ImageThere continues to be a very robust conversation surrounding the subject of church planting. This conversation is trans-denominational; it’s a large-church, medium-church and small-church conversation. It is being discussed by pastors and denominational leaders, and is now a growing subject among the laity.

This ongoing conversation revolves around mission/purpose, method/technique/strategy, training/sending, and responsibility/accountability. Like the characters in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, everyone wants to find the golden ticket. Who wouldn’t want the secret formula and a lifetime supply of chocolate?

First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach/Family Church continues to be shaped by this ongoing church planting conversation. We are learning that we have a lot to learn. Over the last three years we have planted three churches in Palm Beach County and have been blessed to help sponsor several others nationally. In less than 90 days, we will launch another church in the western part of our county and in the fall of 2014, we plan to launch more.

What We Are Learning

1. Motive – How we start REALLY matters. David Wells once wrote, “If our purposes begin with ‘get more’ rather than ‘glorifying  God’ we will end up entertaining every imaginable idea to ‘get more’ whether it is biblical or not.” We might want to read that quote again. Our motivation to start churches ultimately affects how we start churches, and how we start sets our churches on a clear trajectory.

A church that is willing to do almost anything to get people through the front door will ultimately find it difficult to take biblical stands on culturally sensitive issues for obvious reasons. Like a runner out of the starting blocks, biblical foundations must be carefully considered.

2. Methodology – Our method is ultimately shaped by our motive. For the last several decades, many churches relied heavily on an attractional model to grow their churches. Some call this the “come and see” method. Let’s get our church members excited about the personality coming in or the event we’re planning (crusades, revivals, youth camps, men’s and women’s events, etc.). Let’s get them to bring as many of their friends, neighbors and co-workers as possible, and then have our church leaders/pastors share the gospel message. This approach is simple to understand and implement.

This attractional or event-driven approach has yielded some results. However, a quick survey of actual weekly church attendance in our county will likely indicate that our perceived results aren’t pacing population growth. The reality is that across our country, fewer and fewer Americans are being reached and most remain relationally unconnected to our church and our next big event. This method isn’t entirely ineffective, and probably shouldn’t be all together abandoned, but it certainly shouldn’t remain the church’s primary method for reaching our community.

3. Mission – We live on the mission field! In Palm Beach County, close to 90% of our 1.4 million residents do not attend church.  If we let this sink in for a moment, we begin to realize the extent of how “unchristian” America is becoming and the enormous responsibility that churches have. We cannot think of church and our mission the same way ever again. We live on a mission field and we need more missionaries.

Jesus ate with sinners. He touched the lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, the lame and non-religious. Jesus made a beeline to the sick because they needed a doctor. He taught the religious leaders of his day who their neighbors were. Jesus chose a ragtag group of men to become fishers of men and his calling to Christ-followers has not changed. We are more convinced than ever that in order to reach Palm Beach County, we need thousands of our members employing the “go and tell” method: inviting their neighbors into their homes and lives each month; and enacting gospel-centered living for them. And we must forsake the regional mega-church mentality in order to plant hundreds of churches in those neighborhoods.

4. Mentoring – Discipleship is key. In order to plant these churches and change the ethos of our church, we must be intentional in training our church members. Last year we launched a church planting residency that began with nine men (sendsfl.com). Our two-year residency program has the direct purpose of training men for bi-vocational church planting. We also have an ongoing student ministry internship for pastoral training and a children’s ministry residency (sendsflkids.com). All of these ministries are training future pastors and leaders for our church plants.

Currently 300 of our church members are reading a book on missional living, and many of them are embracing this message. Over the summer, hundreds of unchurched neighbors will be guests in the homes of our church members. They will share a meal, talk, laugh, and forge genuine relationships to point people to the gospel. This fall we will be corporately rallying hundreds of leaders to live on mission. At the same time, our lead pastor and staff are meeting personally with ministry leaders for ongoing discipleship and mentoring.

A Long Road Ahead

We feel like we are just embarking on this journey and that we have SO much to learn. We mess up, make mistakes, laugh (a lot) and keep trying. We have been entrusted with great news. Jesus came to this earth and lived a sinless life; he died on the cross; and he rose from the dead to rescue fallen mankind. I am grateful for those with whom I get to do ministry. We don’t get it right every time, but we’re having a lot of fun trying!