The true fruit of an apple tree is not an apple but another apple tree. During the early decades of the nineteenth century, John Chapman did a very strange thing. He traveled hundreds of miles on foot carrying apple seeds to virtually every village and hamlet from Butler, Pennsylvania to Decatur, Illinois. He was driven by an illogical passion to make the nutritious apple available to everyone in America. Johnny Appleseed, as he came to be known, understood that carefully watering, tilling and fertilizing the tree in his own yard would not cause his dream to be realized. If apples were to be everywhere, apple trees must be everywhere.
Similarly, the true fruit of a growing church is not just a new disciple of Jesus but another growing church. A huge potential for major church growth in North America lies untapped. A renaissance of church planting can bring it to pass.
Four Reasons to Plant Churches:
1. It is biblical. It is the New Testament way of spreading the gospel. In Acts 2, we read of the phenomenal multiplication of converts. By the time we get to Acts 16, the churches are multiplying. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily (vs.5, NKJV). It didn't take long for the apostles to become convinced that church planting was the pivotal cog through which the power of God would be transferred into the world.
2. It is effective. The single most effective evangelistic method under heaven, states C. Peter Wagner, is planting new churches. A core group who sets out to start a new church possesses a steely resolution that is seldom seen in an established church. They are ready for action, for sacrifice, for a Christians versus lions rematch, if necessary. That focused vitality translates into fervent prayer and earnest effort for the lost. This explains why new Adventist churches grow at ten times the rate of established churches.
3. It is necessary for denominational survival and growth. Every denomination that reports an increase in the total number of congregations reports an increase in members. Every denomination reporting a decrease in congregations reports a decrease in members. Many are shocked to realize that Adventist membership in the cities of America is the same today as it was twenty years ago. The only exceptions are the cities in which new churches have been planted during those twenty years. Like the human body, every church eventually plateaus. Its presence and impact are increased only by producing energetic offspring. A stunning statistic that illustrates the point: the average size of a five-year-old Southern Baptist church is 145 members. The average size of a 100-year-old Southern Baptist church is 155 members. Since these numbers are similar in Adventism, it is natural to wonder, why does it take 95 years to add ten members?
4. It develops new leaders, both lay and pastoral. Unfortunately, we are no longer a missionary people; we are a people who give to missions. When a baby church is planted, that changes overnight. Both in the parent church and in the new church, persons previously on the periphery of involvement readily accept the challenge of leadership. Ask around. You will discover that some of the finest leaders anywhere held no church office until they joined a brand new congregation.
Let's do it!
Yes, it is easier not to plant churches. Yet we must reach the harvest for Christ. In these final days before His return, He calls us to do greater things than ever before to advance His work. How about this? Let's create a movement. A movement that will hasten Jesus return. A movement that will result in more of the lost being saved. Like the legendary Johnny Appleseed, let us catch the vision, fill our seed bags and begin marching through this land planting churches to the glory of God!
Ron Gladden, at the time he wrote this article, was Church Growth consultant for the Mid-America and North Pacific Union Conference.
