How To Plant and Help Large Urban Churches Grow
A Case Study in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
Learning Objectives
1. The students will look for principles about the right and wrong ways to plant urban churches and see them grow?
2. The students will discover what can we learn from Paul about urban church planting?
3. The students will suggest what things their local church, district church headquarters, or denominational leaders can do to advance urban church planting efforts?
Introduction - All over the world, there is a battle, going on in cities, for people’s minds. In Abuja, Muslims are building a huge Mosque in the center of the capital to attract followers. Saudi Arabian money is also helping to build Mosques in London, Paris, Rome, and many other major capitals of the world. Annually, billions of naira are spent for the purpose of Islamic evangelism in the cities of major countries. 6,000 Islamic missionaries are sent to cities around the world to evangelize urban citizens. Yet despite, the efforts of Muslims and other religions to win people in the cities to their religions, Christianity is making major advances of its own in starting new churches in the cities of the world. Christians have recognized that many new people are flooding into the cities of the world daily. The future unreached fields are the world’s cities.
Unless something is done to lead these people to Christ, provide them with a church home, and disciple them, they will be lost to other religions, the world, indifference, materialism and the devil. We must ask the Lord for wisdom in understanding how to most effectively start churches in the urban areas of Nigeria and all of Africa if we are to meet the challenges ahead.
Let us see what we can learn about planting churches in cities by examining a case study of church planting in Jos of Plateau State, Nigeria.
I. A Historical Look At Urban Evangelism in Nigeria
A. Since the inland mission movement started in the late 1800s, most of the missionaries were sent to the village
areas.
B. Presently, nearly 20% of Nigeria’s population lives in cities as opposed to only 3% in 1900.
C. Many people are moving to cities to find better jobs, higher education, social advancements, and even future partners.
D. The church must adjust its strategies to include aggressive urban evangelism and church planting efforts.
E. Youth are calling for new English sections that are sometimes resisted by the elders in vernacular sections.
F. Many people have to walk great distances to get to the mother church when they would prefer to worship in nearby areas of the town.
G. Historically, the established city churches have resisted starting new churches for fear that they will lose members, monies, influence, control, power, authority, and the ability to direct the church in the ways it deems fit.
Example - In 1956 Bishara Church #1 resisted the offer of SIM to help them start Bishara Church #2 for fear of losing members, offerings, and influence. When SIM offered to pay for 50% of the costs of purchasing the land, erecting the building, and providing furniture for the church, the Bishara #1 elders still refused.
After two years, the leaders of Bishara #1 came back to the leaders of SIM asking for their help in starting Bishara #2. The SIM leaders were shocked. They turned to the leaders and said, ``Why are you interested in starting a new church now and not before?’’
The leaders of Bishara #1 said, ``We are convicted by God for our selfishness, indifference to Christ’s great commission, (Matt. 28:19,20) and people are accusing us of being spiritually infertile.
Naturally, everyone knew what they meant for if a mother cannot produce children, people begin to wonder if there is something wrong with the mother. Is there sin in her life, is there something wrong with her relationship to God, is there some resistance to the will of God, is there a root cause for the lack of fruit? All of these questions plagued the people of Bishara #1 so much that they felt compelled by the Lord to help start a new church.
Sad, but true, many churches have been started for negative reasons like the above rather than positive obedience to the will of God to begin new churches. Just as it is not natural for a family to be barren and without children so it is equally serious for a church to exist for many years and not plant daughter churches!!! Jesus told us that, ``We should go and bring forth fruit and our fruit should remain.’’ (John 15:16)
I. Historically, many churches in Jos were started around tribal affiliations. This follows a sociological principle of homogeneity (Birds of a feather like to flock together)
Example - When the Irigwe people from Miango started moving into Jos, it was natural for them to start churches in their housing areas. Three new churches started as a result of a concentration of Irigwe people desiring a church in their local neighborhoods. ``Birds of a similar feather, flock together.’’
