Church Planting
Planting Churches by Making Disciples
The above methods do not make disciples because discipleship is not a part of the process. There is a third model that is the most effective, economical, and Great Commission oriented. It is to plant the church by making disciples. In this method you begin the church by making 1-5 disciples. After a month or two, you start discipleship cell groups led by your disciples, and then, when discipleship has been established as the pattern of the church, you begin Sunday services and grow into other programs and ministries.
A word of caution: the traditional church-building, Sunday service approach does not work well in most African cultural contexts because it requires more money, resources, and training than is available to the average African congregation and it consumes the energy and time that is required to multiply disciples. Another significant problem with a traditional western-style church in Africa is that it becomes the major focus of the congregation. The average church group feels that it is successful if it has services on Sundays and a building to meet in for those services. Church growth is no measured in the number of disciples made but in the programs, property, and services of the congregation.
Doing What Makes Sense
The discipleship method of church planting makes the most sense. It has four excellent benefits:
- It's free! Discipleship doesn't cost anything. You don't need a building, worship team, sound system, keyboard, advertising, or even a suit! You can disciple someone by sitting with them under a tree. You never hear of someone doing fund raising to make disciples. People raise funds for everything but making disciples!
- It obeys the Great Commission. Starting the church by making disciples sets the DNA of the church in the Great Commission and discipleship becomes the natural pattern of the church. The reason that many established churches struggle to adopt a disciple-making pattern of ministry is because they add discipleship into an already existing structure of ministry instead of developing a daily pattern of discipleship as the central focus of the church. When that happens, discipleship ends up being another meeting in a week filled with meetings. Discipleship is not another Bible study or cell group meeting. You do not appoint a "pastor of discipleship." The whole church becomes focused around the making and multiplying of disciples.
- It produces a more natural church growth. How the church grows is important. Many churches struggle because their growth has been unhealthy and unbalanced. They begin with things they cannot afford or manage. They have 10 people and want a building. In the discipleship model the church adds programs, meetings, ministries, and structure, only as it needs them and as it is able to manage and support them. In healthy church growth, structure follows ministry. Do not begin with structure and do not add structure unless you need it to fulfill your vision.
- It does not require extensive and expensive training. Most African pastors cannot afford to leave their families, jobs, and churches to attend a formal Bible school or seminary. They would be away from home for three to four years. Anyone can make disciples. Discipleship is the natural result of people walking in a close relationship with Jesus Christ. They will naturally grow in the skills and character a follower of Christ needs. They will share their faith because they are passionate about it.
Whose Job are You Doing?
One of the current problems with modern church planting is that we have misplaced our focus. We are focused on the building of the church. This has caused us to view the church from the perspective of the natural (that is, the meetings, buildings, equipment, and numbers) rather than the spiritual.
Jesus said, “I will build my church.” Paul’s description of church planting and development in 1 Corinthians 3 makes it clear that Jesus uses men, principally apostles to build His church. However, this description makes it equally clear that each man has his role or part in church planting and development, and no man can “give the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). The “increase” is church growth. Church growth is Jesus’ job. Our job is to plow, or plant, or water. His part is to give growth. When I do my job, Jesus can do his job! If I fail to plant, He cannot bring the increase. If I fail to water, He cannot bring growth. I must do my job if I want Jesus to do His job.
What is my job? We have seen – my job is to make disciples. Your job is to make disciples. If we refocus our efforts on doing our job, we will give Jesus the materials He needs to build His church. Jesus' job is to build His church (Matthew 16:18).
Our Job: To Make Disciples (Matthew 28:19)
