Church Planting
Church planting is a natural outgrowth of answering Jesus' call… He said “come .… and follow Me” that we find in Mark 8:34; 10:21; Luke 9:23; 18:22 and “Go therefore and make disciples” this we find in Matt. 28:19. In other words, it's all about making disciples in every home, every village, every colony, every town, every city, and every nation of this world.
“Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.’”
Scripture says that “… the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it and He produces a crop, yielding a thirty or sixty or hundred, times what was sown.
Church Growth or Church multiplication starts with a passion for the Great Commission and seeing people come to the knowledge of Christ and produce more and more spiritually.
Through the use of God’s Story: From Creation to Eternity and Simply The Story we are seeing this come to fruition. People are coming to faith, groups are forming and Churches are being planted in numerous places in and various forms throughout the world.
What follows below are descriptions of how Church Planting is happening in Africa and Asia, from two of our national leaders.
Church Planting in Africa
Simply The Story and God’s Story: From Creation to Eternity are wonderful tools for evangelism and discipleship, but do they result in Churches being planted? The answer to this question is a resounding yes.
In both Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, we have been hearing about churches being planted after STS workshops and the launch of new God's Story languages. When those trained in an STS workshop begin to actively share stories, people come to faith in Jesus. When God's Story is made available in a new language and is shared widely, lives are being changed, people are turning to Jesus.
We rejoice that so many people are coming to faith. This has been happening in areas where there is no church, which is resulting in these new believers starting a church where they can worship and grow together.
But who will lead these new churches? This is an immediate concern. This challenge is being addressed as Oral Bible Schools are encouraged after every workshop in many locations around the world. This is especially true in the nations of Africa.
Church Planting in Asia
Obeying and following Great Commission: From God’s Story to Church Plant
Our teams show God’s Story: From Creation to Eternity in many different places such as homes, small groups, parks, railway and bus stations…wherever our Risen Lord opens the door. Whenever someone receives Christ for the first time through watching God’s Story, our team then follows up with them to nurture them by teaching God’s Word through using STS method. When those who have come to faith live near one another, we conduct a 5-day STS workshop. From those workshops, small house churches form.
If a larger “mother church” is available, these believers may fellowship and worship God there each Sunday. These leaders and families also meditate on God’s Word using STS in their home Bible studies on an ongoing basis. [The home Bible studies is an implementation of STS Oral Bible Schools]
Each STS workshop results in at least 4 new home groups. In these groups, each attendee has the opportunity (expectation) to learn 296 Bible stories. Each night, when the home group meets, they learn one story using the STS process. In this way, they learn and discover spiritual observations and make spiritual applications in their personal lives. With those stories in their heart pockets, they are equipped to share these stories with their friends and coworkers.
The hope and end goal of this process is to start small home Churches of 12 to 20 members. Each OBS leader takes the stories they have learned to their neighbouring places or to their relatives to share the gospel, with the hope that people will come to faith. They seek to start new home group studies (OBS), which become regular Bible studies, and ultimately new house churches. The churches also conduct cottage prayer meetings, women’s fellowships, ministry among children and youth, and regular spiritual life prayer meetings. They pray for the sick and help the disabled and elderly.
STS is like a God given spiritual guide to go and reach everywhere and to bring spiritual birth and new live in every community.
If God’s Story is like a tool for building the foundation for a new soul, then STS training and follow up is like a tool for constructing a strong spiritual home to bless many new souls in the society.