Planting New Gospel Churches

While written from a Southern Baptist perspective primarily for a Southern Baptist readership, this article is relevant to other evangelical denominations and networks of churches. It is also relevant to evangelical churches in ecclesiastical entities that are not evangelical in their theological orientation (for example, the Anglican Church in North America).

Did you know that only 4% of 46,000 Southern Baptist Churches are directly involved and connected to planting new gospel churches? If this is true in a missional convention of churches like the Southern Baptist Convention, I wonder what it is like among all evangelical denominations or networks of churches? Yes, when a Southern Baptist Church contributes through the Cooperative Program of the convention, these contributing churches are indirectly involved in church planting. I am calling for churches to not only do this, but directly be connected to planting new gospel churches. Why?

Gospel Churches Plant Gospel Churches

Since January, we have been preaching through the book of Acts. Again and again, we see the biblical precedence of planting churches. When the apostles went into towns, cities, and regions where the gospel had never been before, they won people to Christ and planted a gospel church immediately.

Gospel advancement and gospel community were both a significant part of the churches discussed in the book of Acts. It appears, at times, that it is difficult to separate the advancement of the gospel and the planting of a new gospel community or church. For us to be a church that lives out Scripture, we need to be a church that is involved in both gospel advancement and planting new gospel churches. Keep reading