I caught up with Colin, a denominational field worker. He mentioned he was visiting one of the healthiest churches in his denomination.

“Really, are they interested in starting new churches?”

“No. They have no interest at all.”

“Then how can that be a healthy church?”

The fruit of a healthy apple trees is not just apples—it is more apple trees. Where there is life there is fruit, growth and reproduction. That’s how God has designed the world in which we live and minister.

Healthy churches reproduce. They reproduce disciples, groups, leaders, ministries and new churches.

Let’s look at three good reasons why healthy churches should reproduce themselves.

1.. Biblical In Matt 28:18-20 we are commanded not to rest until there is a community of disciples in every people group in every geographic location around the world.

God has no other strategy than the multiplication of churches across the globe.

The church is the vanguard of the Kingdom of God and is at the very centre of redemptive history.

As Leslie Newbigin states, “An unchurchly mission is as much a monstrosity as an unmissionary church.” Mission without the church is not mission at all.

2.. Historical The church has always been one generation away from extinction. Every church was planted by someone. Do you want church history to stop with you?

There is a denomination that has written into its rules that no one can plant a new church within 15 kilometers of and existing one. In suburban Australia how many tens of thousands of unreached people live within 15 kilometers of churches that have had decades to reach them but been unsuccessful.

The world is our parish. Every location, every people group needs more churches not less.

3.. Practical

Here are four practical reasons why we should be committed to church planting.

i. Church Planting raises up a new generation of leaders who have to trust God.

Church planters, team members, small group leaders, musicians, children’s workers, sound system operators—all of these positions and more need to be filled. New leaders and workers are raised up because there is on one else to do the job.

A healthy church can give away 10% of its people and leaders every two years to plant churches.

ii. Create new winseskins

It takes all sorts of churches to reach all sorts of people.

Every new church gives us a fresh opportunity to reinvent how we do church while conserving the essentials of the gospel.

iii. Self-sustaining When our parent church sent me out to plant a new church they guaranteed my salary for a year. But they only needed to pay it for the first month. A healthy new church provides for its own needs, it raises up its own leaders and reproduces churches that do the same.

iv. Proven results Australian research (NCLS) reveals that new churches:
 · Show the strongest signs of vitality
 · Have higher levels of newcomers
 · Are more likely to retain the children of attenders
 · Achieve higher levels of attenders who
 ¼ have a strong sense of belonging
 ¼ discuss their faith with others
 ¼ invite people to church and
 ¼ feel they are growing in their faith

That’s why Peter Wagner says, “church planting is the most effective form of evangelism under the sun.”

Steve Addison is the Australian Director of Church Resource Ministries. CRM empowers leaders who strengthen and multiply healthy churches everywhere. His “blog” and resources can be found at http://www.steveaddison.net