I believe that much of what is being passed off as “church planting” in North America is nothing more than what I would call “Christian franchising” or to use a really old Southern Baptist phrase, “church extension.” I once worked as a church planting missionary with the SBC, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “Well, we don’t have a SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH in such-and-such a town or county.” The attitude seems no different than opening up a McDonalds franchise in many respects: people like the menu, the prices, the amenities, and the parking. It’s comfortable. It’s what they know.

But it wouldn’t be fair to paint everyone with such broad strokes, because I have met many church planters who made it their aim to reach lost people, to the extent that they actually discouraged people joining them from other churches. However, they still labored under the illusion that church planting was supposed to be complicated, a special calling for God’s elite, and an opportunity to do things a little differently than the traditional church down the street. You know, “we’re the cool church that serves lattes and cappucinos while we watch video clips and sing the latest CCM music.”

Both groups, I think, miss the simplicity of New Testament Christianity, where people simply shared their faith within their present network until others joined them as disciples. When their home became too crowded, they met in two homes, then three, and so on. But it seems that we have become too sophisticated for such a simple, reproducible Christian model of church.

In your years of church planting, have you truly seen churches planted with new believers or is what you generally end up with a majority of believers that have left their churches to come to your plant? There are SO many churches in the U.S. today and within a block or two in any of the suburbs you might see three different variations on the same denomination. So why do we keep planting? I don’t ask this to denigrate what you do…..I’m just curious what a church planter’s take is on this. You can perceive a little more about where I’m coming from if you give a glance at my blog.
Thanks, and have a lovely day!

Jeff