As a nonprofit Christian organization that acts as a hedge fund to other church planting Christian nonprofits, we are often approached with one very simple question: What exactly is church planting?
Because we believe in church planting so strongly, we wanted to break down the process for you and explain why it is so effective.
Church Planting Defined
Many times, people confuse church planting for the building of a physical church. But churches are communities, not buildings; therefore, church planting is about creating a group of believers who will work to carry out God’s word.
Church planting is most often done in countries that have little or no established presence of Christian fellowship. If these countries do contain Christians, there is usually no organized community to encourage fellowship and/or evangelism.
Church planters travel the world in an effort to not only teach God’s love and create new believers, but also to help these new believers grow into strong Christian communities that share the Word throughout their nation.
(Learn about our upcoming trip to Punjab, India!)
Is Church Planting Effective?
The Bible commands us to ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:18-20), yet it does not tell us exactly how to do that. The words “church planting” are not found anywhere in the Bible, but the process is carried out frequently by the apostles themselves. The most regarded apostle for church planting was Paul. Below are just a few verses about Paul’s work.
“He joined with other believers to start churches” (Acts 13:2)
“They appoint leaders in each church and commit them to the Lord” (Acts 14:23)
“They return to strengthen and encourage the disciples in each place” (Acts 14:22)
Church planting worked for Paul, and it still works today. How? By following Paul’s lead, Christians know that you must teach non-believers of His word, choose a leader to head efforts of worship and discipleship, and return to encourage growth. Without each step, church planting might not be effective, but because planters return to encourage, worship, and grow, God’s word can live on.
Doulos Partners: Making Churches Across The World
Through church planting, Doulos Partners has seen the family of Christ grow exponentially, but there is so much more that needs to be done.
To date, we have partnered with three ministries to help fund church planting in a total of 28 countries. These countries now have thriving communities of Christians. We are happy to report that since 2008, we have had just over 2.4 million professions of faith and over 13.300 churches started.
We hope to see that kind of progress for years to come, but we need your help. Please donate today or share our mission with your friends and family! Every penny counts, and could contribute to another life saved!
