Church planting FAQ

What does church planting look like in the LCA/NZ?

What is a sending church?

A sending church is a ‘mother’ church.
It both nurtures the missional communities from which the church planting team is formed, and supports the ‘toddler’ church until it is formally launched as its own entity.
And at that time, the ‘daughter’ church is already planning to plant again! (As, we hope, will be the ‘mother’ church!)
The first phase of sending church preparation is all about the missional leadership of the congregation; the second phase rolls that out to the wider congregation; and the third phase develops missional communities from which the church planning team(s) will be formed.
Research also shows that sending churches receive an enormously positive benefit from the church planting venture. They are renewed as they plant new.
The sending church journey is described in the booklet Church Planting: Plant Water Grow.

What is a partner church?

Not all congregations are able to be a sending church (though, surprisingly, it’s not the biggest and best resourced congregations which always make good sending churches!).
Partner churches are just that, partners in the mission of church planting.
That partnership is expressed in prayer, practical support, personal relationships, and participating in ministry support of the new churches that are planted.
Our goal is to see every congregation in the LCA/NZ understand itself as either a sending church or a partner church.
For more info about partner churches see Partner Churches.

Where do the people who make up the new churches come from?

Very simply, by the Lord calling people into faith through the gospel. The aim is conversion growth by seeing not-yet-Christian people come to full faith in Jesus.
Currently, the LCA/NZ churches have a low newcomer (ie conversion) rate compared to other Australian denominations. We’re not generally used to seeing large numbers of new adult believers join our churches. This is what we believe will change.
We believe that a movement is underway to see that change; so we ask you to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers, because 'the harvest is plentiful; the workers are few'.

Planting 230 churches in ten years. Isn’t that ambitious?

Actually, no. It’s impossible.
That’s why we need your prayers, participation and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
International research indicates that denominations need to plant new congregations at a rate of 3% per year, just to stay still. We’ve been in sharp and accelerating decline for so long that such a figure would make little impact.
The vision is as bold as it is because it needs to be. Let’s not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in this.
A missional culture change is underway and we are confident that the LCA/NZ will see a growth of sending churches and partner churches and a corresponding growth of church plants. Come join the missional movement!

The LCA/NZ church planted in the 70s and 80s by calling a pastor to start a new congregation in a housing estate or growing suburb. Does that method still work?

Research and experience indicate that the ‘let’s build a church and they will come’ approach no longer works in our post-Christian secular society.
It still all about relationships and relationships happen anywhere and everywhere.
Hence the relational evangelism approach is about living in such a way that your faith is obvious PLUS being intentional in talking about the gospel in the context of intentional and authentic relationships.

Isn’t this just another program? We’ve tried so many.

No, it’s not another program. Unlike revival rallies (think Billy Graham) or learning a gospel script by heart (like a sort of gospel download with little relational connection to the audience) or other off-the-shelf packages, church planting is the long haul process of bringing people to Christ and growing them in Christ by relational engagement and community formation.
The aim is to plant churches that plant churches.
That means the ‘DNA’ of the church is changed so that the church becomes a community that truly reaches out, rather than simply aiming to please its membership.

Why is equipping the laity important?

Pastors are busy people. Many pastors may wish to spend their time in evangelising; however, the nature of congregational ministry means that they spend much of their time in pastoral care.
Let’s allow pastors to do what they do best – to pastor and shepherd the congregation. It is the role of the lay people (of all people) to share the hope we have in Christ.
It clearly reflects the New Testament pattern: the spontaneous expansion of the church through the ministry of the ‘non-professionals’.
Clearly the pastors have a key role in this – not least in the sending congregations where they become facilitators for equipping and training as well as key agents in the missional leadership of the congregation.

Who is going to lead our church plants?

The leaders of the church plant will emerge as a result of the training and the support provided to the sending church.
The LCA/NZ is actively developing pathways for new leaders, identified by gifting, to receive training. They also receive on the ground mentoring.
The sending church remains the body that has oversight of the church plant until such time as the church plant wishes to be a congregation in its own right.
We’ve already seen a significant number of young church planters identified within the LCA, and we expect that to increase in the coming years.

How can my congregation get involved in church planting?

Resources

Our Church in Mission – adopted by General Convention of Synod, 2003

bring Jesus – a series of articles, with study guides, from The Lutheran, 2014–2015, by Pastor Steen Olsen, SA–NT Mission Director: Read the column | Download the book with study guides

Renewal needs courage and imagination – full text of article from The Lutheran, April 2018

The parable of the surf school and the young surfer – presentation given by Nathan Hedt, General Pastors Conference, July 2018

Re-visioning evangelism in the LCA – article from the December 2018 edition of the Lutheran Theological Journal

New & Renewing Churches

What we do

We assist churches to begin, evaluate or progress their journey in church planting. We work with church leaders and pastors to build church planting capacity. We provide resources, training opportunities, conferences and a supportive network for church planters and missional communities. By so doing we aim to mobilise the whole church to participate in the work of seeing new believers come to Christ. The aim is to see mature churches that plant churches as the norm.

We work with local congregations and agencies of the church to help them assess opportunities for church planting and we provide mentorship for church leaders and pastors as they embark on this journey. We walk with missional communities and church planters as they establish new groups of believers. This is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach, and it is definitely not another program. We aim to help local congregations and agencies discern what the Spirit is saying to them as they seek to follow him into the world which he has already claimed as his own and in which he is already at work.

Ambitious? Absolutely!

New and Renewing Churches exists to serve the kingdom of God by facilitating church planting and renewal. International research indicates that denominations need to plant new congregations at a rate of 3% per year, just to stay still. Our new goal is one of growth, not maintenance. We desire for a 5% growth in congregations and that equates to 23 new churches per year. Ambitious? Absolutely. But let’s not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. Find out more about church planting in the LCA by going to the Frequently Asked Questions on the left side of this page.

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We are one of five departments in the LCA Local Mission office. Partnering with us in mission are: