets and tour the world. One church can’t reach everyone so it will take all kinds of churches. The diversity of harvest requires a diversity of churches to make disciples of all people groups.

3. New churches release new leaders.

Starting new churches provides an opportunity to raise more workers for the harvest. A reproducing church will reach the harvest by developing, and releasing new leaders for church planting.

4. New, healthy churches grow and reproduce.

Hardly anything demonstrates the health of a congregation as much as the willingness and ability to give birth to new churches. Reproduction is a basic principle of life for all organisms. Churches are not designed by God to be unfruitful; they are designed to grow and reproduce other churches. As churches multiply, the potential harvest increases proportionately.

A MISSION-FOCUSED REPRODUCING CHURCH: Part 4

In Acts 14:21-26 we see two phases of Paul’s ministry. The initial phase is what we’ll refer to as Christian Formation. In this phase Paul preached the Gospel and people were brought into the Kingdom of God. Paul used a variety of means and venues to accomplish Christian Formation. He often preached/taught in synagogues, homes, in the market places, rented halls and occasionally one-on-one. A mission-focused reproducing church needs to be aware of the resources that are available for communicating the Gospel. Though this aspect of Christian Formation is constantly changing with the culture the goal remains the same.

It’s significant to note that Paul went back to places he previously visited in order to strengthen converts and to encourage them. The lesson for us is that over time people always need encouragement and a fresh sense of vision. There are too many things to distract and drain us from the overall objective of taking the Gospel to the nations. Therefore, those we lead will always be in need of encouragement and fresh direction.

The second phase of Paul’s ministry is that of Church Formation. Believers were first congregated together, allowing for the expression of their new found faith in Jesus. Community is always the New Testament context for the expression of belief. Relationships are a necessary ingredient of a believer’s faith being worked out both internally and externally. Relationships are not the flip side of being missional. A church that is truly missional must also be relational in order to provide a context for people to engage in mission.

Secondly, leaders were appointed within the churches. Before leaving a city Paul and Barnabas would appoint elders to lead the fledgling church plant (Acts 14:23). For a church to be a multiplying, reproducing church, gifted leadership is essential. Current leaders must consistently be on the lookout for new, emerging leaders who can be given the responsibility to lead. Christian Formation creates the need for Church Formation, which gives rise to Christian Formation, which creates the need for more Church Formation. In the end you have a dynamic local church that is fully engaged in mission, reproducing itself over and over again.