What is success for a church planter? Planting a church through evangelism that results in the conversion of the lost!

Church Planting by Evangelism

by James Forlines

It has been said, “Be very careful what you determine as success, for you will expend every energy to achieve it.” This is a basic universal truth. People desire to be successful. This is especially true of leaders such as pastors, church planters, and missionaries. In our own eyes, the eyes of our colleagues, and especially in the eyes of God we want to have done well.

So, we need to ask the question as it relates to church planting, “What is success for a church planter?” The answer might seem self-evident . . . planting a church. But do we really believe that planting a church, no matter how it is done, is success?

A series of articles over the next few pages examines the relationship between evangelism and church planting. Tim Keener reminds us that it is possible to have church planting without evangelism. While this might fulfill the objective of planting a church, it makes little impact on the culture, and does little to advance the Kingdom.

An article by Tim Awtrey describes evangelism without church planting. This approach threatens to short-circuit the discipleship process for new converts, and, if continued, brings into question the sustainability of individual life and cultural transformation.

The biblical model makes it clear that the growth of the Christian Faith is accomplished through a systematic plan of planting fellowships of believers [i.e. churches] all over the world and among every people group. The relationship, then, between evangelism and church planting is clear. Church planting that advances the Kingdom and transforms cultures is done through evangelism.

Church planting describes the whole cycle from seed to maturity. People are called into God's kingdom, grow, and multiply. Since these goals clearly align themselves with Scripture, we should look forward to God enabling us to be part of the process where churches come into being through evangelism, grow, and then duplicate themselves.

A marked difference exists between churches planted predominantly as a result of evangelistic efforts, and those that come into being and grow through transfer growth. At least six significant benefits can be found to churches built through the conversion process.

Six Benefits of Church Planting Through Evangelism

1. It expands the Kingdom instead of rearranging it. I recently met with Dennis Pethers, the founder of a ministry known as Viz-A-Viz based in Essex, England. Dennis came to Christ from a family with no church history at all. Eventually, he went into the ministry and became pastor of a small church of 14 people. As a pastor, he made the decision to reject transfer membership; only those who had been converted as a result of the ministry of the church could receive membership.

He acknowledged that this might not seem a good strategy for church growth. However, when the church went from 14 people to 70 (all through conversion growth) in just two years, it became evident his evangelistic ministry was truly expanding the Kingdom, not just rearranging the chairs.

In his book Stealing Sheep: The Church's Hidden Problems of Transfer Growth, Australian William Muehlenberg argues that transfer growth is wrong and should be discontinued. In a nutshell, he contends that transfer growth gives a false view of the state of the Church; devalues evangelism; promotes individualism instead of body life; and detracts from the kingdom of God by exalting individual ministries.

2. It avoids an early collection of the discontented. Anywhere in the world that evangelical presence is found, an almost certain danger faces a church planter. As word circulates about the new church, eager believers almost always appear out of nowhere. Often, they seem to be just what the church planter has been praying for—someone to help him start the church. Perhaps it would be good to ask, “If this is such a fine and talented Christian, why is it he is not already serving in another church?”

Often these individuals turn out to be akin to the group which gathered around David in 1 Samuel 22 when he was running from Saul: “And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him.”

If the goal is simply to plant a church, a seductive appeal to accept anyone who comes and is willing to help is undeniable. “Those hasty resolves,” as Matthew Henry would say, “often make for a long and leisurely repentance.” This is far less likely to happen if a passion and strategy to reach the lost through evangelism is the focus from the beginning.

3. New converts are energized. As a general rule, new converts bring excitement rather than disillusionment. A new church filled with recent converts is like an incubator. It is an ideal environment, suitable for the newborn as well as conducive for others to be born. A congregation made up of transfers can feel like a refrigerator where the frozen chosen continue to solidify.

4. New converts generally are appreciative and loyal. All of us remember those God used along our journey to faith. A life-long bond occurs for those who reached out and helped us understand the Truth. Scripture illustrates this in Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. Strong churches are built on strong relationships and trust. In contrast, people just looking for “another new church” are likely not to have or develop strong relationships.

5. New converts have connections to people who are lost. One of the most exciting things about new converts is that, in most cases, their relationships have been predominantly, or even exclusively, outside of the church. Evangelism is best accomplished through relationships. As new converts are discipled, they experience a natural desire to share their faith through those networks of relationships.

6. Those who have recently come to faith in Christ understand the value of being outwardly focused. It is extremely easy for churches and individuals to become inwardly focused. This danger is present, of course, for believers who have recently come to faith in Christ. It is, however, far more likely for a church-hopper to be inwardly focused. Many times, they jump from church to church looking for a place where they can exert influence or fulfill their basic needs for enjoyment of activities, prestige, or power.

On the other hand, the person who has just felt the load of sin removed is far more likely to exert his influence to encourage others to experience that same joy. This will be reflected in how he approaches prayer, and how he views personal and church financial priorities.

In The Church on Purpose, Joe S. Ellis says, “The church is both the product of God’s purpose [evangelism] and the means of achieving it. The church is divinely energized in order that it may accomplish its God-given purpose; and, conversely, it is divinely energized to the degree that it pursues that purpose.”

The gene pool from which a church is birthed will continue to influence its growth, development, and character as it moves forward. A church birthed by transfer memberships of disgruntled worshippers will draw like-minded people, and will lose them as they eventually transfer to newer works. But a church founded with new converts will continue to grow and to reach the lost.

So, what is success for a church planter? Planting a church through evangelism that results in the conversion of the lost!

About the Writer: James Forlines is director of Free Will Baptist International Missions. Learn more at www.fwbgo.com.