How To Help Daughter Churches Multiply
Learning Objectives
1. The students will explain why daughter churches usually do not start new churches.
2. The students will explain how daughter churches can overcome obstacles to starting new churches.
3. The students will write a short paper contrasting and comparing the motivating and demotivating factors for giving birth to daughter churches.
Introduction - When many new churches begin, the members seem to forget that they have a responsibility to plant other churches.
Example - One church began with one seed family who helped win their neighbors to Christ. Within one year’s time, the church had grown to 150 members. Instead, of teaching the people how to lead others to Christ, begin prayer groups in members houses, show the men how to lead Bible studies in their neighborhoods, and plant new churches, the founding family concentrated on solidifying their power. Instead of emphasizing witnessing, the family got elders elected who would support their decisions. Rather than reproducing itself through other daughter churches, this family tried to build up their own ``kingdom.’’
What was wrong with how this family went about leading the church? How could they have avoided the many internal struggles in the church over power. What does the Bible teach us about our responsibilities to give birth to daughter churches. Let us ask the Lord for help in understanding how we might be more effective in doing the whole will of God for ourselves and the churches we are involved in!
I. Begin By Understanding the Reasons Why Daughter Churches Tend to Not Start Other Churches
A. Many people say that they must wait until their church gets big enough to support missionaries. Christ’s command to ``Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields for they are white for harvest,’’ (Jn. 4:35) applied to young churches as well as old churches.
B. Some overseers do not want to start new churches. They are afraid they will lose their own members, money, influence, power, prestige, security, and control over the church. People must remember that the church belongs to no one except Jesus Christ. Jesus said, ``I will build my church and the gates of hell (all opposing forces) will not prevail against it.’’ (Mt. 16:18)
C. Some people think that beginning a new church will cost a lot of money. Most new churches begin with a prayer meeting, a Bible study, or a small worship service in a seed family’s home. Perhaps, the only cost might be for benches.
D. Some people think that you do not have a church unless you have a building.
A church is not to be understood as a building but it is the people that make up a church. Jesus said, ``Where two or three are gathered together, there am I in the midst of you.’’ (Mt. 18:20)
E. Some people do not recognize the difference between:
1). Internal growth (Helping church members to grow spiritually)
2). Expansion growth (Building a bigger building, adding an assistant Pastor, or expanding the ministries within the church)
3). Extension growth (Starting a new church in a nearby location)
4). Bridging growth (Sending a seed family or a missionary to a new area to begin a church in an area of unreached peoples) (McGavaran, p.100-101)
We want to encourage our churches to experience all types of growth. However, the two that are most neglected are extension and bridging growth!!!
F. Some Pastors hesitate to give daughter churches Local Church Board status for fear that they will lose control. This may indicate that the Pastors, Local Overseers, or Chairman are insecure in themselves. Perhaps, they feel that the Holy Spirit is not adequate somehow to take care of His church?
G. Perhaps, few people have vision for starting new churches.
H. Perhaps, no one offered training like this in starting new churches.
I. Perhaps it is difficult to find a seed family who can take responsibility for holding the prayer meetings in their home.
J. Perhaps, the new area has a great deal of Muslims.
Example - A new church in Jos, was recently started in a Muslim section of town. Despite opposition the Lord used the faith of a few to begin a new fellowship. The Lord used many people who had formerly been overlooked in starting a new church in a predominately Muslim section!
K. Many churches are not being started because leaders are overlooking members, neighbors, and the silent majority.
L. The initiative for starting new churches may come from seminary teachers, evangelists, or other outsiders. Each church must realize that although they may ask for help from outsiders in beginning new churches, ultimately, the responsibility lies with each local church.
M. People must stop thinking that a bigger church is always better.
Example - It would be better to have ten churches of 200 people in all areas of a town, village, or large city than to have one centrally located church of 2,000 members. The church would grow faster in both quantitative and qualitative ways!
N. Some churches have turned tribalistic. They are content with having people from their own tribe. They do not really want new members who might pose a threat to their internal prejudicial ways of thinking.
Example - For seven years, the members of a certain church did not cooperate with their Pastor because he was not from their tribe. When the church got their own man, the congregation became so tribally oriented, that nearly everyone but members of that tribe left the church in disgust! (Gal. 3:28)
O. Fears, suspicions, and doubts are numerous whenever any new church is about to begin. Jesus said, ``Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither be afraid, for lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age!’’ (Jn 14:27; Mt. 28:20)
P. Perhaps, people are so focused on their own problems that they refuse to think about the needs of others for Christ!
Q. Perhaps, members fail to realize that it is God’s central will to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. (Both physically and spiritually with Christians)
Example - Today the growth of Christianity is barely keeping up with the growth of the population. The percentage of Christians in the world has hardly increased in the last 50 years. (Dayton, p.581-586) In order for Christianity to grow, we must start more churches, lead more people to Christ, and disciple those who become Christians so they can influence their entire extended families. Many missionaries must also be sent to unreached people groups where the gospel is yet to be clearly preached!