J. Jos has historically been a peaceful city with no one tribe dominating the city’s populous.
K. Many people transferred to culturally similar churches when they moved into the cities from their village churches.
L. Historically, the indigenous people of Jos were strongly resistant to Islamic advances. Nearly, all of the Muslims are non-indigenous people. This gives Christianity greater credibility, strength, influence, and opportunities to grow in Jos. Jos has approximately 60% Christians, 30% Muslims, and 5% Idol-worshippers and 5% other beliefs.
M. People moving in from the villages were looking for culturally similar ways of worshipping in the cities. This made it relatively easy to begin new churches in Jos where people were hungry for new churches.
N. Jos is the headquarters for 21 church and mission organizations. It has always been a gateway to northern Nigeria.
O. Jos is the home of many schools bringing thousands of young people and their families into Jos for better educational opportunities. Many church theological schools have started in and around Jos spurring church growth.
P. Four stages of church growth have been observed in Jos:
1). Experimentation growth - The testing of the ripeness of the soil for receptivity of the gospel. Rom 10:14 Paul said, ``How. then can they call on the one they have not believed in ? And how can they believe in the one of who they have not heard? And How can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? We must send missionaries to new areas to sow the seed!!
2). Internal and Expansion growth - The church begins to develop the maturity of its people and leaders. People begin to discover and use their gifts in serving the Lord through teaching Sunday School and neighborhood evangelism. Some churches may even erect a larger building to accommodate the growth of their church!
3). Extension growth - The church plans how to best give birth to a daughter church in a strategic section of the town using new seed families, the acquisition of property, and the beginning of prayer and Bible study meetings.
4). Bridging growth - The church, the Local Church council, and the district church council makes a concerted effort to provide support for missionaries to go to unreached people groups to begin new churches in new areas.
Q. Sadly, many of the 34 ECWA churches in Jos are still in the experimental and internal growth stages. Only 5 have experienced extension growth while fewer are experiencing aggressive bridging growth!!!
R. Presently, the Plateau District Church Council has mandated that all Hausa churches begin an English section by the year 1992. This is a positive indication that the leaders are interested in practicing experimentation, internal, and expansion growth.
S. Several efforts to experience extension growth by using students from Jos ECWA seminary have resulted in the planting of 6 new churches in Jos. Churches should learn how to use their theological students in urban church planting projects.
T. Three new extension churches were started with the help of seminary students, but failed to survive due to lack of support from the mother churches.
U. New churches were wrongly considered by some as attempts to divide the church members and create fights between certain groups in the church. However, this was seen as an excuse for failing to obey God’s directive to plant new churches, evangelize, and disciple all people groups. (Matt. 28:19,20)
II. How To Plant Churches in Urban Areas
A. Study and follow the examples of urban evangelism by the apostle Paul!
Example - When Paul went into the city of Athens, he stood before the people and said, ``Men of Athens. I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and observed your objects of worship. I even found an altar with this inscription; TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you . . . In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. he has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.’’
B. Paul recognized that many urban dwellers try to embrace many different beliefs so as to have the best of all worlds.
C. He tried to point out to them that no man can serve two masters.
D. Paul pointed them to Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord of the world. Several believed his message and perhaps a new church was started.
E. Taking advantage of the fact that the Athenians were religious and philosophical people, He addressed them in ways that they were used to. He moved from what was known to what was unknown!
F. Paul’s approach teaches us how to successfully use culture, history, philosophy, and the gospel integratively to win people for Christ.
G. By using culture as a bridge for the gospel, the evangelist won the hearing of many, and the souls of a few.
Example - When the early missionaries came to Nigeria, most knew very little about sociology or cultural anthropology. Probably most missionaries believed that African traditional religions were entirely evil and must be completely ignored, eliminated, and discouraged. Consequently, most missionaries preached the gospel, established hospitals, set up schools, and planted churches with the expectation that the nationals would adapt to their western versions of Christianity. Today, however, most missionaries are learning how cultural anthropological studies can help make the gospel more contextual, relevant, and need meeting for the people!
H. Urban evangelists will do well to follow the theology, methods, messages, communication style, anthropological analysis, and goals of the apostle Paul’s urban evangelistic efforts!!!
I. Use seed families to start Bible studies, prayer meetings, and worship services in their homes. These services will attract people who will become the charter members for your new church!
