There is a church planting movement happening right now all around the world. It is causing a rapid multiplication of new disciples of Christ across denominational lines and cultural divides. God is raising up a new generation of church planters who have a bold vision and a sincere passion to plant new churches to reach the world for Christ. Some are called to plant churches in cities, some in the suburbs, some in small towns and others in out of the way villages in remote parts of the world. There are new churches waiting to be started by those who dare to step outside of the box and follow God’s call to plant new churches in the 21st century.
There are many different types of church plants: Missional, multi-site, ancient-future, multicultural, urban, and house church to name a few. Planting culturally relevant churches in the 21st century is one of the best ways to reproduce disciples through rapid multiplication. It takes different kinds of churches to reach different communities and cities for Christ. We need churches that will reach urban, suburban, and rural communities.
One size does not fit all and one church cannot win all. It takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people. The key is that the church needs to be Christ-centered and culturally relevant to whatever community or culture that they are called to serve through planting. It is important to take into consideration the culture, race, and ethnicity of the culture in which you plan to plant a church.
There are many ways to plant a church and no one way is the only way. In fact, there are numerous ways that people can and do plant churches. For instance, some people choose to plant as a team, while others may choose to plant as a solo church planter.
It will take all kinds of new churches to reach all types of people for Christ. The church is like a mosaic or tapestry that is made up of many colors. Each piece makes it a beautiful masterpiece. Today there are many different expressions and types of church plants. Some new churches meet in buildings while others meet in homes. Some church plants meet in bowling alleys, funeral homes, YMCA’s, schools, and some even meet outdoors. Some new churches are traditional, some are contemporary, and some are home fellowships. A commonality is that each new congregation of believers is gathered in a local expression of being the church wherever they are.
The church in Africa looks different than the church in Texas because each one is called to be the church in their unique context and culture. One of the best experiences of my life was spending a summer traveling across the countryside of Peru. I was able to visit and worship with dozens of different new churches throughout the country– churches in cities, jungles, and the Andes Mountains. Each of the churches was a little different, however they all had one thing in common: they worshiped Jesus Christ and were reaching the lost!