It's 'Church-Planting', Jim, but not as we know it...

The sudden proliferation of church plant books, church plant media sites, church plant resource outlets, and church planting conferences, should all alert us to a simple fact.

Church planting has hit the trend list.

The danger is thinking that church planting is somehow some new phenomenon; a sudden epiphany made by 30’something hipster Pastors.

But it’s not.

Your church was planted.

And the church that planted it was planted as well.

In fact, if we would take the time, and have the information available to us, we would each be able to trace our planting history back to Jerusalem, 2000+ years ago.

The divine seed died, fell into the ground, and was raised again in life-bearing vigour to the church.

Modern church planting based on slick marketing strategy and winsome ‘front’ men is a poor substitute for the back breaking, sweat producing, heart wrenching work of the gospel in new ground.

Before church planting was trending, gospel labourers were busily spending their life for the sake of new works springing up in hard places.

Don’t be sold on the glossy invitation and incentives. Nor throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Don’t hedge the gospel in – let it out.

Take it to the places where it hasn’t found root.

Till the soil.

Prepare the ground.

Plant the seed.

Then stand back and watch the Giver of Life make it grow.

Church Planting. Real church planting – don’t let it end in our generation.