WestCoast Challenge: Church Planting Priorities

As I examine the landscape of church planting in our association, I have realized anew there are seasons for sowing and seasons for reaping. We are reaping the crop sown by those who have gone ahead. What we are sowing today will be what we reap in years ahead. As an individual reading this article what are your words, attitudes and actions sowing in the “rooms” where you are daily?

Church planting is not about launching a new organization. It is about reaching the lost in a community, so we must sow a heart for the lost. The lost must become the first priority in our decision-making (1 Corinthians 15). We have a vision of having 150 churches in our Association, so we must sow a vision of multiplication. The vision is bigger than any one church or individual, so we must sow a spirit of cooperation. The resources are limited, so we must sow an attitude of generosity. The work is hard so we must choose to endure and persevere in the work.

I am energized by dreams and visions of our young church plants of planting more churches in Coquitlam, Burnaby, New West, Richmond, into the Valley and on the Island.

But the true joy comes from hearing the reports of the past week:

One individual often mentioned in prayer by an army of prayer warriors being present to hear the gospel for the first time.

Five being baptized in one congregation, and several more in another.

Walls of the room being pushed back to allow for more to be seated and then one more coming to Jesus as the invitation is extended.

A once strong church starting over with 30 present in a borrowed building with a new pastor.

God is at work all around us to reach the lost. May the reaping and sowing move across our Association with a fresh breeze of His Sprit.