Embracing a Church Planting Vision that Extends the Kingdom

Our Denominational Council recently voted to affirm the vote of our General Conference to make church planting a major priority for our ministries across the Evangelical Church over the next 10-20 years.  There was vigorous discussion about what that might mean, because even though we are a small denomination, there is a rich variety of styles, methods and attitudes undergirded by our holiness theology.  Can a group with so much variety embrace a common goal such as church planting and cooperate with each other to see the goal become a reality in the form of dozens of new churches?

Yes!  God is helping us clarify what a vision for becoming a church planting denomination looks like.  Here are some key factors that allow us to all  "embrace a vision that extends the Kingdom."

Our Evangelical vision for church planting is....

1. ...not about a program, it's about a passion for Jesus and His Kingdom.  

Programs come and go...but a passion for Jesus will keep us focused on the right things for the right reason...His glory!  Our vision flows from common Biblical principles, but is not an exclusive program.

2. ...not about "looking alike" it's about loving lost people into the Kingdom. 

While our Wesleyan theology is an integral part of our identity and should be consistent across our church, our churches don't all "look the same."  Rural churches look different than suburban churches.  Churches on the west coast look different than ones in the southeast.  Yet no matter what our churches "look like" in building style or programs, we are called by Jesus to love lost people.  That's what drives evangelism in existing churches and fuels the vision to plant new churches.

3. ...not about a specific method, it's about a multiplication mindset.

There are many ways to plant churches and "restart churches."  Our vision is not about requiring a specific method be adopted, but about using as many methods as we need to achieve our goal-the multiplication of people coming to Christ and new congregations being born.

4. ...not about a style of ministry, it's about a spirit of encouragement and cooperation.  

We may not all "do ministry" the same way, but we can cheer each other on as we do Kingdom business.  Pacific Conference churches can encourage East Central churches... North Central churches can cooperate with Eastern churches, and so on.  When one gets a victory for the Kingdom, we all win!

5. ...not about affordability, it's about an abundance mentality.  

Too often we focus on our lack of resources and forget that God's work done God's way will not lack God's supply.  As we embrace a vision of multitudes of lost people meeting Christ in our existing churches and new churches, God will provide the spiritual pioneers and the money to plant new churches.  

We can't afford not to plant new churches...the future of our ministry as a denomination depends on it.

6. In the end, a vision to extend the Kingdom is not about opinions, it's about obedience to the Great Commission.  

Within our denomination, we will have many opinions about "how" "when" and "where" to plant churches, but there should be no division about the "why" of planting churches.  It's a matter of obedience as disciples of Jesus...it's a wonderful opportunity to be a part of God's Kingdom harvest, and it's our privilege to do it together as the churches and conferences that form The Evangelical Church.


Tim and Shirley Roehl planted and pastor ChristLife Evangelical Church.  Tim serves as Director of Church Extension for the North Central Conference.  He also serves as a Lead Coach at Church Planting Boot Camps for the Church Multiplication Training Center, coaching and consulting numerous church plants.  Tim will be teaching pastors how to plant churches in Minsk, Belarus, as part of Campus Crusade's International Leadership Academies in the spring of 1999.