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You are here: Home / Redeeming Church / Wanted: Free Grace Church Planting – Part 2

Wanted: Free Grace Church Planting – Part 2

By Jeremy Myers
3 Comments

Wanted: Free Grace Church Planting – Part 2

church plantingThe previous post talked about how there are lots of church planting networks, but many of them are opposed to Free Grace Theology.

The question could be asked why we even need new churches.

Why we Need New Churches

Many believe that there are already too many churches and it is better to revitalize and support existing churches rather than plant new ones.

Here are one way of explaining it (I pulled this from ThinkChristian.net):

1. There are 195 million non-churched people in America, making America one of the top four largest “unchurched” nations in the world.
2. In spite of the rise of mega-churches, no county in America has a greater church population than it did ten years ago.
3. During the last ten years, combined communicant membership of all Protestant denominations declined by 9.5 percent (4,498,242), while the national population increased by 11.4 percent (24,153,000).
4. Each year 3,500 to 4,000 churches close their doors forever; yet only as many as 1,500 new churches are started.
5. There are now nearly 60 percent fewer churches per 10,000 persons than in 1920.

  • In 1920 27 churches existed for every 10,000 Americans.
  • In 1950 17 churches existed for every 10,000 Americans.
  • In 1996 11 churches existed for every 10,000 Americans.

6. Today, of the approximately 350,000 churches in America, four out of five are either plateaued or declining.
7. American denomination recently found that 80% of its converts came to Christ in churches less than two years old.
8. Hence the claim of many leaders: “The single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches” (Peter Wagner).

Just for fun, I found a quick map that gives a generalized picture of religious adherents in the US from 2000:

Religious Adherents

The map is from a page on Valparaiso University’s web site called American Ethnic Geography.

Population Growth is Outpacing Church Growth

There may be lots of churches today, but there are LOTS more people, and the number of churches per person is decreasing. Some might argue that this is because small churches are closing and the people are going to mega-churches, which is true. But it is becoming increasingly obvious that many mega-churches are not doing a better job than smaller churches of making disciples of the people who attend.

Most importantly, is that new church plants tend to be much more effective and efficient at reaching out to unbelievers. For this reason alone, we need to get involved in and excited about church planting.


God is Redeeming Church Bible & Theology Topics: Church planting, Discipleship, free grace

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  1. andrewrmcneill says

    November 19, 2007 at 12:39 pm

    I totally agree with you Jeremy about the need for FG church-plants. The spread of the FG message would significantly increase with more church-plants which is something that can only be good!

    God bless you Jeremy,
    Andrew

    Reply
  2. David L says

    November 19, 2007 at 2:25 pm

    The map of religious adherents is a little misleading, since many of the places that seem to have the most religious adherents might actually be the places of greatest need. Look at Utah for example. It has some of the highest stats, but we know that most of them are Mormon.

    Nevertheless, church planting is the way to go for outreach. I have often thought that some churches should dump their “outreach” budget and put it into “church planting.” This might get more “bang for their buck” in reaching lost people.

    Reply
  3. DANIEL SOAWH says

    August 25, 2008 at 6:45 am

    salute you ministers of the gospel.
    How is the ministry? God bless you all for all the good works you are doing for the lord
    The bible said whosoever shall lose families, houses, wifes and land, shall receive a hundredfold in the next world to come.
    Never forget that our labour in the lord shall never and ever be in vain.

    Paul said the sufferings of this world are not worthy to be compare with the glory that shall be reveal in us.

    My name is Daniel sowah, the president of WIN THE LOST GLOBAL MISSIONARIES.
    WLGM is an evangelistic ministry comprising a group of covenant people that have given their lives for the preaching of the cross.it works in conjunction with community housing, human development agency and social help. our head guitars is at Ghana.
    And we at the moment in Ghana.

    The WIN THE LOST GLOBAL MISSIONARIES WOULD LIKE TO ENTER INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU..
    SO THAT WE CAN BE GOING FOR MISSIONS TOGETHER, SHARING IDEAS TOGETHER AND LEARN FROM EACH OTHER.
    TOGETHER WE CAN REACH OUT TO THE LOST SOULS
    As the bible says ‘two heads are better than one’

    HOPING TO HEAR FAVOURABLY FROM YOU
    DANIEL SOWAH.

    Reply

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