R. Many churches have no clearly defined goals for what they are trying to accomplish spiritually.
S. There may be so much hypocrisy, fighting, and sin in the church that people have become spiritually infertile.
Example - When a woman cannot have a child, something must be wrong! There is either disease, no love in the marriage, something physically inhibiting pregnancy and delivery, or it may not be God’s timing! Still, people try all means to get physical children. How much more interested should we be in producing spiritual children, churches, and new disciples!!!
T. Perhaps, we are failing to win entire families to Christ.
U. Some people may feel that they are doing the entire will of God when they are just able to survive, maintain their present membership, and keep the church going. Jesus said, ``I have ordained you that you should go and bear fruit and your fruit should remain.’’ (John 15:16)
V. An isolation mentality sets in to some Christian’s minds.
W. Cultural blindness is the sickness that prevents people from seeing the important cultural differences between different people. The failure to appreciate the differences of people may hinder the planting of new churches.
Example - On World War II, Adolph Hitler practiced the worst kind of cultural blindness, he killed 6 million Jews for the purity of his own tribe’s sake. He believed that his Aryan race was superior to all others. Consequently, he would imprison Jews, beat them, perform cruel medical tests on them, and kill them with poisonous gas!! Missionaries and church leaders must be careful of practicing any form of cultural blindness!!
X. The Pastor may be old and lacks the energy, will, or vision to begin a new church. We need young men in our churches with the enthusiasm for growth.
Y. Some missionaries, Pastors, and Local Overseers should have their job descriptions include the responsibility to start new churches.
II. How to Help Daughter Churches Multiply
A. Begin with a prayer group. Study of the scriptures to see how to start a new churches from Acts, Romans, and Ephesians.
B. Get several seed families who will allow their home to be opened for early morning prayer meetings three to five times per week.
Example - For four summers, Jos seminary students have planted 15 new churches through local seed family Bible study meetings. Many families are willing to allow their homes or the shade of their trees to be used as meeting places for prospective new churches. God gives these seed families special blessings for their willingness to be used in the beginning of new churches! They just need help from a Pastor, missionary, or an evangelist in beginning the meetings!
C. Teach the scriptures to meet the felt needs (Protection from enemies, healing, belief in God’s abilities to do miracles, Relief of the fear of death etc.) as well as the real needs (Salvation, forgiveness of sins, and fellowship) of the people.
D. Gain a consensus commitment from the members of your church and those in the prayer meetings to begin a new church.
E. Get methods for starting your new church as well as the contents of your message from the scriptures. Note the book of Acts!
Example - Use the chapter in this book on the ``Biblical Theology of Missions’’ A study of the book of Acts) to teach your leaders through a Bible study, a sermon, a devotional message, or items for prayer in your meetings. All of these methods can be used to encourage people to look to the Bible for ideas and methods of starting new churches. The Bible will teach, convict, correct, reprove, rebuke, and train your leaders!
F. Use the male leaders who emerge as faithful men in your prayer and Bible study meetings to help lead the church.
G. Help those attending the meetings to invite their friends, relatives, and extended family members.
H. Visit those attending the meetings in their homes.
I. Delegate responsibilities to follow up new Christians with Christian literature.
J. Establish edifying relationships between members of your group. Do not make yourself out as the center of attention. The body of Christ must learn to relate to each other through love, prayer, service, fellowship, giving, and mutual dependence.
K. Set up a branch Bible school where you can train missionaries to plant churches in new areas. (Bridging growth)
Example - Abel Kantoma set up a branch Bible school in Yola where he is training 8 new missionaries for Gongola State! He has gotten help from many people who are eager to support the work of training new missionaries. We are limited only by our faith!
III. Distinguish Between Motivating and DeMotivating Factors in Helping Daughter Churches Multiply
A. DeMotivating Factors
1). Criticizing someone in front of others.
2). Playing favorites to certain people, tribes, or friends.
3). Preoccupation with maintenance interests or selfish concerns by the leaders of the daughter churches.
4). A false belief that attending church fulfills our duties to God.
5). Failure to encourage the members to grow qualitatively and quantitatively.
6). A lack of love for the members.
7). Failure to visit and show concerns for needs other than spiritual needs.
B. Motivational Factors
1). A leader who is enthusiastic and committed to service and growth.
2). High expectations based on what Jesus said in John 14:12
3). Recognition and use of spiritual gifts.
4). See people as important as God sees them.
5). Try to avoid prejudices or biases toward certain people.
6). Learn to speak the same language as the people.
7). Learn the customs and cultures of the new people and their problems.
8). Praying with people about their concerns.
9). Teaching from the scriptures with conviction from the Holy Spirit.
10). Allowing freedom of expression from the members.
11). Inviting participation in the decision-making and activities of the church.
V. A Job Description for a Local Seed Family Leader
A. Be a loving concerned leader who is willing to lead a prayer and Bible study meeting in your home.
B. Invite your neighbors, family members, and friends to attend the meetings.
C. Minister to the group as their shepherd until a full time Pastor can be called to the church.
D. Teach the members from the scriptures concerning their felt and real needs.
E. Encourage participation from all the members.
F. Delegate responsibilities for song leading, Bible studies, visitations etc.
G. Visit all the members at least once per month in their homes.
H. Help the members identify their gifts, skills, and abilities in serving the Lord.
I. Establish an atmosphere of trust, openness, and love where people are free to share their problems. Lead people in praying specifically about people’s needs.
