Planting Churches Together tagged: , , ,

Planting Churches Together

Posted by in Baptist Life, Bible & Theology

In discussions that have taken place over the past several years regarding “Baptist Identity,” Christian unity, and cooperation in ministry, one of the main “taboos” often expressed from those defending the “BI” side of things is planting churches together with fellow believers who are not “Baptists,” or (from the viewpoint of some) who do not agree on every single point of the Baptist Faith & Message. It has been stated by some that “it is okay to do ‘good works’ ministry together with others, it is okay to pray together with others, and it is okay to evangelize together with others (though some have even voiced their discrepancy on this point), but whatever you do, don’t plant churches together with those who aren’t good dyed-in-the-wool bona fide Baptists.”

Having engaged in various aspects of church planting ministry for over 20 years with various organizations and in various contexts in other countries, I feel I have a bit of experience and insight to speak to this question. That is not to say that my opinion is infallible. I can certainly stand to learn a lot more about practically any topic, including that of planting churches together overseas. However, I think my personal experience helps me to understand some things that many without similar experience may often overlook.

I will come out up front and say I agree there are certain church planting contexts and situations in which it is neither advisable nor productive to try to work together with those of different beliefs, philosophies, and practices. This is many times a matter of plain common sense. Sometimes, there are personality clashes and questions of style and preference that get in the way of fruitful church planting cooperation. Some people have strong convictions on this point or that point that tend to get in the way of working too closely with those who don’t have the same convictions. (I have written about this previously here and here.) However, I think that if we make a flat out, incontestable prohibition of planting churches together with believers from other backgrounds and beliefs, we will be making a big strategic error that can end up getting in the way of what God is doing in many places around the world.

From my perspective, a big part of the problem leading to conflicting opinions on this question is different presuppositions regarding what church planting ministry, especially in the context of the IMB, actually involves. I believe that many people who have never had in-depth first-hand experience on the international mission field tend to conflate the positions of missionary church planter and local church pastor. From what I have observed, most “church planters” in the States are also the de facto founding pastors of the churches they are planting. In many, if not most, church planting contexts in which the IMB is presently involved, however, missionaries are discouraged from taking on pastoral responsibilities in local congregations, whether they be new church plants or not. The emphasis is on catalytic or apostolic as opposed to pastoral church planting. (See here and here for some interesting, though not entirely consistent definitions of these terms). In such contexts, planting churches together with someone else may mean many different things.

Also, I believe an artificial division is often made between “church planting ministry” and other aspects of missionary ministry. From my experience, “church planting ministry” is a composite of prayer, “good works” ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training. Thus, to say it is okay to pray, do “good works,” evangelize, disciple, or train leaders together with so-and-so, but not plant a church together with them, is a red herring. It is a false dichotomy. Admittedly, there is prayer, “good works” ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training that doesn’t directly tie in to church planting. But, there is no authentic biblical church planting that is not composed, at the core, of prayer, “good works” ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training. And in practice, on the “mission field,” it has been my experience that almost all prayer, “good works” ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training is done more effectively in cooperation with other believers.

I, for example, have been involved in numerous joint prayer meetings in which believers from different churches and backgrounds were praying for new churches to be planted, and waging spiritual warfare in unity before the Lord, against the spiritual forces that were keeping that from happening. I have sponsored prayer-walking teams in which we visited pastors and church planters from various backgrounds and prayed together with them for spiritual breakthrough in the specific area in which they were working. I have sent out prayer letters and prayer information to prayer partners around the world who joined together with us in the task of prayer for spiritual breakthrough specifically in the area of church planting. Personally, I believe that, in an important sense, all of these were involved in planting churches together with me.

I have also participated in evangelistic campaigns in which believers from different places, churches, and backgrounds worked together to proclaim the gospel for a week, two weeks, or several months. I have invited others to come in and participate with me in similar ventures. From my perspective of church planting, I would say we were all planting churches together in each of these different instances.

The same can be said for “good works” ministry, discipleship, and various aspects of leadership training.

