Easter: New church plants like N.Y.'s Mustard Seed birthed

Easter Sundays and new school years often are chosen as "birthdays" for church plants. The North American Mission Board (@NAMB_SBC) expects to see Southern Baptists celebrate many more such birthdays in the coming years -- especially in under-reached and under-served areas.

On Easter Sunday church planter Stephen Kim (@stephenkimnyc) celebrated the public launch of Mustard Seed Church in New York City. Kim was a 3-year-old child when his family moved from South Korea to be part of an earlier church plant in the city.

The church's name encapsulates its vision. "[The mustard seed] is a seed that's not noticeable to anyone and insignificant to everyone," Kim said. "But in the process of time, God's hand germinates it, and it grows into a tree that not only reaches the lost coming into New York City but it supports missions all around the world." Read more

For those who may be wondering why I chose to post this article, I selected it because it draws attention to the focus of SBC church planting efforts on under-reached and under-served areas. On the other hand, the Anglican Church in North America appears to be focusing its church planting efforts largely on traditional Episcopal constituencies. The article also gives the reader some idea of how Mustard Seed Church was planted and encourages the planting of additional new churches. While the ACNA website trumpets the most recent Anglican 1000 Conference, it is generally tight-lipped about local ACNA church planting efforts. Such reticence does not serve to cultivate a church planting culture in the ACNA. It is reminiscent of The Episcopal Church's attitude toward church planting. TEC is not known for its strong church planting culture at the denominational, judicatorial (diocesan), or local levels.