What is church planting and why do it?

The LCA/NZ’s New and Renewing Churches department exists to serve the kingdom of God by facilitating church planting and renewal. International research indicates that denominations need to plant new congregations at a rate of three per cent per year, just to remain constant. The LCA/NZ’s goal is to grow, not just to maintain its current size. New and Renewing Churches’ desire for a five per cent growth in congregations equates to 23 new churches per year. The LCA/ NZ’s Executive Officer – Local Mission Dr Tania Nelson puts that target in perspective. ‘Is that ambitious?’, she asks. ‘Absolutely. But let’s not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit!’

WHAT DOES NEW AND RENEWING CHURCHES DO?

• Assists churches to begin, evaluate or progress their journey in church planting. • Works with local church leaders and pastors to build church planting capacity. • Provides resources, training opportunities, conferences and a supportive network for church planters and missional communities. The aim is to mobilise the whole church in the work of seeing new believers come to Christ – and to see mature churches that plant churches as the norm. • Works with local congregations and agencies of the church to help them assess opportunities for church planting and provides mentorship for church leaders and pastors on this journey. • Walks with missional communities and church planters as they establish new groups of believers. • Aims to help local congregations and agencies discern what the Spirit is saying as they seek to follow him.

WHAT DOES CH URCH PLANTING LOOK LIKE IN TH E LCA /NZ?

• Our approach incorporates three key elements: a sending church, a church planning team and mentoring in the field. • Experience and international research both show that these elements are essential.

WHAT IS A SENDING CHURCH?

• A sending church is a ‘mother’ church. • It both nurtures the missional communities from which the church planting team is formed, and supports the ‘toddler’ church until it is formally launched as its own entity.

14 people are currently being coached in church planting in the LCA/NZ.

LCA/NZ congregations which have completed Sending Church training • The Ark Salisbury SA • Bethany/Tabor SA • Living Faith Murrumba Downs Qld • Our Saviour Rochedale Qld • Living Word Ashmore Qld • LifeWay Newcastle NSW • LifeWay Epping NSW • Immanuel Woden ACT • St Luke’s Albury NSW • St Phillip’s Werribee Vic • Mountainside Auckland NZ • Palmerston North NZ

Congregations in the process of completing Sending Church training • Rockingham/Mandurah WA • St Petri Nuriootpa SA • Holy Cross/Christ Church/Unity College Murray Bridge cohort SA • St John’s/Our Redeemer/St Paul’s/Geelong Lutheran College Geelong cohort Vic • Bethlehem Bendigo Vic • St Paul’s Box Hill Vic • Central West Parish (St Paul’s Parkes & St Peter’s Orange) NSW • Bethlehem and chapel Jindera NSW • St John’s/Bethany/Grace Ipswich Parish cohort Qld

Church plants • Beyond Griffin Qld • Arise Springfield Qld • LifeWay Newcastle NSW • Pakenham Lakeside Vic

Congregations in the Church Planting team formation stage • The Ark Salisbury SA • Our Saviour Rochedale Qld • Immanuel Woden Valley ACT • St Luke’s Albury NSW

Congregations in the Strategic Mission Planning stage, as part of the NSW District’s Sydney Future Directions project • LifeWay Newcastle NSW • LifeWay Epping NSW • St John’s Wollongong NSW • Concordia Yagoona NSW • St Matthew’s Woy Woy NSW • Good Shepherd Sutherland NSW • Living Waters Liverpool NSW • Good Shepherd Campbelltown NSW • St Paul’s Sydney NSW • Redeemer Narraweena NSW • Our Saviour Springwood NSW

• And at that time, the ‘daughter’ church is already planning to plant again! (As, we hope, will be the ‘mother’ church!) • The first phase of sending church preparation is all about the missional leadership of the congregation; the second phase rolls that out to the wider congregation; and the third phase develops missional communities from which the church planting team(s) will be formed. • Research also shows that sending churches receive an enormous benefit from the church planting venture. • The sending church journey is described in the booklet Church Planting: Plant Water Grow, which you can access through the department webpages (www.lca.org.au/new-and-renewing-churches) on the New Churches page.

WHAT IS A PARTNER CHURCH?

• Not all congregations are able to be a sending church. So partner churches are just that, partners in the mission of church planting. • That partnership is expressed in prayer, practical support, personal relationships and participating in ministry support of the new churches. • Our goal is to see every congregation in the LCA/NZ understand itself as either a sending church or a partner church. • For more information about partner churches see ‘Partner Churches’ via this question on the New and Renewing Churches webpages.

WHERE DO THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THE NEW CHURCHES COME FROM?

• By the Lord calling people into faith through the gospel. • Currently, LCA/NZ churches have a low newcomer rate compared with other Australian denominations. We’re not generally used to seeing large numbers of new adult believers join our churches. We believe this will change. • We believe that a movement is underway to see that change; so we ask you to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers, because 'the harvest is plentiful; the workers are few'.

PLANTING 230 CHURCHES IN 10 YEARS. ISN’T THAT AMBITIOUS?

• Actually, no. It’s impossible. • That’s why we need your prayers, participation and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. • The vision is as bold as it is because it needs to be. Let’s not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in this.