J. Form prayer groups in the mother church to pray for the beginning of new churches in strategic areas of the city.
K. Preach sermons about the importance, nature, origins, commands, goals, methods, and organizational ideas for planting new churches.
Example - Many Pastors preach the need for evangelism. But how many Pastors have directed their church to start a daughter church. We must show our people the difference between just doing evangelism and planting new churches!
When Jos ECWA seminary saw the distinction between evangelism and church planting, great things happened. Within four years of directing its students in urban church planting, 15 new churches were started in 6 cities of northern Nigeria! Today the number is up to 27 new urban churches.
L. Consult leaders in your area who know something about starting new churches. Work with them in starting new urban churches.
M. Consult local, spiritual, and civic leaders who would be able to pave the way for the acquisition of property for a new church.
N. Read literature and call in experts to give seminars or provide advise. These are people who know something about the principles of starting new churches. Some of these experts can be found in ECWA’s Evangelical Missionary Society.
O. Help people see the urban church as a form of their extended family which can help them with physical, social, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs while they are away from their village families!
P. Conduct surveys of the kinds of people in your areas and begin to do visitation of people inviting them to a seed families’ local prayer meeting.
Q. Re-visit interested families to share the gospel with them.
R. Gather facts about the tribal make-up of the community to help catalyze the beginning of new churches through the homogeneity principle. As the church matures it should become more heterogenous or have more diversity represented.
S. Show films to the people of the community in the open air to create visibility, credibility, and awareness of people’s efforts to begin a new church in their area.
Example - Jos ECWA Seminary’s students have shown evangelistic films around Nigeria during the past eight years. Each year, an average of 3,000 people profess to receive Christ through the film evangelism ministry. Several new churches have started through the film ministries.
T. Conduct worship services where people can worship in the vernacular language, English, and the local dialect if possible.
U. Urban evangelists should appeal to felt needs of people such as physical needs, loneliness, isolation, fears, frustrations, guilts, deprivations, depersonalization, and vulnerability. All of these are common symptoms experienced by people in cities!
Example - When many people fled for their lives following the 1987 church burning tragedies in Northern Nigeria, many thousands of people were attending churches as never before. God has used crisis in the lives of millions in the past to bring them to Christ, to start new churches, and to convict sinners of their wrong-doings, why not today?
V. Plan to build churches in the direction that the city is growing towards. Perhaps there are federal low cost housing projects, new construction areas, or new settlements by a certain people group. These are choice areas to purchase property for new churches!
W. Churches should establish special budgets solely for urban evangelism and church planting.
X. Study the historical growth patterns of the city to see how its churches and areas have grown in the past.
Y. Encourage the members of the churches to show special care, compassion, and concern to new arrivals to your town. The new people will usually be especially open as a transition time is an especially difficult time when they are open for help!
Example - For hundreds of years missionaries tried to reach the Cambodian people with the gospel, but with little success. When the Khmer Rouge regime came to power, they killed an estimated 6 million of their people forcing many people to flee into Thailand for safe refuge. The missionaries set up refugee camps along the border. During a 2 year period they saw over 50,000 Cambodians become Christians. God used a tragedy and turned it into a triumph for the gospel as missionaries made themselves available during a time of crisis.
Z. Provide churches within normal walking distance for people in the cities. This way, the people who they worship with will be people who they live with as neighbors. The church will grow quicker, stronger, and have a greater witness in the community.
AA. Recognize, pray, and trust the Holy Spirit and the word of God to do the real work of church planting, growth, and outreach to the lost.
BB. Practice all four stages of qualitative and quantitative church growth;
1). Experimentation growth
2). Internal and expansion growth
3). Extension growth
4). Bridging growth
CC. Claim promises from God for church planting and church growth like Matt. 4:19, ``Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’’ or Matt. 16:18, ``I will build my church and the gates of hell (all evil opposing forces) will not prevail against it!’’
Study Questions
1. What can we learn from history about the right and wrong ways to plant urban churches and see them grow?
2. What can we learn from Paul about urban church planting?
3. What things should your church do to advance urban church planting efforts?
