In C. Peter Wagner’s book, Church Planting for a Greater Harvest, he offers five “chief reasons” why we should plant churches. The second reason on the list is that church planting is a means to denominational survival.
Many denominations in North America agree with this point. And with many denominations in serious decline, church planting has been embraced as one option to change this direction. However, the mixing of missions and denominational survival is a dangerous thing.
While much could be said about this danger, I will note one concern (maybe you can think of the others).
Once missions becomes a means to institutional survival, at least two outcomes are likely: 1) missions becomes redefined and is no longer about making disciples and planting churches from the harvest; and/or 2) dollar investments in disciple making and church planting activities are evaluated based on a rate-of-financial-return.
An apostolic pattern of church planting is not financially profitable. This should come as no surprise. It was the Apostle Paul who at times refrained from financial compensation and attempted to avoid being labeled a peddler of the gospel (Acts 20:33-35; 1 Cor 9; 1 Thes 2:9; 2 Thes 3:6-12). If a church planting team is planting churches with 100% conversion growth among an unreached people group, they are encountering unbelievers who have to be taught about biblical stewardship. This does not happen overnight. And even after they learn about the value of cooperating with other churches, they (as a self-governing church) may not want to give their financial resources to this or that cause.
A much more financially profitable approach to church planting is planting instant churches. This paradigm begins with a leader (usually identified as a pastor without a church) who then starts a church with long-term Kingdom citizens. These believers already know they should give financially. It is already part of their D.N.A.. And if the leader puts all of the by-laws and financial structures in place first–organizing the church before there is a church to organize–then either the people can join the church or not with the financial policies already determined.
While some evangelicals see little value in denominations, I am not one of them. In fact, I am thankful to be a fourth generation Baptist of the Southern Tribe. Though my primary ministry concern is the people who call me pastor, I regularly participate in activities with my denomination.
However, evangelicals do not send missionaries to plant churches in China in order to support our denominations in North America. If we do not do it over there, then why do we send missionaries to do it over here?
If you are looking for a way to save your denomination, then do not look toward church planting. If you do, then radically change the model from what we read about in the Scriptures.
If you are looking for a way to save your denomination, then do not focus on the 360 unreached people groups in our backyard (180 in Canada). They will not financially support our structures that have developed over the past century or two.
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You must be reading my mail, JD.