Preaching + Teaching = Church Planting

By Clint Morgan

I love hearing about churches being planted around the world. Whether the new works emerge in Africa, Pakistan, or the United States, I rejoice over what God is doing through His faithful servants.

At Free Will Baptist International Missions, we are committed to seeing churches planted. In new missionaries’ pre-field training, we emphasize a church-planting plan as clearly defined in the passages known as the Great Commission. In very simple terms, this plan can be stated as:

Evangelism + Discipleship = Church Planting

Sometimes we have a “cart-before-the-horse” application of the Great Commission. Preachers and speakers often use these passages to declare our primary task is to plant churches.

However, the weight of the biblical command found in these passages (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19, 20) leans toward preaching (evangelism) and teaching (discipleship). Some translations render teach all nations as make disciples.

True disciples will want to worship, fellowship, and network with other disciples to fulfill the functions of the Body of Christ as prescribed in the Scriptures. This community of believers will covenant together to function in a way that is biblically sound, Christ centered, and culturally relevant. Good discipleship produces a vibrant, spiritual entity of Christ followers. The Bible defines this as a church.

The narratives of the early church reveal this pattern of church multiplication. In the first 50 years of Christianity, new churches emerged in every corner of the then-known world. The strength of the early Christians was obedience to the mandate to go, preach, and make disciples.

Ultimately, we know it is God who multiplies the church. We as believers are simply laborers together to fulfill His purpose. In Acts 2:47 we are told the Lord added to the church daily.

The rapid growth was not tied to numbers, but solidified by the ongoing strengthening of believers that resulted in church multiplication. We see this process clearly revealed in Acts 9:31 and 16:5, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified…so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in numbers daily."

We are looking for men and women who understand this plan and are committed to nothing less than winning the lost, discipling new believers, and seeing these converts gather as a God-honoring community resolved to live in obedience to the Holy Spirit every day. Visit www.fwbgo.com to find out more about Free Will Baptist missions efforts around the world.

About the Writer: Clint Morgan has been general director of International Missions since 2011. Learn more: www.fwbgo.com.