Don’t we have enough churches?
Some claim we do not need new churches because we already have enough churches in our communities. This is simply not true. We desperately need new churches. In fact, planting new churches is the most effective way for people to come to faith in Christ.
We desire to help finish the task Jesus started. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He left a spiritual family of 120 believers in an upper room. This spiritual family was the first church. A few weeks later, hundreds of churches were started in homes all over Jerusalem. Within a few years, churches were planted all over the known world. When we plant new churches, we continue what Jesus started. God continues to use ordinary people who trust in an extraordinary God as spiritual fathers and mothers who plant new churches in their communities. Through their obedience, many come to faith in Christ.
The Lord is using many different types of structures to build His church. The DOVE International family embraces three types of churches: the community church, the mega-church, and the micro or house church.
The community church
In nearly every community around the world, we can find “community churches” which likely meet in a church facility each Sunday morning and hold various meetings at the church building throughout the week. There are many styles and flavors of community churches. Although community churches range in size, they all reach a clear target area: the local populace. In many cases, those that attend and those they reach live in the general geographical area. Proximity and ease of access are a big part of the nature of the community church.
The megachurch
A megachurch is usually defined as one that has regular weekly attendance of at least two thousand people. Megachurches are growing rapidly. It is not unusual for people to drive for an hour or an hour and a half to attend worship services at a megachurch. Megachurches have much to offer. There are ministries for every member of the family, programs for those with addictions, Bible schools, concerts, youth ministries, singles’ ministries; almost anything is available. However, unlike the community church where you may know nearly everyone, at a megachurch you probably know only a few people. Yet, members appreciate a megachurch since everything is easily accessible in one location.
The micro church
Micro church networks are also mushrooming across North America and in other parts of the world. They coexist and network with other more traditional community churches and megachurches of our communities meeting in church buildings every Sunday. We can draw an analogy between micro church networks and the stores in a shopping mall. If the average store found in a shopping mall was taken out of the mall to stand on its own, it would die within a year. The normal store in a shopping mall needs the others to survive. Each specialized store flourishes together within the cluster of the others yet is fully a store in its own right. Similarly, micro churches are individual and specialized, yet they flourish when they network together with other micro churches.
God has many models for His church, and different believers have different preferences. God will use and bless all three forms of church—the community churches, the megachurches, and the micro church networks. We believe the Lord is giving us an invitation to join Him to plant hundreds of new churches throughout the world.
Is the Lord is calling you to start a new church? We are here to help!
The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city.— Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York
Church Planting Resources
Articles and stories from church planters around the world here
Church Planting Demographic and Vision Tools download here
FREE church planting tools and resources on the DOVE USA website
Discovery Bible Studies
Learn how to lead a Bible study, which takes people from not knowing God to falling in love with Jesus here.
Church Planting Boot Camp
One weekend each year of the DOVE Global Leadership & Ministry School focuses on church planting.
