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Church planting is at the heart of the Christian church, and it has been since the beginning of the church we read about in the New Testament. People plant churches as a means of fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus gives his disciples.
Church planting is important because of its centrality to taking the gospel to more people, but church planting is important for broader communities, too. When a church is planted in a community, the community receives an outpost of Christian love and service that should bring compassion, love, and help of all kinds to the surrounding community and its residents.
But how does one actually plant a church? Why would someone plant a new church, especially in heavily churched places like the United States? Aren’t there enough churches already? These are all common questions—and good questions! Let’s go through some of the basics of church planting, why anyone plants churches, and how you can get started if you are considering becoming a church planter.
Very simply, “church planting” is when Christians start a new church. Sometimes these church planters are sent out by another church. Other times these church planters are sent out by parachurch organizations designed to facilitate many church plants. Church planting can occur in communities where many churches already exist or in areas completely unreached by the gospel.
Many see church planting as one of the most practical examples of how Christians carry out the Great Commission as conveyed by Jesus in Matthew 28:16–20. If Christians want to lead people to trust Christ for salvation, learn what it means to follow Jesus, and be baptized, planting churches around the world is one way to do that work!
Beyond the Great Commission, planting churches has been shown to benefit the communities in which churches are planted. In a 2015 report, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention documented the following ways that church plants positively impact their communities:
The report concludes by stating:
In total, Churches have diverse positive impacts on communities, ranging from increased trust, improved mental and physical health, decreased crime, and enhanced levels of volunteering and community outreach. These attributes build norms and values that encourage political stability and economic performance. Churches contribute to vitally important components of successful societies, and their presence in communities provides many benefits that cannot be measured solely by direct revenue.
So, those are a handful of ways that churches can positively impact the communities in which they are planted. But what are some other benefits of church planting?
We’ve already done a brief flyover of how churches can benefit the communities of which they are a part. But what are the benefits of church planting as far as the kingdom of God is concerned? Of course, as was already mentioned, planting churches is a viable way to go about fulfilling the Great Commission, but what are some of the other benefits of church planting? What other needs might this kind of ministry fill?
When Christians plant churches, they create opportunities to reach communities with gospel truth and practical support who may have little of either. When churches are planted in areas with little Christian presence or with little funding for government services, the church plant can serve the spiritual and physical needs of the community in transformative ways and lead people to know Jesus.
So how does one practically plant a church? This is a hard question to answer because people plant churches in many different ways, but here are seven practical steps that provide a general idea of how to plant a church:
1. Get to know the community.
If you want to plant a church, you need to become an expert on the community in which you plan to plant. Study the economic concerns and status of the area. Learn about all the schools. Figure out the demographics of who lives in the community.
2. Surround yourself with a core team.
A church plant will only be as strong as its core team, so if you plan to plant a church you need to be sure that you build a core team of people who are ready to endure all of the hard work that comes with it.
3. Craft a unique vision & identity.
Who is your church plant? What are you about? What are some ways you plan to do ministry that may be unique to your church and unlike other churches who are already doing ministry in the community? Answer these questions to help build an identity of your church.
4. Build a strategy to reach, teach, and grow.
How will your church share the gospel, disciple people, and lead them into a deeper relationship with Jesus? Will you partner with local schools to minister to children and their families? Perhaps there are other churches you can come alongside and serve with in the community.
5. Take care of practical necessities.
Set up a food bank in your community to serve the hungry. Do a winter coat drive every year so that you can provide warmth to people who don’t have it. Don’t just tell people about Jesus—be his hands and feet in the community.
6. Find the right technology to grow your church.
We live in a mobile-first world. Prepare your church plant for that reality. It is important for your church plant to find a technology partner (like Subsplash) to best serve your community.
Subsplash offers:
7. Get the word out & create a buzz.
Effective marketing and communication strategies are crucial for church plants. Like it or not, your church plant is sort of like a new business in town. For people to learn that your church plant exists, you need to tell people about it! Run some Facebook ads, put ads around town, and tell people about your ministry.
Our team at Subsplash has created some excellent resources to help church planters and their teams to succeed, such as:
Our team is also here to support your new startup church as you begin to use technology. By partnering with Subsplash, you’ll have someone to walk you through each step of setting up important tools such as your online giving, church website, mobile church app, live streaming, and more.
To learn more, [.blog-contact-cta]connect with one of our ministry consultants today![.blog-contact-cta]
Church planting is incredibly difficult work—virtually anyone who does it will tell you some version of that. Though, even as difficult as it is, church planting is deeply rewarding and clearly aligned with the Great Commission that we’ve been given as followers of Jesus.
If you are beginning the church planting journey or are considering doing so, be sure to surround yourself with a group of people who can support you along the way. And also be sure to have the right tools in your belt to alleviate the technological and logistical pain that can often come with starting a new church.
