Scripture: Biblical/Theological Reasons

1. First and foremost, obedience to Christ’s call demands that we invest ourselves in church planting. The Great Commission to go and make disciples remains in effect (Matthew 28:18-20). The urgency of his last command leaves us no choice but to try to reach more people with the good news of salvation. He wills it; they need it. Church planting has always been a primary means of fulfilling the Great Commission. Presently-existing churches are not capable of finishing the task by themselves.

2. Paul, Barnabas, Philip, Peter and other early leaders were church planters (Acts). Their example stands as a challenge to us. Preaching and evangelizing were not enough; they also sought to multiply congregations that could incorporate new converts. They were not content simply to win individuals; they founded new churches, trained leaders, and moved on (e.g. Acts 14:21-23).

3. Since the threat of persecution confined Christians to meeting in homes, this limited the size of congregations in the pre-Constantinian period and meant that major cities often had many house churches. Perhaps many early Christians preferred to meet in homes as well (Acts 2:46). But they concentrated on raising up congregations instead of constructing buildings.

4. Theologically, the very nature of the church calls for congregations, like individuals, to reproduce themselves. "Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28) applies also to God’s new creation, the Church. God’s will is that the offspring of the Second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22) fill the earth so that someday people "from every family, language, people, and nation" will join in the worship of heaven (Revelation 5:9). Mature, healthy congregations have a natural drive to reproduce themselves.

5. Christ’s Great Commission is reinforced in our day by the Decade of Evangelism and General Convention’s call for starting 1,000 new churches before the end of the decade. The denomination as a whole recognizes the need for church planting, even though it is still groping in the dark to find effective ways to do so.

6. We believe the Diocese of Virginia has a special vocation to lead the nation in discovering successful ways to plant large numbers of new churches. So does Bishop Lee, who reminds us that mission has been our heritage and tradition. Our demographics are promising. More important, our human and financial resources are great. We have an unsurpassed number of large, mission-minded churches that could mother new congregations. The Annual Council has affirmed and reaffirmed its support of church planting.

Tradition: Historical Reasons

7. The historical record clearly shows that starting new churches is the single most effective way to reach more people with the Gospel and incorporate them into thriving congregations where they can grow. Numerous studies show a direct link between the rate of church growth or decline and the rate of starting new churches. The denominations that start the most new churches also grow the most and vice versa. Causation cannot be proven, but there is clearly a close association.

8. A related historical fact is that new churches have proven to be the most effective way of reaching new generations. This illustrates the wisdom of the old adage, "Create new groups for new people." In generational terms, grandparents or middle-aged parents concerned about the Episcopal Church retaining the allegiance of their adult children and grandchildren should support new churches designed to attract the next generation and to serve their own felt needs.

9. The historical record of this diocese again reinforces our special vocation. Throughout the Colonial era, far more Anglican churches were planted in Virginia than in any of the other 12 colonies. In 1650, 27 of the 31 Anglican churches in America were in Virginia. By 1750, Virginia still led with 96 of the 289 Anglican congregations. Of course, this was largely due to being the state church and closely tied to the aristocracy. But this was also true of Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia—yet Virginia far surpassed them. If Virginia originally led the way in church planting, why should we not reclaim that heritage and take the lead again today?

10. History shows that new churches are needed to reach new immigrants. A massive new wave of immigration, greater than anything since World War I, is upon us. Earlier immigrant groups were largely European and brought their Christianity, and often their clergy, with them from the Old Country. The new immigrants are mostly non-Christian: Asians, Arabs, or half-Christianized Hispanics whom the clergy-starved Roman Catholic Church cannot adequately serve. Ever since Paul refused to turn Gentile converts into Jews, there has been a need for ethnic churches.

11. A major reason for starting new churches today is to attract and serve the growing numbers of unchurched people who are not drawn to any currently existing church. If traditional churches could reach them, they would have. Even in a Bible-belt state like Virginia, over half the population is not actively and happily involved in the life of any church. There are plenty of fish to be caught, but it will take new approaches to catch and hold them.

12. In practice, new churches find it easiest to experiment with new ideas. They are not bound by traditions hallowed by long use. New churches are much freer to be innovative and try new styles of worship, new methods of education, new music, etc. in the effort to reach new groups of people.

13. Many people find the thrill of helping to pioneer something new an exciting venture. Think of the inherent attractiveness of the word "new": new baby, new house, new friend, new car, new business. Let’s face it, many people are bored with typical churches, dominated by the same leadership, seeing the same faces, doing the same things. New churches are fresh and often appeal strongly to those who dropped out of church long ago.

14. Though many church leaders do not appear to believe it, the fact is that no one congregation possesses the resources or skills to reach and serve everyone in its area. No church can be all things to all people. Effective churches know which one, two, or three ministries they can do best and they specialize in doing those few things very well. They know they are only part of the local Body of Christ and they can leave to other churches the job of reaching the remaining 97 percent (or more) of the community.

15. Contrary to conventional wisdom, experience suggests that congregations usually benefit from some friendly competition, even when it comes from churches within the same denomination. One reason is that many churches have drifted into a passive stance and wait for new people to take the initiative in coming through the church doors. Having another Episcopal church nearby helps galvanize them into actively seeking to attract and hold new members. Some people, however, will never accept this!

16. From a denominational perspective, having two or more Episcopal churches in the same area is often desirable because it increases the chance that people will find one of them to their liking. It also multiplies opportunities for lay involvement and provides an alternative whenever anyone becomes unhappy for some reason with their parish. A person who drops out of one Episcopal church can be saved for the denomination by moving to another one in the area.

17. Also from a denominational or diocesan perspective, it is clear that planting new churches is the best way to intentionally change the membership mix. Whether the aim is to become more inclusive in terms of racial or ethnic background, generations or age levels, socio-economic class, or theological views/liturgical styles, new churches can effectively reach new groups of people. An obvious example is the need for new churches to serve new immigrants. More controversial is the need for new churches aimed at serving working class people, or starting theologically conservative churches to serve people who would be uncomfortable in some parishes in our denomination.

18. Another reason for starting new churches lies in the powerful attraction of "options" and "choices." People today expect many options from which to choose, in all areas of their lives. It is no longer sufficient to offer one kind of coffee at the Sunday coffee hour. People expect "decaf" as well as regular, and probably tea and hot chocolate too. At the gas station they like to choose from several octane levels as well as having the choice between full service or self-serve. And increasingly people want and expect to be able to choose among different churches of the same denomination in an area.

19. More churches would be started if people realized that new suburban developments are not the only promising places for them. Indeed, since new housing areas are also prime targets for new churches started by other denominations, at least some of which can be expected to have exceptionally able pastors, new housing areas are also highly competitive.

20. Last, but not least, a very pragmatic reason for starting new churches is simply stated: "If we don’t, someone else will!" The world will not stop and wait for us to get our act together. Recent experience suggests that 5,000 to 6,000 new churches will be started in Americaeach year, many of them in Virginia. How many of them ought to be our own? The denominational loyalty seen in the 1950s has eroded severely. If we don’t build new churches, many potential new members will go to other groups that will build the flourishing new churches of tomorrow.

For more information, call or write to the Commission on Church Planting of the Diocese of Virginia, The Mayo Memorial Church House, 110 W. Franklin St., Richmond, Virginia 23220-5095, 804/643-8451 or 800/DIOCESE.