[featured_image]Jesus never told His disciples to start churches. There’s not even a command to start churches anywhere in the New Testament. In fact, Jesus only mentions the church on two occasions in the Gospels (Matthew 16:18 and 18:17). In neither context does He speak about starting churches.
However, in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus does command His disciples to make disciples. He sends His followers to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. In the United States, often churches are started with expectation that if we start worship services, then we will make disciples.
In a previous post I’ve noted…The typical mindset has been: “If we worship publicly and advertise to the community, people will come.” This approach has worked well in communities where there are a large number of formerly churched people, as well as in new suburbs where there are few existing churches. However, many church planters have discovered that advertising the start of public worship services does not guarantee that people will come. (read more…)
I started Lake Hills Church in Southern California in 1990 and now I train and coach church planters. As I’ve worked with new churches, I’m more and more convinced that we don’t start churches to make disciples. We start churches by making disciples. That’s our mission: making disciples.
“We don’t start churches to make disciples. We start churches by making disciples.”
Today’s Missional Challenge
Don’t just think that if you start church services, it will automatically result in making disciples. Start making disciples first!
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