Where to Plant a Church (3 of 5)
Factor #3: Plant a church in a needy place.
When trying to assess the need of an area, we may find the following two things to be true:
- Everywhere is needier than we think.
- Nowhere is as needy as we think.
Those might seem to be opposing statements, so here is what they mean.
- It is almost impossible for us to find a place on this planet where people have heard nothing of Christ and where no evangelist has ever gone before.
- It is also true, however, that everywhere has a great need for the gospel. Even in the most “evangelized” places of the world, with many great churches, there will still be some people who are not being reached for Christ.
So as we seek to identify needy areas, we should consider both who is already there preaching the gospel and then remember that no matter how much work is being done more work needs to be done.
When assessing need, here are some things to consider:
- Where are there already likeminded Bible-believing churches?
- Are those churches actively involved in reaching their communities with the gospel?
- Where are there other churches with whom you might have some doctrinal disagreements but which are preaching the gospel?
- What areas have the least amount of gospel witness?
Sometimes church-planters choose a country to go to or an area to plant a church without doing much research to determine the neediest areas. Often where we go has more to do with feelings, emotions, and circumstances than good, hard facts.
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