Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Orlando, FL with six other church church planters from the great state of Kentucky to the Exponential conference (or the National New Church Conference). It was the most encouraging week I have experienced since the start of our plans to plant Horizon. Not only did I get to share stories with other church planters, but I was reminded of why I am so passionate about planting this church; to see people who are lost in this crazy world come to know a God who loves them.
More than just the basics of encouragement I was also challenged by the ideas presented. You see, in many my mindset towards being a church planter has been this: “When Horizon ceases to be a church plant, I will cease to be a church planter.” And while my plans are to stay with Horizon long after it ceases to be a church plant, I learned this week that I can NEVER cease to be a church planter. Because the second I get comfortable with my situation, and the church I helped to plant, and stop focusing on creating more churches to do just what Horizon will be doing, then that’s the second that the devil wins.
Planting churches is not about being a part of something new, exciting, and inspiring (though it is all of those things). It’s about filling a gap and meeting a need that the people of this world have in one specific geographic region. And if we as ministers, pastors, and Christ followers ever stop trying to create that for more people, then we have blown the whole point for our existence. We exist to spread the Gospel message to the world.
Here’s a few questions directed straight at pastors, ministers, and church leaders that I think we all ought to consider: What is your church doing to ensure that real churches exist in every corner of this nation? How are you actively involved the process of church multiplication?