MERGED: Protestant Church Planting - Where is it in the Bible?

[4Squarebaby]

Hi 4, As you have probably observed, many dissensions accompany these slices.
I’ll ask, does it make sense to steal the message of Jesus, from one eccliasial community to another with a different appeal to scripture ? Or does it make more sense we speak with one voice,as Jesus prayed for and St.Paul made abundantly clear ?

Jesus Christ gave a higher authority for disputes between persons, even when there are two or more witnesses. He told them to appeal to the Church in Mt 18:17, “But if he refuses to hear even the Church let him be as a heathen and the publican (a tax collector for the Roman Empire).” Here, Christ gave full authority to His Church.

John 17: 20-21 "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 20:21–23).
“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. . . . Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20

God Bless
onenow1

Not in a “planting situation” the father church feeds the plant. They would probably send an associate pastor and a slice of the praise team along with elders to get the new church going. And many will see it as a missionary assignment planning on returning to the parent church in the future. You are thinking of a split.not a plant

 

[onenow1]

Not in a “planting situation” the father church feeds the plant. They would probably send an associate pastor and a slice of the praise team along with elders to get the new church going. And many will see it as a missionary assignment planning on returning to the parent church in the future. You are thinking of a split.not a plant

Indeed I am ! Jesus sent the Apostles, that sending has been going on for 2000 years through the CC.

Jesus gave His Church, the authority to send.

Note:Authority, what is it? What does it mean? Its root is the word ‘author’, which means creator or originator,and the originator sent Jesus, so must the apostles send, others from the one true Church.

God Bless

 

[Janet1983]

The theory is that every individual is unique and they will respond to a different messenger, the charismatic pastor. The local churches will build their own communities but some evangelist will need to reach out to the unchurched and something about the personalities of the planting team may just do that.

Yes the slice that plants the new church will make their parent church’s congregation smaller and some other local church attenders may leave their home church to attend the new plant but the goal is to reach those who have been unreached.

I live in an area where churches are abundant. Still there is talk about new churches being planted.
If the goal is to reach the unreached, then why is that effort not put into outreach into the community? My church is very small and because of fluctuations due to the military membership numbers are dropping.
Why not invest into outreach instead of trying to built yet another church?

 

[Joe_5859]

The term “Church planting” is quite alien to Catholics, but is common amongst certain other Christian groups. It’s basically their word for doing evangelization/missionary work. They go some place that does not have a church of their flavor and they start one up from scratch.

Elders/deacons probably have different meanings to different denominations, but it’s all part of their church governance.

I’m not sure about the Yugoslavia part. He could have just been remembering incorrectly or maybe he’s not up on his current events.

 

[WorkerPriest]

Sadly, much of what you say is true in the Protestant world, particularly in those streams of the radical Reformation. The Lutherans and Anglicans have a different concept of this, based on their more catholic leanings from church history.

For example, in the established Lutheran churches, we tend to function with a concept of synodality… hence, any new church plant would come within the auspices of the synod. To launch mutually competing congregations is not healthy for any locale, but this has been a tendency for many Reformation churches.

I wonder if there is a corollary in the Roman Catholic communion, with the myriad of orders and rites and apostolates that seem to be competing in our local diocese. Around here, Roman Catholics that like some particular flavor of tolerated doctrine, practice, piety, etc., find a congregation (and priest) that fits them better. The Franciscans, the Dominicans, the Jesuits, varieties of “traditionalists” and “liberals,” and countless Marian devotional subgroups all seem to have their local followings… and while at least on paper they are united with the local archbishop, they sometimes seem more angrily divided than, say, catholic minded Lutherans and Anglicans.

It is interesting, though, to my little mind, how we must navigate between schism and diversity. Seems like there are lots of glass houses and stones to be found.

Grace and peace.

The term “Church planting” is quite alien to Catholics, but is common amongst certain other Christian groups. It’s basically their word for doing evangelization/missionary work. They go some place that does not have a church of their flavor and they start one up from scratch.

Elders/deacons probably have different meanings to different denominations, but it’s all part of their church governance.

I’m not sure about the Yugoslavia part. He could have just been remembering incorrectly or maybe he’s not up on his current events.

 

[4Squarebaby]

I live in an area where churches are abundant. Still there is talk about new churches being planted.
If the goal is to reach the unreached, then why is that effort not put into outreach into the community? My church is very small and because of fluctuations due to the military membership numbers are dropping.
Why not invest into outreach instead of trying to built yet another church?

both are done. As I said it may be something about the personality of a specific existing team that will reach Bob but not Dave. The plant is to get Dave, true some Bob’s may leave their present home church but the exercise and the mission is Dave because in the end it doesn’t really matter if Bob’s former congregation has one less member if the church has gained Dave.

