THE LOCAL CHURCH REALLY IS THE HOPE OF THE WORLD

Yesterday we began a series of post with content from our first Launch Team meeting. Today, i want to continue that series and attempt to answer the "WHY" question when it comes to church planting in general and a2 Church in particular.

So, here it is...

WHAT ARE WE ABOUT?

…to glorify God and lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. ~ a2’s Mission

From the get go a2 Church will be OUTREACH ORIENTED and a CHURCH PLANTING CHURCH…


WHY Plant Another Church?

I covered some of this material before, but I can't get away from some of these stats and statements... Poignant stuff.

More than 8 of 10 churches are either declining or growing less than their community’s population growth rate. ~ Thom Rainer, Breakout Churches, Zondervan, p. 74.

Since 1991…the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 million - a 92% increase! ~ The Barna Group, May 4, 2004.

In the last quarter-century, America as a whole grew at a rate 20 times faster than the church. ~ The Christian Chronicle

North America is the only continent in the world where Christianity isn’t growing… ~ Elmer Towns, Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird, 11 Innovations in the Local Church, Regal Books, p. 15.

In 2002, the Southern Baptists Church’s Council on Family Life reported that roughly 88 percent of evangelical children are leaving the church shortly after they graduate from high school.

The U.S. is the largest mission field in the Western Hemisphere, and the fifth largest mission field on the planet. ~ George Hunter quoted by Ed Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches, Broadman and Holman Publishers, p.5

Church planting is essential. Without it Christianity will continue to decline in North America. ~ Ed Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches, Broadman and Holman Publishers, p. 5.

The single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches. ~ Peter Wagner, Author and Missiologist

The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1) the numerical growth of the body of Christ in any city, and 2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else – not crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches…will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting. This is an eyebrow raising statement. But to those who have done any study at all, it is not even controversial. ~ Tim Keller, Redeemer Church and Redeemer Church Planting Center

Church planting is Biblical… Jesus championed it! Paul did it.


So, WHY plant another church?

Bob Roberts is the founding and lead pastor of Northwood Church and the founder of Glocalnet, a church planting organization. Roberts says that the only reason to plant another church is for the possibility and hope of TRANSFORMATION… If we don’t really believe that God wants to use His church to TRANSFORM human hearts and the culture at large, then we need to close shop…

So, why plant another church?

ONE WORD: TRANSFORMATION

TWO WORDS: CHANGED LIVES

Our DREAM is that a2 Church be a place where commitment to GOD, love for PEOPLE and service to the WORLD becomes such a reality in the BHM area that the poverty level goes down, the crime rate drops, the divorce rate nose dives, the high school and college graduation rate goes up and people who don’t even believe in God will look at us and say, “I may not believe what they believe, but I’m so glad that community of faith exists… I want to be a part of it…”

A few years ago Bill Hybels made a statement that has stuck with me: The local church is the hope of the world! I believe that!

Politics are a bust. The present line up of presidential candidates don't really provide a lot of inspiration when it comes to national renewal... Education is fine, but the past fifty years have demonstrated the inability of education to bring about lasting change. The only hope for cultural transformation is the LOCAL CHURCH.

Hopefully, that answers the question, "Why?"

Tomorrow, we'll continue this series of posts and attempt to answer the question, "What is it going to take for a2 Church to become a dangerous church?"