Do I Understand Church Establishment Correctly?
Church establishment is as important as evangelism.
Church establishment was the priority for the apostle Paul. Paul’s ministry could be divided into two parts: the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of the church. Though he had open doors for the gospel, he visited churches or wrote letters to resolve issues and, thus, helped establish churches.
Paul knew well that if the past work was not established, it would be lost. Similarly, future church plants would be lost too.
Church establishment is the need of the hour for the Kingdom of God. However, we need to first understand the meaning of establishment.
God has used many individuals to share the gospel.
Some think church establishment stops the church from fulfilling the Great Commission. But church establishment doesn’t cancel the expansion of the church. Rather it boosts the church with Biblical grounds for expansion.
A Common Misconception about Church Establishment
If a church has a building, property, musical instruments, and enough finances, it’s considered established. But this kind of thinking is due to the cultural influence around the Church in India.
Anything tangible and evident is understood as established. That’s why we have many big temples and mosques even in the middle of the road.
Honour-shame cultures attach a lot of importance of acceptance, recognition, and pride in the society, further contributing to false ideas of establishment. Such thinking is materialistic.
Should we accept unbiblical criteria for church establishment?
The Impact of The Misconception
A lot of money, time, and energy is spent on carnal goals than on the mission. A mentality to settle has crept into the hearts of the Church and her ministers which has caused a loss of vision to reach the unreached, train leaders, and participate in the mission.
Instead of thinking biblically, the Church is still following worldly philosophies. Is our potential drained in goals that will make no difference in eternity?
In the book of Acts, church expansion was dynamic due to obedience to the divine mandate. Churches had raised their own leaders from local assemblies. They did not outsource leadership development or import it.
What is Biblical Church Establishment?
Church establishment is a process that makes churches strong in the gospel. Biblical churches raise leaders from local assemblies and proactively participate in the mission. These are essential goals in church establishment.
While misconceived church establishment is often materialistic, biblical church establishment is oriented around Christ’s purpose, which is revealed in the way God led the apostle Paul to establish churches.
Churches that progress in the plan and purpose of Christ, as revealed in Scriptures, are biblically established churches. We shall explore biblical church establishment in future articles.
Let’s understand the devastating effects of misconceived church establishment. Let’s leave behind the passion for big buildings and property and possess a passion to pursue biblical church establishment.
