Three Resources for Church Multiplication

        Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

My words today focus especially on VCP students who have been working for

three or four years to make disciples, plant churches, and train leaders. I’m

directing my thoughts today to men and women who have made several trips

around the Four Fields Model, researching, praying, sowing the Good Seed of

the Gospel, making disciples, training leaders and sending them into new fields

where the Gospel is not known.

First of all, let me congratulate you. Only a very small percentage of Christians

have done what you have done. You have multiplied disciples, leaders and

churches! Praise the Lord!

Leaders like you often begin to focus on gathering resources to strengthen their

church planting and extend it to new places. This is right and good. And God

has promised to supply your needs according to his riches in glory.

But what kind of resources do you need the most? What do you need to continue

to plant, grow, and multiply healthy churches?

Some church planters think that more than anything else, they need places to

meet, chairs to sit on, and a sound system to amplify their message. But you

have already proven for yourself that churches can start anywhere: in a home,

under a tree, in a school, or really anywhere else. Many people will agree that

churches can be planted anywhere, but they believe that money to buy land,

build buildings, and pay for ministry expenses such as transportation costs

makes money a very important resource for church multiplication.

Other people like to look at church multiplication from a more spiritual

perspective. They say the most needed resource for church multiplication is

prayer. They rightly say that God delights to answer the prayers of his children

and that God is all-powerful and full of love. These spiritual brothers and

sisters tell us to devote ourselves to prayer before we start church planting.

They admonish us to pray as we move through repeated cycles of the Four

Fields Model. Prayer is very important. But, is it the most needed resource for

church multiplication?

Others say that people are the most needed resource for church multiplication.

They point out that even with a nice building and a good sound system, a

church is a failure without people. They agree that prayer is very important. But, they

remind us that people pray. If people are taught well, the more people you

have the more prayer you have. Those who think people are the most needed

resource for church multiplication don’t discount the need for money, but they

remember that God provides resources through people.

What about you? What do you think is the most needed resource for church

multiplication? Buildings, money, prayer, or people? Would you consider this

question, pray about it and discuss it with your fellow church planters? We’ll

discuss it more when I come to you next week with another episode of Multiply,

the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for church planters.

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Resources #Multiplication