MINNESOTA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

Plant Now!

by Dave Barba of Press On! Ministries

How Do We Re-Seed?

Churches Start Churches

Some say that all churches must be started by, and out of, an existing church. Can we be dogmatic? No.

I am hard-pressed to Biblically prove that every church in the New Testament was started out of an existing church. The church at Jerusalem (Acts 2) appears to be the mother of the rest of those in Acts, but we have no absolute proof that all subsequent New Testament churches were birthed by that church. I have studied arguments that purport that a local church must be started by another church. Those arguments are presented by fine, sincere servants of God but seem to reach their conclusion by a forced mathematical logic rather than clear Bible passages.

A church is a body, a living organism (I Corinthians 12:12). A living organism normally reproduces other living organisms. In Ephesians 5:28- 32, marriage illustrates Christ's relationship to His church. Dr. Grant Rice, church planting helper and consultant, says, "A sign of good health for a husband and wife is reproduction. It is the same with the church. Healthy churches should be reproducing other churches."

My wife and I have helped start churches when the "mother church" was within a few miles. Other men we assisted have planted thousands of miles away from the sending church. The Bible does not give a distance requirement for a church to reproduce another. Churches do start other churches—sometimes with heavy local involvement, other times via financial and prayer support across the miles.

In 1974, when Claudia and I started Falls Baptist, our mentor was the church planting department of Bob Jones University. In part, BJU depends on financial and prayer support from churches all over the world. Some of those churches have church members who serve on the board of BJU, to help direct and protect the ministry. Falls Baptist had the help, prayers, and input of many churches.

When we started Trinity Baptist, we were supported by over 30 churches. Our home church was Marquette Manor Baptist in Downers Grove, IL. We were accountable to them until we chartered as an independent, autonomous body.

Churches start churches. They may be next door to help and counsel— like the church at Antioch with Pastor Barnabas (Acts 11:22). Churches also start churches via long distance support, counsel, and prayer. The point is every church has a responsibility to reproduce churches!

A healthy church is burdened for and active in starting other churches. Supporting missionary church planters across the seas is part of that responsibility. However, an urgent need today is to re-seed America with fundamental Baptist churches.

Think, How can your church best reach the lost in your city? What strategy do we find in the business world? Does Amway have one giant store where folks buy their products? Is there one Godzilla- sized McDonald's in Chicago? How about Starbucks? Is their marketing strategy to build just one huge, impressive store in Seattle to spread caffeine worldwide?

Common sense says we will get the gospel to more people via many churches scattered around the country, than with a few mega-churches in the comers of our large cities. Here is a parable written by my wife that illustrates this.