Why A New Church
Matthew 28:18-20
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Old time evangelist Vance Havner used to tell the story of an old fisherman. Ol’ Clem amazed everyone with his success. It didn’t matter what the weather was like or how productive other fishermen were. Clem always caught his limit. All his buddies wanted to know his secret. But no matter how many times they asked, Clem wouldn’t say.
Finally the game warden grew suspicious. One morning he showed up just as Clem was putting his old boat in the water. “I’m coming with you today,” the warden insisted. Clem protested to no avail. Finally the old fisherman shrugged his shoulders and said, "Okay, suit yourself."
The two climbed into the boat and motored over to a secluded cove on the lake. Clem sat there pondering his situation for the longest time. Finally, he said, "Well, I guess it’s time to fish." He opened his tackle box and pulled out a stick of dynamite. Before the game warden could say a word, Clem lit the dynamite and tossed it in the lake. The explosion blasted a huge fountain fifty feet in the air. Dozens of stunned fish bobbed to the surface. Clem calmly got out his net and started scooping up the fish.
At first the game warden sat there stunned as one of the fish. Finally, he let out a whoop, "Clem! You can’t do that. It’s illegal!" Ol’ Clem didn’t say a word. He reached into his tackle box and picked up another stick of dynamite. He lit it. He tossed it in the game warden’s lap and said, "Are you gonna’ fish or just sit there?"
Friends, the time has come to fish. The sitting is over. The time for fishing is here. In six weeks we will launch the first public services of Cornerstone Christian Church, a new church for Bowling Green and Pike County.
A lot has already happened. A lot more is going to happen in the next six weeks. From the very beginning two years ago when we started talking about this, one big question has shadowed—why. Why a new church?
Our text offers a big part of the answer. We are planting Cornerstone Christian Church for three very important reasons. These same reasons are at the heart of our motivations for all we do as a church whether across the street, down the road, or around the world.
Reason #1: We are starting a new church in Bowling Green because the Gospel is for sharing. Our faith is meant to be given away. The Good News that Jesus Christ died as a ransom for sin and that forgiveness and eternal life are available by grace through faith in him is too good to keep to ourselves. Jesus made that clear in our text. Bible students call this the Great Commission. Individually this is the mission statement for every disciple of Jesus. Collectively it is Jesus’ “last will and testament” for the church.
Note how the text says the disciples reacted to Jesus after his resurrection. They worshipped him but some doubted. I can understand their bewilderment. They loved Jesus but they weren’t sure what to make of something so totally outside of their normal experience. Jesus didn’t argue or scold. In essence, he said, “Guys, it’s time to decide. Are you gonna sit there or are you gonna fish?” Nothing gets doubters off the bubble or sitters on their feet like the task of giving away the faith.
This concept must have been important because it is found five times in the first five books of the New Testament. What we read is Matthew’s version. Likely, Jesus spoke extensively about this during his final days. Each record of the events emphasizes a different piece of the teachings.
Look at the other versions of the “commission.” Mark 16:15-16—“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Luke 24:46-48— “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” John 20:21, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Lord wants the unreached reached with the message of Jesus. The Bible makes this abundantly clear. The Bible says, “This (peaceful Christian behavior) is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men” (1 Tim 2:3-5). “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pt 3:9).
As amazing as it may seem, there have always been those who have had difficulty accepting the fact that the Lord intends for Christians to actively share the Gospel with new people or take it to new places. Listen to this amazing quote: “The sending out of missionaries (we could insert “starting new churches” and be consistent with the intent of the statement) . . . is the maddest, most extravagant, most costly, most indefensible project, which has ever been suggested by a moon-struck fanatic. Such a scheme is pernicious, imprudent, useless, harmful, dangerous, profitless, and fantastic.”
That statement was part of an official resolution presented to the British Parliament in the late eighteenth century by the directors of the British East India Company. The English business men wanted to stop the efforts of William Carey to go to India as a missionary. Many in and out of the church objected to such a work. When Carey spoke of his plans to a group of clergy, one learned minister responded, “Young man, sit down: when God pleases to covert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine."
Carey answered his critics by writing one of the most famous articles about missions every penned--Enquiry Into the Obligations of the Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen. Carey contended that the Lord had already stated his will. He wanted the unreached reached. The Christian duty, he insisted, was to obey not debate the Great Commission. (Cf wholesomewords.org/missions/careybio).
