Why Plant Churches?
Why Clarity is committed to multiplying disciples and starting new churches.
Church multiplication
As a part of Converge North Central, Clarity Church is committed to the multiplication of disciples. We’re a young church ourselves: our first public worship gathering was in September 2013, and today we meet in the gym at Edinbrook Elementary, setting up church every Sunday morning. Starting new churches is part of our story, and here’s why we believe it matters.
Why start new churches?
In 2002, pastor Tim Keller wrote a short paper for Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City called “Why Plant Churches.” His conclusion was bold: steadily starting new congregations does more than anything else to grow the church in a city and to renew the churches already there. Here are his main reasons, in our own words.
It’s how the church has always grown
Jesus sent his followers to make disciples and baptize them (Matthew 28:19–20). That means bringing people into a worshiping community, not just asking for a one-time decision. Paul followed the same pattern: he went to the major cities, started churches and made sure every town had its own leaders (Titus 1:5).
New churches reach new people
Young adults, people who are new to an area and new cultural groups tend to find a home in new churches more quickly, partly because newcomers can get involved and lead right away. Keller points to studies showing that new churches draw most of their new members, 60 to 80 percent, from people who weren’t part of any church, while churches older than 10 to 15 years grow mostly when members transfer from other churches.
New churches help existing churches
Keller argues that it isn’t a choice between starting new churches and strengthening the ones we have. New churches try new ideas that others can learn from, they surface new leaders, and they often prompt nearby churches to take a fresh look at their own mission. Some people who come to faith in a new church end up settling in an established one, so the whole community benefits.
It’s about God’s kingdom, not our turf
A new church will draw a few people from other churches, but most of the people it reaches weren’t in church at all. The question for every church is whether we celebrate what God’s kingdom gains or worry about what we might lose.
What this means for Clarity
It’s why we keep our focus on people in Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove who aren’t part of a church yet, and why we invest in developing leaders through our church internships. If you’re exploring faith or looking for a church home, we’d love to meet you: plan your visit.
Read Keller’s full paper, “Why Plant Churches,” at Redeemer City to City.
FAQs
Church planting means starting new churches. Jesus sent His followers to make disciples and baptize them (Matthew 28:19-20), which means bringing people into a worshiping community, not just asking for a one-time decision. Paul followed the same pattern, starting churches in major cities and making sure every town had its own leaders (Titus 1:5).
New churches reach new people. Tim Keller pointed to studies showing that new churches draw 60 to 80 percent of their new members from people who weren’t part of any church, while churches older than 10 to 15 years grow mostly through transfers. He concluded that steadily starting new congregations does more than anything else to grow the church in a city.
A new church will draw a few people from other churches, but most of the people it reaches weren’t in church at all. Keller argued it isn’t a choice between starting new churches and strengthening existing ones: new churches try new ideas, surface new leaders and often prompt nearby churches to take a fresh look at their own mission.