At mgpc we’re pursuing the principle that healthy churches have an interest in other local churches that are growing towards viability.
In other words, we actively support a church plant.
The ways we express that may vary over time.
Presently we’re partnering with a church in Adelaide.
In this post on Daryl Dash’s blog the following suggestions are excerpted from a book by J.D. Payne.
- calling out missionaries who will consider church planting as a ministry option;
- providing ongoing prayer support for church plants and church planters;
- encouragement and association with the church planting team;
- pastoral mentoring and accountabliity;
- training, such as paying for planters to attend conferences and training events;
- resources and financial help;
- constant recognition of the church planters.
Among the goals of the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s Mission To Australia I hope we can convince all our local churches that supporting church planting is not second-mile work, is not an optional extra, but is a key marker of what it is to be a healthy local church.
You never know.
Maybe some flourishing, forward-looking church somewhere will contact us in Mount Gambier and offer some support and resources to help us grow a second congregation or a local church plant.
It would be an answer to prayer.
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