One of the temptations pastors face today is the belief that before their church can plant other churches, they need someone to send them church planters. We often believe we can’t move until someone gives us a handout. Some of this belief is tied to the ethos of parachurch entitlement. Some of it is tied to the belief that Jesus told us to wait for pastors before we plant churches.
I’m all for cooperation, but not an ecclesiological welfare system. Is there a place for the outsider to come and assist us? Absolutely. Yes, that’s biblical. The problem arises whenever the church believes she can’t carry out her Great Commission responsibilities unless someone else enables her to do so.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be. . .” (Acts 1:8). You and your church already have everything that is necessary for making of disciples from unreached people groups, gathering them together as local expressions of the Body of Christ, and leading them to appoint their own pastors.
We often fail to move because we do not believe we can move with only the Spirit.
We must have someone who can preach like our pastor.
We must have someone who can administrate a new church like our pastor.
We must have the extensive organizations and structures like what we presently have as a church.
We need. . . we need. . . .
Instead of trying to reproduce what we have and only looking for the high-capacity leaders, ask:
What is needed to share the gospel with lost people?
What is needed to gather a few new believers around the Word to learn what it means to follow Jesus in covenant community?
Unhealthy ecclesiastical complexity sucks out your potential for multiplication. And the ecclesiological welfare system is complex.
If you have not downloaded your free copy of my ebook Leading Your Church in Church Planting, you should–and share it with someone considering the welfare system.
While I support the sentiment, JD, I’m not sure I agree with the notion that a local church (regardless of size) already has everything it needs to reach unreached peoples in a wholesale fashion. In fact I think it is crucial to emphasis the global interdependence of the Body of Christ, the importance of pursuing cross-cultural partnerships and more. Denominational welfare mentality may be harmful, but swinging wildly to the other end is too. Local churches can’t do it all in mission. They do need others. They have everything they need to start obeying, but the journey of obedience will prove the need for the whole Church.
Thanks, Cody. I agree. . . to a degree. 🙂