We talk about planting churches as being better than just discipling individuals. I searched for “the importance of planting churches” and found many large ministries affirming this priority.

What does the Bible say?

Lots of planting in the New Testament, but no church planting….

• He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.” – Matthew 13:31

• This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. – Luke 8:11

• I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. – 1 Corinthians 3:6-8

The seed they were planting was the message of the kingdom, the word of God. This grew, transformed hearts and multiplied, resulting in what we call churches. What are we “planting”? A building? A weekly event? A set of programs? A gathering of people?

Let’s plant seeds of the gospel in people’s hearts and see what happens.