Church Planting | Thirsty people need a place to come together to serve, love, believe, grow.
The Church is central to Christian growth and service. We'd be doing believers a disservice if we merely discipled them apart from the context of a Christian church family. In addition to Christian growth, we also believe the Church is essential in the process of reaching the community. In particular, our African cultural context is one where the local Church is indispensable in reaching our various ministry goals.
Cultural Challenges
Our culture also poses some unique challenges as we plant churches. Many cultural barriers and misconceptions about "leadership" or one's "view of God" or "women's roles" are considerations we must deal with from a Biblical perspective. In Africa, there's also a pervasive spirit of ancestral worship that collides with Christian faith and practice.
Church Planting Models
There are different models of church planting that we use depending on the local conditions. For example, a church plant in a rural area may begin with approaching the chief or headman and working closely with them to announce that a church will be starting. In contrast, a church begun in a township can begin with believers singing on a street corner and drawing a crowd. Different still, is a city church where the building of relationships over time is the way to gain trust and acceptance so that a community is open to a new church.
Community Impact
Whatever the model, whatever the challenges, one thing remains constant: the Church is a vital family unit that gains strength as believers grow and impacts a community like no other organization.
"...whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become
in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14