by John A. Gross
The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for the numerical growth of the church in any city. According to C. Peter Wagner, “…planting a church is the most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven.” If you have ever wondered if your city really needs another church, consider this:
1. Jesus’ essential call was to plant churches. Matthew 28: 19-20,
The Great Commission, is not just a call for “decisions for Christ,” but to make disciples, to baptize, to teach. Implicit in this command is the incorporation into an interdependent worshiping community involving accountability, care, and spiritual nurture. Acts 2:41-47.1 We are losing ground in dramatic fashion. Strategically the case is compelling … and sobering.
2. Eighty-five percent (or more) of all existing churches in America plateaued or are declining. (Most of these churches have completed their lifecycle and are beyond their ability to be revitalized.) Of the 15 percent that are growing, only one percent are growing by conversion growth; most are growing by transfers from other churches.2
3. Only 18.7 percent of Americans attend church on any given Sunday.3
4. There has been a 92 percent increase in the number of unchurched Americans in the last 13 years.4
5. Churches in America lose approximately 2,765,000 people each year; between 3,500 and 4,000 churches close their doors each year.5
One of our successful church planters in Ohio is Josh Bevan. Josh has been instrumental in developing and leading church planting throughout the Ohio area. Five years ago Lighthouse Baptist Church in Xenia, OH, started with eight people. Today, the church is thriving with over 5,600 first-time visitors, over 2,700 souls saved, and nearly 450 baptized. The church owns 14 acres of property and they have renovated a 28,000-square-foot facility with a 600-seat sanctuary; they currently average nearly 400 on Sundays and over 300 on Wednesday nights.
LBC is a product of the Baptist Bible Fellowship that has both challenged and supported young men to reach this world by starting churches. May we continually renew that passion and focus.
1 Tim Hawks, Hill Country Bible Church, Austin, Texas.
2 Aubrey Malphurs. Planting Growing Churches for the 21st-Century (Grand Rapids: Baker Books).
3 “How Many Americans Really Attend Church Each Week” by Justin Taylor.
4 “How Many Americans Really Attend Church Each Week” by Justin Taylor.
5 Charles Arn, “A Response to Dr. Rainer: What is the Key to Effective Evangelism,” Journal of the American Society for Church Growth, Volume 6, 1995, page 74.