“Launching” a New Church

A review of the book, “Launch: Starting a New Church From Scratch”
Authors: Nelson Searcy & Kerrick Thomas
Publisher: Regal Books, 2006

This book is indicative of the “Church Growth” movement.  Church growth has spawned an entire market for books, speakers, programs and more.  There are thousands of principles being touted by those who have “planted a church” and seen incredible “success” in the form of large crowds at their services.

The book, Launch, does provide some keen insights on several topics.  The authors seem to have a passion to assist others in planting growing churches.  I have no doubt these men love the Lord.  It is also true that they have impacted thousands of lives.  It is probably true that many people have come to genuine faith in Christ, as a result of their ministry.  I would not dare attempt to be a judge of their motives or ministry.  However, it is my desire to assess the book and its ideas in contrast to what the Word of God declares.

There are a number of issues promoted in the book that cause me to be concerned.  The first issue is the whole idea of the phrase “planting a church.”  Is “planting a church” a proper concept?  I realize that the terminology has been used for decades, even by fundamentalists.   Neither do I believe the phrase to be a bad one.  I also know that it refers to the establishing of a local body of believers.  Yet, I believe that such an idea has bred some of the mistaken methodology currently  promoted as ways to start a church.  As we should know, a church is not an organization, but it is an organism.  It is not a building but it is a body.  The only time a body is planted is when it is dead (cf. Rom. 6:4-5).  (I have known some churches that have been in existence for years, and they are ready for “planting” now).  A living body is given birth!  However, the thesis of this book seems to be that, if you do all of the preliminary planning and promoting properly, then you can plant a great church.  Yet, none of this takes into account that a church must be birthed and not planted.   Granted, the authors also use the term “launch” as the term for beginning a new church.  Yet, we must argue that bodies are not launched, but they are birthed.  A church is a body of born-again believers.  The church is conceived by the Holy Ghost.  A church is born as the Holy Spirit of God brings born-again believers together for worship and edification.  While it is not my desire to argue over semantics, it seems the terminology is the catalyst behind the methodology.  If one is merely “planting” a church, then such methods may be viable.  But, if the church is being “birthed,” then the methods must be of the spiritual nature.

Another issue is that the authors keep referring to the new churches “target” audience.  This concept has been a part of the contemporary church movement’s marketing strategy for at least two decades.  As I sat in a Rick Warren seminar in the mid-1980’s, he promoted the “targeting” concept.  At that time, I fully embraced the idea because it fit perfectly within human reasoning.  It took about two years for the Holy Spirit to bring me back to a biblical approach.  The targeting idea does fit with logical, human reasoning.  I remember Warren using the analogy of a radio station that tried to appeal to all the masses.  He said, “Such a station could not survive.”  He commented that the station must decide on its target audience, and then offer the genre that most fit with that target group.  They must decide on being Jazz, Country, Pop, Rock, Christian, Gospel, etc.  If they tried to be all those things, they would have no listeners.  Again, this perfectly logical, human reasoning, and it is true for a radio station.  Yet, the church of the living God is not a mere radio station.  It is not an ice cream shop, that offers “31 flavors.”  It is a holy, blood-bought body of believers.  It is a spiritual body that offers the only known cure to the sin-sick condition of the world.  It is a body of believers who have been commissioned by its Head, Jesus Christ, to “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”  While it is true that no one church will reach everybody, we must not succumb to the temptation to “market” our church by “targeting” a particular group of people.  The early church of the New Testament did not target.  Their membership was composed of the wealthy and the poor, the laborer and the manager, the slaves and the masters.  It must be also remembered that Paul rebuked the more wealthy people of the Corinthian church for failing to consider the less fortunate of their own congregation (I Cor. 11:20-22).  James also warned the believer against such a targeting approach (James 2:1-4).  A biblical local church realizes that the local church family is made up of those whom the Holy Spirit has brought to spiritual life through the new birth.  Thus, that church cannot “target” who is birthed, no more that I could have “targeted” who would be my brothers in my family.  The Wynn family consist of those who were birthed into the family.  Our parents had no choice or selection.  They simply received the ones who were given birth.  As the offspring of our parents, we were still different.  Each of us have different likes, looks and desires and, yet, we are still part of the Wynn family.  So is the family of the local church.

The book also appears to strip the whole church-planting process of any need for the power of God.  It seems that, if you have the right “launch” team, the right “worship” leader, the right advertising, etc., then you can have a successful church launch.  Little is said in the book about the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of God.  Yes, it is mentioned, but almost as an afterthought.  It would appear that the methods are more important than the motive.  Thus, they need to read God’s warning to the church of Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-5).

The authors heavily promote the idea of using non-believers to assist on your “launch team.”  “. . .it’s perfectly acceptable to have open-minded, personable nonbelievers on a launch team” (p.149).  This is a truly troubling concept.  If birthing a church is spiritual work, then how can non-spiritual people be involved?  I believe that it should also be argued that a non-believer will not have the same priorities or passions as the believer.  The prophet, Amos, asked “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).  Of course, the answer is “no.”  The Bible also clearly forbids the partnering together with the unbeliever (II Cor. 6:14-16).  If one is merely trying to develop an organizational meeting with a large crowd for entertainment purposes, then this is a valid approach.  However, when the cause is to have a church where believers are edified and disciples are grown, then such an approach cannot work.

The book does offer some provoking and helpful insights.  There are some concepts that should be gleaned and considered.  As stated earlier, I believe the authors have a genuine passion to please God, and have reached some people.  The authors make many good statements.  However, as a guide to “church planting,” I believe the book falls short of following strictly biblical principles.  We must never confuse results as God’s blessing.  Remember, Moses got “results” when he struck the rock the second time, it was not the blessing of God (cf. Num. 20:7-12).  His actions cost him entrance into the Promised Land.

While I realize that my comments and thoughts run contrary to the bulk of current church growth opinion, I feel that the Bible must always be the standard.  Ultimately, as a wise man once said, “Every bucket sets on its own bottom.”  The authors of this book are the ones who are responsible for the ministry God has called them to.  There will also be many who argue, “But look at the results they are getting!”  Or, “they are reaching people.”  I will close with an assessment by A.W. Tozer on the “we are winning them” philosophy.  In his article entitled, Golden Calf Christianity, he writes the following:

It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God!

So we have the strange anomaly of orthodoxy in creed and heterodoxy in practice.  The striped-candy technique has been so fully integrated into our present religious thinking that it is simply taken for granted.  Its victims never dream that it is not a part of the teachings of Christ and His apostles.

Any objection to the carryings on of our present golden-calf Christianity is met with the triumphant reply: “But we are winning them!”  And winning them to what?  To true discipleship?  To cross-carrying?  To self-denial?  To separation from the world?  To crucifixion of the flesh?  To holy living?  To nobility of character?  To a despising of the world’s treasures?  To hard self-discipline?  To love for God?  To total committal to Christ?

Of course, the answer to all this questions in NO!  We are paying a frightful price for our religious boredom.  And that at the expense of the world’s mortal peril!

Amen, Brother Tozer!  May God help us to stay biblical in our approach and exalt His name for His glory!