I just got back from the Send North America Conference put on by the SBC’s North American Mission Board. It was a great time to meet with 2,000+ other church planters and partners from around the continent. I was amazed at the excitement and momentum that seemed to be present.
Here are just a few items that I took away from the event.
1. SBC churches in North America are losing ground. In order to reach the church/population levels that existed in the 1960s, 15,000 churches need to be planted. While that sounds like a huge number, there is hopeful news. To reach that goal, the current churches in America need to each plant only 2 churches.
2. There is a definite need for our concept. I met with several planters and leaders to explain what we can to do to help plants. They were all very interested and saw the value in our concept. That was very encouraging to me.
3. The is a need to equip planters. There are several planting organizations out there that offer any number of resources and tools to help planters. While that is great, there is also a need for practical tips for planters. We realized that you could attend a conference relating to planting almost every week of the year if you wanted. What we need are for the boots to hit the ground. Quit talking and just get started.
I am very pleased to be working with NAMB to be a small part of their strategy to plant new churches in North America. The Gospel is advancing and we are blessed to be a small part of that effort.
