US Ministries

Is Church Planting Still Needed in the U.S.?

Our answer is a resounding "Yes"! Though it may appear that there is a church on every corner, especially when compared with less-evangelized countries, the mandate to plant churches still rests on we who live and minister in America. This is true for many reasons, among them:

1. Church planting is a matter of obedience. Since we have been commanded to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19) and church expansion is clearly God’s strategy for doing so, it is a clear command that we continually be engaged in church planting simply because it is God’s will for the growth of His church.

2. Multiplication is a part of the DNA of Christian life and ministry. The healthy life cycle of any church, once planted, is to grow, mature and multiply. As individual Christians should seek to multiply themselves through evangelism and discipleship, churches are to multiply into many churches in many places.

3. Every church should commit to planting at least two other churches. Since no church will last forever (usually not beyond 100 years), they should strategize to plant one church just to replace themselves. A second church plant is necessary to expand Kingdom outreach in light of population growth.

4. Culture is always changing, and population is ever growing. These and other factors necessitate that new churches be planted in order to effectively reach the emerging cultures that would not venture into older churches. As population grows, often cropping up in new geographical areas, we need to continually study our changing neighborhoods and worldviews so as to plant new churches to reach these burgeoning groups.
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5. Church planting revitalizes existing churches. There is nothing like a new-born to bring excitement to a family! So it is with churches. One of the most thrilling events in the life of a mature church is to reproduce itself. Church planting calls forth new leadership and strategic thinking. It demands that younger believers step forward to make a contribution (which they may not have had opportunity to do in an established church).

For these and many other reasons, church planting is vital for the ongoing health and expansion of the Church.