I can give you many examples where planting churches together, even on a longer-term basis, was the only thing that made sense. In one town of 8,000 people in southern Spain, there was one evangelical family (who happened to be Baptists) and one evangelical single lady (who happened to be Pentecostal). They had previously been saved at churches of their own denominations in other places in Spain, and came to live in this town due to work considerations. They were thrilled to meet each other, and began to meet together to pray, study the Bible, and worship God in their homes. I, as the local Baptist missionary in the region, met together with them once or twice a month in order to encourage them, and teach them the Word of God. We felt God was leading us to plant a church together in this town. In a sense, I would say that, from the first day they began to meet together to pray, study the Bible, and worship God, they already were the church in that town, and were already planting the church together. Perhaps it would be more correct to say we were watering together what had already been planted.

In any case, the idea I get from some is that, as an IMB missionary, I should have told this Baptist couple that, if they wanted me to visit, encourage, and help them to evangelize and plant God’s church in the town in which they were living, they would first of all have to stop meeting together with this Pentecostal sister, and/or tell her, if she wanted to be involved in planting a church there, she would either have to change her denominational status and beliefs, or plant a separate Pentecostal church. Imagine that! 8,000 people, 3 believers, and 2 different evangelical churches! Does that make any sense? I can tell you that, in this staunchly Roman Catholic town, with many prejudices against anything not Roman Catholic, it would have been the worst thing possible for the testimony of the gospel!

Now, it would not be honest of me, if I were to tell you this situation never caused any difficulties or problems. There were doctrinal differences to be discussed. There were questions of who was “in charge” and who made decisions about “church budget,” and so forth. But these matters were talked through, and God’s work went forward. And today a small congregation exists in that town that is able to be a spiritual lighthouse to the lost majority.

Many may be tempted to think that this situation is unique, or a rare exception to the rule. I don’t know about some places around the world. But I can tell you that in the areas of Spain in which I have worked, it is not unusual at all. I could tell various stories, some in which I have been personally involved, and others I know about from talking to others, in which very similar circumstances have existed.

Another project in which I have had the privilege to participate was working together with several others on the founding of an interdenominational church planting training program, based on the Omega Course materials. This project (which, unfortunately, has still not been brought to fruition) was to  involve bringing people together weekly, biweekly, or monthly, from various churches who were involved in various individual church plants, to go over a basic church planting curriculum, share experiences, encourage, and mentor one another, in the task of church planting. In this program, individual church planting teams were to cooperate together with those from their own church or denomination on a local level, and work out doctrinal matters not treated in the generally evangelical Omega Course materials, amongst themselves, under the supervision of a local pastor or church planting coach.

Other efforts in which I have been involved, such as the DAWN (Discipling a Whole Nation) Movement, regional Evangelical Councils, etc. promote setting joint goals for planting churches, and strategizing together to see to it that church planting efforts are taking place in every locality and among every people group segment.

It has been a big blessing in my life to plant churches together in various aspects and through various approaches with brothers and sisters in Christ from different denominational (or non-denominational) backgrounds. I believe God blesses when his people work together in unity. Sometimes, it is more practical to work on certain projects separately, though side by side, blessing one another. But sometimes, it makes more sense to work together.

In some places, the only alternative to planting churches together with those who differ with us on this or that is working all by ourselves. In some places, local Baptists are less compatible doctrinally with us than some of those from other evangelical groups. In some places, there are no other “Baptists” with which to cooperate.

As Baptists, we can decide that it is more important to keep our ecclesiology pure, and not mix at all with believers who dot their ‘i’s or cross their ‘t’s differently from us on this or that. We can decide to do things on our own, even if there are sincere, Bible-believing, born-again brothers and sisters in Christ down the street in otherwise unevangelized places who would love to work together with us.

But I don’t believe that is the wisest, most strategic, nor most Christ-glorifying way to work. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have to back down on our own beliefs or convictions. In all my experiences planting churches together with believers from other backgrounds, I have never been asked to change my beliefs. Yes, things can get messy at times. But, isn’t that what life and ministry are about, anyway? I believe it is good to talk openly and think strategically and practically about these questions. It is good to study what the Bible teaches about ecclesiology and doctrine, and know why we believe what we believe and why we do things the way we choose do them. There are many different situations, though, and what works in one situation may not necessarily work the best in another. I also believe that, in the vast majority of the cases, IMB missionaries are doctrinally sound enough, and spiritually discerning enough, to sort things like this out for themselves whenever they come up on the “mission field.”