Church planting is the air you breathe when you open the New Testament, as the New Testament is largely written to a collection of church plants. And yet surveys show that only 7% of churches in the U.S. are engaged in multiplying and seeing new churches planted.

Matthew 28:19-20 reads: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In this Great Commission, the imperative is to “make disciples.” But the Scripture also tells us how we are to make disciples. We will do this by going, baptizing and teaching. As we read further, the Book of Acts makes it clear that we are baptized into a community with accountability, fellowship and teaching.

Virtually all of the significant evangelistic challenges of the New Testament are calls to plant churches, not simply to share the faith. This is why leading missiologist C. Peter Wagner said, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.”

TWMC believes our call to make disciples is also a call to plant churches. Over the next year, you will continue to hear more about how our church is working to recruit, assess, train and send church planters out into the world.