The Church Moves Forward

There are 7.6 billion people in the world. Over 600 million are evangelical Christians, which means that some 7 billion are unsure of their soul’s future. To bring it a little closer to home, there are 328 million people in the U.S., and about 90 million evangelicals. Around 220-230 million Americans are unsure of their faith.

Throughout the book of Acts we see that the plan for making disciples and spreading the gospel centered on planting of new churches. At the church in Antioch, for example, the Holy Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas for the mission of going throughout the region to plant new churches. And so it must be in our time . . . If we are going to see the masses reached, it will happen through the planting of new churches.

Several key factors go into planting new churches: multiplication, desperation, and calling.

Multiplication is key for reaching more people for Christ. We should be a people who multiply on every level. We multiply disciples by replicating our life into 3-5 people at a time. We multiply our small groups when we have 15-20 people that become two groups of 8-10, then do it all over again. Finally, we multiply churches in strategic locations so that we can reach more people for the Kingdom.

Wherever we “plant,” we are desperate people living among desperate people. They are desperate for Christ, whether they realize it or not, and we desperately long to see them saved and brought into the church family. When this happens, the church that is planted grows and the church that sends is refreshed. Even the sending church will re-engage at new levels with desperation for the people in their city. Church planting fuels our love for people, for the mission of God, and for the birth of more and more churches.

Finally, the calling to go and make disciples is ever present, a calling we received when we believed. So, no matter where we are now, or whether God sends us to another place, the calling is with us.

The harvest is plentiful. The time is short. The mission is critical.

Let’s get to work.

Kyle, his wife Andrea, and their three children are moving this month to Northwest Arkansas where they will plant The Summit Church: Bentonville.