Why Church Planting?

The question of why church planting has crossed our minds very frequently over the last few months. This passage in Colossians has frequently been the answer for us.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. (Colossians 1:3-8 ESV, emphasis added)

Paul is writing to the church in Colossae, a church that was planted by this man Epaphras, who heard the gospel from Paul and took it back to his city. And now Paul is reflecting on how the gospel grows. It grows deep and it grows wide. The gospel message, the truth about the person and work of Jesus Christ grows. It does not stagnate, it does not stop, and it does not stay put. It grows. And it will continue to grow. That's the why of church planting for us: gospel growth. I am saddened by the truth of the decline of the church in America, but I am not depressed. The gospel cannot be stopped and we are trusting God that by the power of his Holy Spirit he will use the proclamation of the gospel to bring men and women into relationship with himself. And that is why we are trusting God for gospel growth and not simply gospel transfer. We don't want to just plant the coolest church so that all the christians flock to it. No. We want to plant a church so that we and those joining with us will engage the lost, the sinners, the tax-collectors, the pharisees and all who are far from God with the grand proclamation that the King has made a way for us to be restored to relationship with Himself! And just as Paul thanks God for the way that the gospel is multiplying throughout the whole world, we too want to thank God as we trust him to multiply the gospel through the planting of churches in central Indiana.

As we step forward in this new adventure we will cling to the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18 ESV)

This video helps explain the biblical foundation of church planting: