The church needs to stop passing the buck …

Do you know any healthy CHURCHES that are planting a new church?

Most of us know of ORGANIZATIONS that are planting new churches, but few of us know of local churches that are planting new churches.

There’s something wrong with that picture!

What’s wrong is that, when Jesus gave us the Great Commission to go make disciples, He was commissioning His CHURCH. He wasn’t commissioning church planting organizations or mission entities or evangelism associations.

Don’t get me wrong, and let me clarify: I’m not saying it is wrong for church planting organizations, mission agencies, or evangelistic associations to exist or do the often great work they do. I am saying what they do is NOT primarily their responsibility; what they are doing is primarily the responsibility of the CHURCH.

So, is your local church planting a new church? If not, why not? The most common answer is your local church is too small and lacks resources. Are you sure that’s the case if you trusted God to provide?

If you’re positive your local church is just too small to plant a new church, then are you partnering with other local churches so that, as the church working in unity,  you can partner together to plant new churches?

No?

Now why not?

While we’re on this kind of subject, when was the last time your local church sent someone to the mission field, instead of sending money? When was the last time anyone in your congregation was encouraged to consider whether God wanted them to go?

Could it be the local church isn’t planting churches and sending workers because it has become so comfortable in delegating these biblical responsibilities to parachurch organizations that your local congregation doesn’t even see them as their responsibility?

It is.

What would it take for your church to begin work this year on planting a new church? On sending workers into the harvest? When will your church start?

Scotty