 

[Senecus]

While I concur, and believe the Roman Catholic Church is the full manifestation of the “Christian Church” , , we should be careful to not exclude non-Catholics from membership in the universal “Christian Church”.

Matthew 18:20

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Further, it is very likely a mortal sin, for anyone in this forum thread to compare mainstream Protestantism, (Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, etc.) with non-Christian organizations such as LDS, JW’s, Christian Science, etc. The foundational beliefs are radically, totally different. If you doubt these words, please check with your Priest.

Luke 6:37

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

And, let me request some help for finding in the Gospels, a scenario in which the apostles are traveling with Jesus, and they have heard of a man that is preaching, and healing or doing good in the name of God. The apostles then complain to Jesus that the person doing these things shouldn’t and they ask Jesus if they should try to stop that. Jesus then corrects them, and so the good deeds can continue . . . . . I hope you all see the gist of this . . . that the followers or workers of Gods will, are not an exclusive or restricted group (even of the “living apostles”) . .

So, while I have great respect for the validity and authority of the RCC, I don’t believe God restricts himself to one denomination only . . .

Respectfully,

A Searcher

 

[elvisman]

While I concur, and believe the Roman Catholic Church is the full manifestation of the “Christian Church” , , we should be careful to not exclude non-Catholics from membership in the universal “Christian Church”.

Matthew 18:20

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Further, it is very likely a mortal sin, for anyone in this forum thread to compare mainstream Protestantism, (Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, etc.) with non-Christian organizations such as LDS, JW’s, Christian Science, etc. The foundational beliefs are radically, totally different. If you doubt these words, please check with your Priest.

Luke 6:37

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

And, let me request some help for finding in the Gospels, a scenario in which the apostles are traveling with Jesus, and they have heard of a man that is preaching, and healing or doing good in the name of God. The apostles then complain to Jesus that the person doing these things shouldn’t and they ask Jesus if they should try to stop that. Jesus then corrects them, and so the good deeds can continue . . . . . I hope you all see the gist of this . . . that the followers or workers of Gods will, are not an exclusive or restricted group (even of the “living apostles”) . .

So, while I have great respect for the validity and authority of the RCC, I don’t believe God restricts himself to one denomination only . . .

Respectfully,

A Searcher

I’ll go even further than that. God doesn’t support the idea of denominations at all.

In John 17, we read that Jesus prayed fervently for the unity of his Body, the church - that they remain ONE as he and the Father are ONE.

Whereas, I agree with you that it is both unfair and untrue that God is not present within the ecclesial communities of our separated brothers and sisters - his desire that they come home to the fold is paramount because they are operating outside of his Church.

Eph. 1:22-23 tells us that the church is the fullness of Christ himself.

As for your quote from Matt. 18 - I recommend that you first read the verses leading up to it (15-18). These verses speak to the Church being the final court of arbitration here on earth - and that its judgement is ordained in heaven as well.

Finally, as for your admonition that we not judge, I believe you are taking this out of context. We are commanded to judge rightly in the scriptures. We are told to judge a person’s actions.

**However, we are not to be judgemental about the mater of a person’s heart and soul. that is for God alone to judge.

 

[JustaServant]

When I was a Pastor I became involved in ‘church planting’. Here is the problem I saw with it (from a Protestant perspective):
Many of the ‘church planters’ out there are stealing members from other churches (Protestant, Catholic, makes no difference) and calling it ‘evangelism’,
Then you have people with ‘house churches’ who try to claim the ‘planting’ status, when actually they are starting a ‘split’. They can be members or the pastor himself, either the original church is virtually desroyed or the split is. In the end, many of those left just stay home on Sunday and watch the football game.
The Church was never meant to be something akin to the new pizza shop in town.

 

[Nicea325]

When I was a Pastor I became involved in ‘church planting’. Here is the problem I saw with it (from a Protestant perspective):
Many of the ‘church planters’ out there are stealing members from other churches (Protestant, Catholic, makes no difference) and calling it ‘evangelism’,
Then you have people with ‘house churches’ who try to claim the ‘planting’ status, when actually they are starting a ‘split’. They can be members or the pastor himself, either the original church is virtually desroyed or the split is. In the end, many of those left just stay home on Sunday and watch the football game.
The Church was never meant to be something akin to the new pizza shop in town.

I would also like to add something. As the Director of Catechesis I deal a lot with people who are planning to receive the Sacraments at Easter Vigil. At times many of them state the church they were baptized at no longer exists due divisions, splintering,etc, thus they cannot verify their baptismal certificate, if the church actually provided one.