“Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven”
We want to be a church planting church. Our hope and dream is to see more churches planted in Midtown, Memphis and beyond. And we are humbly and expectantly asking God to use Redeemer as He sees fit to bring this vision about.
Church Planting FAQs:
(1) What is a church plant?
In short, a church plant is the establishment of a new congregation of Christians in a city. This is different from a ‘satellite church,’ a second location that streams in the service from the mother church. A church plant is the establishment of a new church with its own local pastor and staff, its own particular identity, and its own unique mission to a specific area.
(2) Why plant??
First, because God loves Memphis. God is on mission to create a people for Himself and for His glory. And throughout Scripture we see how God’s heart particularly longs for entire cities to know Him and to flourish under His reign. Here are three cities mentioned in Scripture, by way of example:
Nineveh: And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle? (Jonah 4:11).
Babylon: But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7).
Jerusalem: And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:41-42).
God loves Memphis. And He has been at work in our city since its inception. As a church, it is our responsibility to join in what God is already doing. And we do so because His Church - comprised of local churches around the world - is the vehicle through which He will continue to ransom, redeem, reconcile and rescue a people for Himself. One way that we can do that is through planting more churches. Multiplying churches in cities is a critical piece of what God is accomplishing in the world. The point is not for Redeemer to have another site; the point is reaching the hurting and the needy. The point is not about Redeemer’s name and fame; the point is Jesus’ name and fame. In joining God’s mission in this particular way, our hope is no less than reaching Memphis with the gospel.
Second, because it is strategic. Church planting has proven to be exponentially more effective than simply building a bigger church. Peter Wagner said, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.” In other words, multiplication is more strategic and covers more ground for the kingdom than addition. Having more churches creates more overall impact than having fewer, larger churches. We believe it is more strategic to be a ‘multiplying church’ (a church actively moving toward outsiders) than to be a ‘monument church’ (a church passively waiting for outsiders to come to us).
Consider the famous legend about the inventor of the game ‘chess.’ As a reward for his invention, he was offered one free wish by the king of India. As a most “modest” reward, he wished just for a kernel of rice on the first square of the chessboard to be squared (multiplied by itself) for every section of the chessboard—sixty-four sections in all. That will mean two kernels on the second square, four kernels on the third, sixteen on the forth, and so on. The king, who had initially smiled on it, thinking that he would get off lightly, simply could not grant the wish. He would have to produce 2⁶³ kernels of rice, which is 2,223,372,036,000,000,000 kernels, or 153 billion tons of rice—more than the world can harvest for the next thousand years. That is the power of multiplication. We believe it is more strategic to be a ‘multiplying church’ than to be a ‘monument church.’ Again, the purpose is not empire building or brand promotion. The purpose is to saturate a city with gospel-centered communities.
Third, because this is simply what the church does. Jesus called his followers to ‘Go therefore and make disciples…’ (Matthew 28:18). At its very core, discipleship to Jesus involves reproduction. “Make disciples.” The first command given by God to humanity is to ‘be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth’ (Genesis 1:27). God’s intention for humanity was always to expand His kingdom outwardly. As a disciple of Jesus matures, they should be actively engaged in making another disciple. And as a church matures, it should be actively engaged in planting other churches. Just like how an apple tree produces apples, churches produce churches. This is simply the normal and natural function for a church.
Fourth, because this strengthens and renews our missional commitments. We say this often at Redeemer: we don’t want to be a church that exists just for ourselves. Church planting is therefore a natural extension of the missional commitments we already have. We are putting into action our commitment to not just exist for ourselves but for the good of our neighbors. And very often when a ‘mother church’ births a new congregation, the ‘mother church’ is reinvigorated to pursue its mission with renewed enthusiasm. “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Proverbs 11:25). The paradox of the kingdom is that we find our lives by losing our lives. Planting a church certainly involves loss; we sacrifice financial resources, we lose leaders, and we release people to pursue new relationships. However, what might be felt as an immediate loss for Redeemer is not only a net gain for the Kingdom and for Memphis, it is also a net gain for Redeemer. Planting energizes and strengthens our missional muscles.
(3) Where would we plant?
Lord willing, we would like to not just plant one church but to plant multiple churches (and we would expect for those churches to plant churches as well). For our first plant, we would like to plant another church in Midtown for the same reasons that we were planted in Midtown almost 20 years ago, namely, to reach a center city, unchurched/dechurched population.
(4) When would we initially plant?
Church plants typically take 2-3 years from initial idea to formal launch. Our hope is to plant 3 churches in the next 10 years.
(5) Why talk about church planting now?
Church planting has been a part of the mission and vision of Redeemer since its inception. However, for various reasons church planting hasn’t been a realistic option for us to devote resources to until recently. We are now in a position where we can ‘activate’ this latent aspect of our church’s DNA.
(6) Who would be the church planter/pastor?
We do not have a specific person identified to plant our first church. We are committed to making sure that whoever the Lord provides would go through a formal church planting assessment process, as well as receive ongoing church planting training and support.
(7) How would the plant be funded?
The plant would be initially funded during the early phases by Redeemer, the ‘mother church’. We are already setting aside money in our annual budget to prepare for this process. In addition, individuals and families that are part of the initial stages of the plant (along with the church planter) will be part of the funding equation, so it will be more than just RPC corporately helping to fund the plant. Overall, our hope would be to slowly decrease Redeemer’s support so that by the start of the plant’s fourth year, it is financially self-sufficient.
(8) How do you determine who from Redeemer would go and be a part of the plant?
When the time is right, we will hold a few interest meetings that give a ‘preview’ or ‘feel’ of the ethos of the new church plant. People who show interest would then be asked to commit to joining the launch team.
(9) What are you asking me to do right now?
At this stage, we are inviting people to dream and to pray. Dream about how the Lord might use a new church to reach the hurting and the needy with the gospel. And pray about how the Lord might be calling you to participate in this exciting chapter in the life of Redeemer.