The
attacks and opposition that characterized the Church Growth Movement in the
twentieth century are similar to the ones that are being leveled against the multi-site movement in the
twenty-first century. It is easy to rest on an armchair and criticize those who
are working in the trenches. So far as the gospel is not watered down or the
message changed but remains the same, we should use all methods to reach people
for Christ. Methods change but the message of Christ remains the same.
The
cultures of our world have changed. Therefore, churches that use the same
methods that were used in the twentieth century to reach society would be
left behind and vacant. We are living in a Missional context
in the twenty-first century. Therefore, we are to examine the approaches and
methodologies of the Apostolic Church in the Book of Acts to be able to reach
the masses of people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was a saying in the
twentieth century that if you build the church facilities they would come.
Therefore, churches included Gyms to attract people. That paid off in those
days. Today, Gyms are operated everywhere with good facilities. Therefore,
churches cannot use their Gyms as the center of attraction. Rather, we are to
go where the people are and reach them for Christ. That is why the multi-site movement has become the
talk of the town today. The truth is that methods of reaching people for Christ
change but the message of the Gospel remains the same. That was a similar
approach that the Apostle Paul used in his day.
It is true that
the New Testament does not command church planting. However, when we examine
the Great Commission and the example of the New Testament Church in the Book of
Acts, we soon realize that church planting is implied. We see that in the
apostolic and Missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul and his team of
colleagues they saturated the Gentile nations with the gospel of Christ. As a
result many New Testament churches were birthed.
When
the first century apostles and disciples passed away from the scene, if others
did not continue to build the church of Christ then, the church would be
extinct today. However, because they took the Great Commission seriously then,
the church continues to grow today. The moment believers become complacent,
comfortable, and neglect the importance of church planting then the church
becomes irrelevant. For the church to continue to thrive, we have to be
missional realizing that we are living at a time similar to apostolic age where
many people have not heard the gospel. Others who have heard the gospel have
turned off against institutional churches.
