MINNESOTA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

Plant Now!

by Dave Barba of Press On! Ministries

Why Re-Seed?

When I was kid, I loved missionary presentations. I enjoyed the slightly underexposed slides of snakes, monkeys, natives, and church buildings made of sun-dried mud bricks. And then there was the ultimate slide-show treat. When a slide jammed, the missionary would remove the tray, turn it upside down in the dark room, attempt to perform emergency extraction of the offending slide—and dump all the slides on the floor.

No one seemed upset by this. After all, he was a real missionary. He was a mud-hut guy who carried water from a far-off river, ate bugs with a smile, and faithfully preached the gospel. It was fun to touch the snake-skins and shrunken heads on his display table. Folks called him a real missionary, as opposed to a home missionary who served in comfortable America. Raising financial support for home missions was difficult.

It still is. Though the need is still great to reach foreign lands, the United States is rapidly becoming a mission field. A missionary no longer must travel to another continent to fulfill the Great Commission.

On September 11, 2001, several Muslims took a "mission trip" to New York City. Their mission was to deconstruct the twin towers of the World Trade Center. In accordance with the Koran, their mission was to kill the heathen who have rejected Islam. Islam sent its missionaries to the USA—their mission field.

Though we may not fit the Muslim definition of "heathen," the USA is not as Christian as some believe. We outlaw prayer in schools, sanction murder of unborn babies, and offer equal rights and recognition to sodomites. Would our founding fathers be happy? Is this a country of godliness and truth? Are fundamentalists doing our part to be salt and light by starting Bible preaching churches?

The Northeast, once the seat of revival, is now spiritually as cold as its winters. Though churches have been planted there lately, many more are needed. Even the strong Midwest would benefit by scores of new Biblically balanced churches.

Go West, young man, and find many towns with no fundamental churches! My wife and I have helped several church planters in California. Believe it or not, California is principally a Republican state, though its voting power is centered in liberal San Francisco and Los Angeles. Many think of CaIifornia as full of sun-worshippers, surfers, movie stars, and left-wingers. Fact is, California is also home to multitudes of middle-class, conservative citizens who need the Lord. Start a church in the West!

Many towns in the South are growing too fast for existing churches to meet spiritual needs. Southern towns that were once too small for a church now need several. Or consider the inner city. Crime-ridden and needy, these areas are full of people who may well ask, "Does any man care for my soul?" Did Christ die just for middle-class suburbia? To get a vision for our cities' needs, read Matt Recker's book, Behold the City.¹

How about America's ethnic groups? Of the 40 million black people in America, how many are truly born again members of fundamental churches? Did Christ shed His blood for all races? One projection says that by 2025, the USA will be one-quarter Hispanic. The need is real to start black and Hispanic churches in America.

A challenge for fundamentalists in this 21^st century is to start new churches in the USA. We have neglected our homeland for several decades. Our churches have beell zealous to support and pray for the foreign evangelizer of the heathen, while neglecting to reach our own land.

We need to re-seed America with Bible-preaching churches because of:

• the population explosion
• the loss of sound churches to a wrong philosophy of ministry
• the need to replenish and maintain our base of support for foreign missionary efforts

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1 Behold the City, Matthew Recker, BJU Press, 2002