Here are the facts. 1) Forty-eight percent of Pike County claims no church affiliation. Quite likely a large percentage of the other fifty-two percent are not practicing followers of Jesus. 2) Pike County is growing and is expected to do so even more rapidly in the next five years as the suburban sprawl from St. Louis moves north. 3) There is no independent, non-denominational Christian church in Pike County. The bottom line: we are starting a new church in Bowling Green and Pike County because Jesus commanded his followers to share the gospel and reach the unreached.
Why are we launching Cornerstone Christian Church? Reason #1—because reaching the unreached is the Lord’s mission for his church. Reason #2—the intentional planting of churches is God’s method for extending the Gospel. One need only read the story of the first Christians in the New Testament to see this plan at work. As the early Christians carried out Jesus’ commission, they told the story of Jesus wherever and whenever they could. They then gathered the new believers into congregations. Local leaders and elders were developed for those congregations. The local congregation then assumed the responsibility for training believers and reaching their communities. These local churches even became the launching pads for larger missionary efforts.
Two questions always come up at this point. First, why start a new church? Can’t Bowling Green people come to church here? Of course, they can. We already have a significant number of families from the Bowling Green area worshiping with us. Many of them will continue to worship here. But the truth is most people in Bowling Green are not going to drive to Vandalia to church. The distance just offers another excuse for unreached people to remain indifferent to what we have to offer. Only a local church will reach the unreached in any community.
The second question—Aren’t there plenty of churches in Pike County already? Of course, there are already churches in Bowling Green, some very good ones. Many, however, are small, struggling churches that are finding it difficult to reach the growing population of Pike County. Our back-to-basics, non-denominational approach offers something that’s needed.
New churches also have a natural advantage over existing churches. A lot of unreached people in any community have tried church, maybe several different churches, at one time or another. When invited to church or someone talks to them about Christ, they often respond, “Been there, done that!” But when a new church starts up with the promise that it might not be exactly what they have experienced before, a lot of folk pay attention for the first time. This doesn’t mean a new church can take this advantage for granted. We certainly don’t intend to.
We are planting Cornerstone Christian Church because reaching the unreached is the God-given mission of the church. Planting new churches is also the God-given method for extending the Gospel. That’s reason #2. Reason #3—we are launching Cornerstone because we can. The Lord commissioned his church (that includes this church) to reach the unreached. New congregations in new places are his preferred method. A growing community of unreached people is just down the road from us. We already have many key people and important contacts in place in the community. Most new churches start with a lot less going for them that what we have in place. We can do it.
But there is something even more important than that. Did you note how verses 18 and 20 provide the bookends of the Great Commission? Verse 18—“all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” This task is not about us and what we think. It ultimately has very little to do with what we want. If we are his disciples, then we are under his authority. That should have been settled when we became Christians.
Verse 19 and the beginning of verse 20 contain the business plan of every faithful church—go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. The passage ends with a promise—“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is not the Great Commission as much as it is the Great Co-Mission. We are not in this alone. We have the promise of help from heaven. We are doing this because we can. Not we as in you and me, but we as in Christ and us. We (\/) can’t! WE (/\) can!
We have already accomplished a lot toward the launch of Cornerstone Christian Church. But there’s a lot more to be done. We are going to need your help, your prayers, and your encouragement. I want to invite any who are so inclined to consider coming along side of those who have started this effort and join in even if you don’t plan on being a permanent part of the new church. We will need lots of help over the next several weeks.
We can’t look at this text without another important observation. This passage not only contains the Lord’s plan for the church, it also contains his intentions for each of us individually. The Lord wants every one of you to become a personal follower of Jesus. He wants every one who has made that decision to be baptized. He expects every baptized follower to begin the life-long process of learning to obey what he taught. Some of you may still need to take one or more of those steps.
Someday in years to come, a new church with lots of new people will be meeting every week in Bowling Green and Pike County. Those people will owe a lot to this church, just like this church owes much to the pioneers who launched this congregation one-hundred twenty six years ago. In years to come, this church will be able to look with pride on that daughter church. “Isn’t that great,” we can say on that day. “Didn’t we do good?” Then hopefully someone will respond, “Yeah, we did! Not we (\/), but WE (/\)! We did it because of the Great Co-Mission!”
That’s why we are planting a new church!
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
