This article is archived. Some links and details throughout the article may no longer be active or accurate.

There are times when communities appear saturated with churches, so why would we plant more?

Though we tend to loudly announce the opening of a new church, the multitude of church closures in the United States happen quietly. Joe Wittwer, lead pastor of Life Center (Spokane Foursquare Church) in Spokane, Wash., estimates that we are losing ground.

The relationship between evangelism, discipleship and church planting is a tightly knit one. An article on LifeWay Research quotes Ed Stetzer as saying, “In winning new converts to Christ, church plants are light-years ahead of the average church because of their focus on reaching the unchurched.”

Joe Wittwer gave a passionate plea for the multiplication of churches at Foursquare Connection 2016: “I’m saved because someone had the courage to plant a church 100 years ago. I’m standing on the shoulders of courageous people who’ve gone before me.”

Exploring the call to, and the need for, church planting—as well as the obstacles—he issued a challenge to the church to not only pray for revival, but also prepare for revival through church planting. Take 15 minutes to watch this video and consider the challenge for yourself.

To see more from Connection 2016, click here.

Leave a Reply