Why Plant Churches?
“Why plant a church?!”
That’s a frequently asked question (but not the most frequently asked — I’ll get to that one soon…)
So why plant a church?
Because there is a God who is worthy of our worship…
…who calls us to raise up faithful followers of Jesus…
…followers of Jesus who love God and their neighbor…
…so that the good kingdom of God extends in the world, on earth as it is in heaven.
And it’s the Church who God calls together to worship him, to be formed as followers of Jesus, and to go out on mission in the world.
“But aren’t there enough churches?!”
Another frequently asked question! (still not the most frequently asked…)
Like everywhere, participation in the Church in Memphis is plummeting. People are walking away from God. More and more people have never even heard the good news of Jesus.
Data shows that planting churches is THE MOST EFFECTIVE way to connect people with God.
Here’s how Tim Keller puts it: “A vigorous and continuous approach to church planting is the only way to guarantee an increase in the number of believers, and is one of the best ways to renew the whole body of Christ.”
The most frequently asked question…
“But why plant an Anglican Church? Angli-what?!”
What even is Anglican? What’s with the kneeling and bowing and crossing? I’m excited to share more about the beauty of the Anglican tradition soon (check out this upcoming event!). For now, here’s a quick response.
Why plant an Anglican church in Memphis?
I believe that planting churches in the Anglican tradition is especially effective in helping us worship God in God-honoring ways, raise up faithful followers of Jesus, and grow in us a love for God and neighbor.
In our cultural moment, we’re increasingly isolated. Our hearts crave connection. The Anglican way connects us to the Church throughout time and throughout the world. It transcends our particular time and place. It gives us worship practices that are participatory, that connect us to God and one another. The Anglican tradition gives us ancient ways of following Jesus that are proven and time-tested. In our rootless age, these ancient paths root us to something deep and true.
Here’s a book I recently read that does a good job tying together these ideas.
Will you help plant this church?
Pray. Will you pray right now for the Haltoms and all that’s going into the upcoming months? Please pray also that God will raise up the right people to help launch this new church.
Give. We’re relying mostly on individual donors to help with startup funds. Click here to give a one-time or recurring financial gift.
Help launch a new church! If you want to hear about participating in the church plant core team that helps launch this new church, let me know. Click here to send me an email.
