"Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (Jeremiah 29:4-7)
Does your city exist for the good of your church plant, or will your church plant exist for the good of your city? What a challenging question that was posed to a group of church planters by Steve Childers, professor of church planting and missions at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. This was one of the biggest takeaways for me from the Mission to North America Church planter training that I attended last week in Florida. What does the difference between these two statements look like in the context of church planting. The first, that the city exists for the sake of the church, sees success as creating a sustainable church. How do we get enough people from the city involved in the church to make it viable. What resources does the city have (people, places, businesses) that can be used to build a successful church. Certianly the motivation for this attitude is often that people from within the city would hear the gospel and be saved. However, this fundamental attitude can lead to a false view of success. It can lead to measuring success through the gathering of resources (people or money) and not through real Kingdom impact.
The second approach takes the approach of a servant. A servant of God and of people. That God's purposes dominate the vision for church planting, and the city is seen not as a means to an end (planting a successful church) but as a part of the end goal. That planting a church would make a real difference in the life of the city, and the people that live there. Otherwise, why do it? This does not mean that evangelism gets relugated to a back seat in the name of "making culture." No. God's purposes dominate the vision for church planting. Evangelism must remain primary in church planting. God has declared that His Kingdom will be manifested in this world through the church. And the church therefore must be a herald of the good news of what Jesus has done in his life, death and resurrection. The King has come and declared that there is a way for rebels of his rule and reign to be forgiven and brought into fellowship with the King. This must remain primary. But, what happens when people hear this good news and respond in faith to Jesus Christ? Do we hide away in a bunker waiting for Jesus' return? Do we flee the city and head for the hills? No. We bless the city. We bless the city and its people, systems, businessess, arts, culture, music, and even its physical structures. We serve the city. We love the city. We live in it and seek its good. This is what God has declared. In Jeremiah 29:4-7 God instructs his people to do this very thing, while they are in Exile in Babylon. And if you know anything about the Bible, you know that Babylon is not a good place. It is the representation of all that is evil and broken and in rebellion against God. And yet, God calls his people to seek its good. Wow. What does this look like? Well, first of all it does not mean compromise. It does not mean abadoning God or holiness for the sake of the city. But it means living as salt and light in the midst of the city, building relationships, showing love, and sharing the hope of the gospel. It means making culture and seeking the transformation of broken places. Would the city look any different if the church was not there?
What will this look like in Muncie? I don't know yet. But I do know that I am committed to seeing the gospel transform our city. I love Muncie. And it needs the gospel. It needs the transforming power of Jesus Christ to save men, women, and children from their sin and from eternal condemnation. And it needs the transforming power of Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, seeking the good of the city, blessing it, serving its people, and not simply consuming it. This will be the mark of success for church planting: Is the Kingdom of God advancing as the gospel saves and transforms people and the city? We will always return to this, so that we don't simply focus on growing our church and transfering christians from one place to another, but really taking the mission of God seriously and being used by God to seek and save the lost.
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