Sending out a church planter can be one of the most exhilarating experiences for a church. But a sending church needs a sending culture. One way to identify a church’s current posture toward church planting is to listen to the questions members ask. 

Cultivating a planting-friendly culture takes a mindset shift.

How can churches move from asking, “Why are we planting a new church when we have open seats here?” to asking, “Who could we send? Where do we plant next? What can we do to raise up planters?” 

Pastors and leaders can take some practical steps to train members to think about church planting and experience parts of what it takes to plant a church. Here are six ideas.

  1. Pray regularly in your weekend services for church planters. Make it a habit to pray for different church planters, so members think about them often and have them on their minds and hearts. They then can remember to pray for them throughout the week too.
  2. Incorporate facts in newsletters, staff meetings and weekly bulletins about the need for new churches. Include statistics about your community’s population and growth.
  3. Preach messages to theologically ground people in biblical missiology about multiplication. The gospel compels us toward the Great Commission.
  4. Build into the church calendar an offering emphasis around church planting, such as the North Carolina Missions Offering and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.
  5. Create a Church Planting line item in the church budget. Commit resources to church planting efforts.
  6. Adopt a church planter. For many churches, their first step toward becoming a Sending Church is through adopting a planter who is not a member of your church. Get to know a church planter’s family, their joys and their challenges.

Church planters need multiple N.C. Baptist churches working together to advocate for and celebrate their efforts. These partnerships help N.C. Baptists plant healthy, gospel-teaching, reproducing churches — and catalyze a reproducing church movement from the mountains to the coast.

by NC Baptist Communications