And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
+Matthew 28:18-20
Why Church Planting?
Church planting. What is church planting? Maybe you’ve never heard the term before or you have but are unsure of it’s meaning. This is a more recent term which simply means starting a new church. This can take different forms such as an existing church branching out to create an extension of itself, a “satellite campus.” It can mean an existing, struggling church transforming into a new, vibrant body of believers, a revitalization. And finally, it can mean starting a church from scratch, brand new. This is the category that my church falls under, The Good Shepherd Church. Our church is a brand new church plant which began in January of this year. We are located on the south side of Indianapolis in the Stone Lake Lodge Apartment complex. Pastor Brad Nally, his wife Sky and I have seen God do amazing things while starting the church. We exist to see people come to Christ and grow into disciple-makers. Our identity is rooted in the gospel and this is the message that we preach-Jesus Christ saves. It has been a challenging but rewarding journey thus far. Starting a church from scratch is very hard work and involves much sacrifice on behalf of all participating. During my work with the Good Shepherd Church, we have experienced much growth but also much hardship. Many times, the number of people who show up to our services is far less than we expect and the outreach efforts we’ve done seem fruitless at times. But in these challenges God has humbled us to show that He is in control and that only He can build his church. And He has! We began meeting for morning worship services the second week of August. We will start meeting every week the first Sunday in October. God is moving. He is growing what He planted!
Why Support a Church Plant?
When Jesus sent out the apostles in Acts chapter 1, he gave them the message of the great commission to go and make disciples of all nations in Matthew 28:18-20. The followers were called to give up their very lives in order to spread a message that could cost them their lives. The mission was simple – spread the gospel. This is our mission at the Good Shepherd Church. We have seen God save lives and grow believers into Christ-like maturity. Why support church plants? The reason is because people who are far from Christ need the gospel and need to be reached where they are. Stone Lake Lodge desperately needs Jesus. We are bringing Him to the residents, as our church meets in the complex. Please consider joining us in our mission and becoming a ministry partner with us. You can do so in three ways-Pray, Participate and Provide. Pray for God to use us to build His kingdom and save lives in the complex. Participate in our services and outreach events. Provide materially to help us continue our mission to reach the lost. Why support our church plant? Because God is already using us to spread the gospel to the lost, one resident at a time.
Check out our website and contact me or Pastor Brad to get involved.
Email pastor@tgschurchindy.com
http://www.tgschurchindy.com/blog/
*This post first appeared on the Blog section of The Good Shepherd Church’s website.
Leave a Reply