J. Monitor the local needs of the people in your group to see if there is anything the people can do together to help those who are burdened.
K. Initiate invitation sessions where you have a special worship service, special speaker, film show, or crusade where as many people as possible are invited to attend.
L. When your group grows, take steps to find a larger place to meet.
M. When the group gets large enough, take steps to obtain property where a new church building can be erected.
N. Train assistant leaders who will be able to share the leadership responsibilities. These men could be your first elders in the church.
VI. Help People to See That God Causes the Growth
A. We do not cause the church to grow, God does. Paul said in I Cor. 3:6)
``I planted and Apollos watered, but God causes the growth!’’
B. We do not achieve in our own strength. Zech. 4:6,7 says,
``Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.’’
C. We must be open to the unpredictable, the unlikely, the uncontrollable in planting new churches. (John 3:8) ``The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit of God.’’
D. Help people to see the uncertainty of our lives. James 4:13-16 says, ``. . . For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away . . . But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.’’
E. God appoints leaders who He will equip for the task of starting new churches. (I Cor. 2:26-31)
F. We are dependent on God for His wisdom, encouragement, strength, might, power, protection, insights, guidance, intercession, gifts, provisions, convicting of men’s hearts, enablements, motivations, knowledge, and faith.
G. Our prayers are an expression of how much we are really dependent on the Lord for starting new churches. (Matt. 9:36-38)
``Pray therefore, to the Lord of the harvest that He would send more workers into His fields.’’
H. When the church seems to be growing slowly do not faint, get discouraged, or become down. God’s timing is perfect.
I. Be assured that God is more interested in seeing new churches start than even we are. (Matt. 16:18)
VII. Anticipate Hindrances to the Growth of the Church
A. Traditions may hinder some people from starting new churches. These people may say, ``We have never done this before!’’ Paul says, ``Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on to the goal for the prize of God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.’’ (Phil. 3:13,14)
B. Suspicions, fears, doubts, tribalism, criticisms, and stubborn leaders. God is no respecter of persons. Wane ne zai hana bishara. ``Who can hinder the work of the gospel.
C. Lack of a Biblical understanding of church growth.
D. Fear of the unknown.
E. Lack of confidence in leadership.
F. Poor planning.
H. Sin in the members of the church.
I. Opposition from some of the local authorities.
J. Opposition from some neighbors and even some family members.
K. Some people, by their nature, resist changes. Appeal to the innovators, then the early adopters, and then to the majority. Do not spring the idea on the whole church without first seeking support from the key leaders in the church!!!!
L. Do not push the idea until you are sure that the Holy Spirit has spoken to the key leaders about making the move to begin a new church.
Example - Before introducing the idea of starting a new church to the elders, the Pastor asked each man individually to pray about the idea. For several months, the Pastor would visit the elders house asking the men if they were still praying about the idea. After 6 months passed, the Pastor made the suggestion to start a new church in an elder’s meeting. Immediately, all the elders agreed to begin a new church on the other side of town. Within 6 months, a new church was born!
M. Anticipate the objections from resistors and be prepared with reasons for starting new churches from the scriptures.
N. Ask influential people for their support, involvement, and cooperation as intercessors, financial help, and moral support.
O. Tell others how Bishara #1 in Jos.
Example - Explain how the leaders refused to start a daughter church until they saw that God was withholding blessing from them. Only when they saw that it was shameful not to give birth to daughter churches did they act to begin Bishara #2. Within 2 years both churches were larger than they were before.
P. Be sure that God has called you to help begin a new church. Do not try to accomplish the work in your own strength, cunning, or manipulative efforts. The battle is the Lords!!!
Q. Do not hesitate to start a children’s Sunday School. Children are good advertisers of what the Lord is doing. This might eventually interest the parents.
R. Do not let one time visitors slip away unnoticed. Visit them in their homes, encourage them, and share Christ with them.
Example - Good News Church, in Jos, tries to visit people, especially first time visitors, every Monday night. A group of people use their visits for evangelistic, encouragement, and discipleship purposes. They usually find people eager for a visit from people in the church. This has contributed greatly to the growth of the first English section in Jos!
S. Do not hesitate to start a special discipleship group where you will be able to train the leaders for all the departments of your new church.
T. Begin a budget in your church. Set aside an amount of money to send one of your young men to Bible school, Bible college or seminary for training as a Pastor. Teach the people to give toward training missionaries as well.
Study Questions
1. What are some reasons why churches do not produce daughter churches?
2. How can we help churches overcome some of the hindrances to planting daughter churches?
3. What is the difference between internal, expansion, extension, and bridging growth for a church?
4. What eventually motivated Bishara #1 to start Bishara #2 in Jos? How could this example be used to motivate other churches to start new daughter churches?
5. Describe the responsibilities for a local seed family leader? What should be the qualifications for such a family leader?
6. What are some of the motivating and demotivating factors for churches to plant daughter churches?
7. What suggestions could you offer your church in starting new daughter churches?
