Church Multiplication Begins with Middle C 3

I can’t read Hebrew; it is too hard.

So, the professor begins his class with, “Let’s not attempt to read the book of 1 Chronicles today, but let’s start with the Hebrew alphabet.”

Dad, I can’t ride your bike; it is too big.

So, the father begins with, “Maybe we need to get a bike that is more appropriate for a four year old.”

There is no way I will ever be able to play Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca”?

So, the instructor begins the first lesson with, “We should probably start with Middle C today.”

As leaders, we often fail to teach our people to see the multiplication of churches across a people group or population segment as a series of small steps.  We rightly cast a vision for church multiplication, but we often leave them with the big picture.  We must understand that the big is made up of the small. We must help them to see their role in the small that leads to the big. It is difficult for the saints to do the work of the ministry, if they suffer from paralysis of the big picture.

If you have read my writings or heard me speak, you know that I hold to the definition that church planting is evangelism that results in new churches.  Can churches be planted by transfer growth? Yes. Can churches be planted by gathering long term Kingdom citizens together to begin a new church? Yes.  Can churches be started by church splits? Yes.

However, we are not told to plant churches in the Bible.  We are told to make disciples.  And as we examine the New Testament, we quickly observe that the birth of churches involves laboring in the harvest fields and beginning the churches with new believers from those fields (e.g., Acts 13-14; 1 Thes 1:1-10).

We can’t plant churches.  It took us 30 years to be the church we are today. There is no way we can do this again by next year.

We can’t plant churches.  We are accountants, baby-sitters, mechanics, teachers, clerks, and contractors. You are the one who has all the years of religious education and training. Let’s get the high caliber people to do it.

We can’t plant churches.  Our annual budget is one million dollars. We don’t have that much to give to a daughter church.

Pastors, if you want to lead your church in the multiplication of churches, begin with Middle C.

In my next post I plan to address the small steps involved in moving from evangelism in the fields to churches planted.

(Image credit: Microsoft Office)