Church planting is a hot topic within the emergent, missional and incarnational movements. Books, teachings and conferences abound to discuss strategies and networking for church planters, most of which is well-meaning and sincere, but I propose is sincerely misguided. For if we accurately assess Paul, Peter, Apollos and other “church planters” in the New Testament we never actually see them planting church. Rather, we see them planting Christ as the seed of the kingdom, from which the church grew.
My concern is this. Regardless of the wineskin (incarnational, attractional, missional, etc.) when we set out to plant church we have already failed, for the fundamental intent is to construct “something”, rather than grow into Someone. Yes, some “models” are better than others in terms of managing and mobilizing the corporate body – but if our initial intent is to plant church we are building upon the foundation of form, style and/or model rather than building upon the only legitimate foundation, which is Christ.
Now, since God inhabits His people you can usually find some life in the people who inhabit most models. Ultimately though, the model will prohibit the maturation of the saints. Because models are inherently manufactured, synthetic. To let a community of believers grow according to the life of the Spirit of God requires faith and patience. But that is how we lay hold of the promises of God.
Let’s consider the passage of scripture that speaks to the idea of “planting” penned by the “model church planter,” Paul.
“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 3:5-11
Clearly Paul is stating that he planted. The question is what did he plant? Did he plant “church”? I think the context reveals something different – something far greater. It reveals who he planted.
Notice that Paul equates himself with a wise master builder who lays a proper foundation – which is Christ. His expectation is that after he plants the seed of Christ, another comes and waters that seed, but God grows that seed from the field into the building. He begins with an agrarian metaphor and shifts to an architectural metaphor. Why? Because the end product of the seed is the city. We see this clearly in both the Old and New Testaments.
In the OT God begins with a man, Adam, and ends with a city – Jerusalem, under the hand of Ezra and Nehemiah. In the new testament He restarts the process with a new man, Christ, and ends with a city – the New Jerusalem. So there is an intended growth process that begins with a seed and produces a city – hence the change in metaphor. But the process begins with planting the seed of Christ, not the seed of a new idea, strategy or model.
Make no mistake: plants reproduce after their own kind, so if you plant church you get church. Maybe in a different form or expression – but it’s still an organization rather than an organism. If, however, we plant Christ as the seed of the kingdom and are faithful to water that seed it will grow according to His spiritual DNA into the only organism we want to see: Christ Himself – in corporate form. The difficulty is that you cannot easily contain and/or control an organism. It grows as a function of its DNA. An organization can be structured to effectively utilize resources but it cannot produce life. Ultimately, church planting movements still miss the central point of the kingdom – the emergence of a mature corporate expression. An expression that cannot be manufactured with even the best of models.
Models provide a false sense of control and seek to mobilize the saints into action. But if the saints are growing in Christ individually and corporately through the life of the Spirit they would be built together into a habitation of God that is fully under the control and mobilization of His Spirit .
Lastly, let me briefly speak to Paul’s statement regarding building upon the foundation of Christ. I submit that he is not speaking to the building of church but to the building of ourselves. Notice that Paul begins by saying “every man is building,” not just “church planters.” And he ends this section by speaking to our individual accountability to properly possess our temple. So then the emphasis in this passage is on Christ being planted, laid as the foundation of the great city – and our individual responsibility being transformed into the materials from which that city is built.
I humbly challenge all the “church planters” out there – examine the scriptures to see if such a role actually exists. Is this truly the apostolic work – to plant churches? I say no. The apostolic work is to plant Christ as the seed of the kingdom – from which the church emerges. As well, to protect against the planting of ideas, strategies and models – casting down vain imaginations and every lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. Men are masters at perpetrating new models and methods. But God is raising His corporate Son in the earth. If you desire to see accuracy in the corporate expression then focus on planting Christ in the hearts of men, and His resident life will grow into the true organism we all long to see.
