Knowing God’s intent for church planting forms the foundation of the why of church planting. Rev Eileen Lim pens the reasons and shares her personal experience.
While it is necessary to be sure that God has called an individual to the work of church planting, it is crucial to know His intent for church planting itself. Church planting is joining in God’s mission to redeem the world. In other words, the work of starting a new church begins with God and not with us. Too often, we think of church planting as our work, but in fact, when we plant, we are joining in the work God is already doing.
Church planting is joining in God’s mission to redeem the world.
Jesus is the One Who Builds the Church
Church planting reminds us that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and He is the One who builds His church. Jesus told Peter, “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18 NIV). Church planting begins and ends with Jesus Christ.
The word “Christian” carries the meaning of being Christlike. Recognizing that the church belongs to Christ is crucial, and nothing can damage the church more than believing otherwise. Church leaders can use church growth principles to plant churches, but only Christ can save and grow people into becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. For those who seek to plant a new church, we should not forget that it belongs to Jesus Christ, and He is the One who will take care of it.
For those who seek to plant a new church, we should not forget that it belongs to Jesus Christ, and He is the One who will take care of it.
In January 2020, amid my modules at APTS in Baguio, a still small voice whispered, “Be prepared for online services.” The immediate response in my head was, “No way, God! I am not cut out for this! I am not even tech-savvy.” Later that evening, the same phrase was repeated. Back in Singapore, in my busyness, I did not think much of that incident. The week leading up to our first service for Thrive, a friend interested me in a piece of equipment that can be used with iPhones to capture videos for social media. I managed to secure a set that week even though it was sold out for months. It happened that a shipment was arriving the following day, and one set was left unclaimed. The supplier contacted me, and I purchased it. I had in mind to figure this equipment out when I was not so busy and stored it away. Two days later the lockdown was announced and our first service for Thrive went online that weekend.
While many churches were caught off-guard at the time, God divinely prepared us with equipment and the necessary manpower and expertise sufficient to run services online from that very weekend of the lockdown and saw us through 99 services from our living room. We were able to help other churches with their worship services because of His timely providence. We have since started onsite in January 2022. Again, God provided a space through a church member, as the previous space was no longer available. God has shown us again and again that He is the one who builds the church. We recall all these with thanksgiving.
Jesus is in Our Boat
While God makes no mistakes, I was not all rearing to go initially when God called me to plant Thrive. I told Him, “Lord, if You do not go with me on this, I am not going.” I saw it to be a mountainous task that was beyond me and only possible if Christ was in the boat.
I told Him, “Lord, if You do not go with me on this, I am not going.”
One day, as I sought the Lord desperately on what to do, that familiar, still small voice said, “Start praying together first.” Since then, it has been the thing we do: meet corporately to pray regularly for His direction and strategy, and wait for Him to execute and to open doors. It takes patience. It takes waiting on Him even above the temptation to ‘quit too quickly’ or to be quick to come up with man-made ideas to help God along. Take the analogy of the growth stages of an apple tree. It can take up to five or six years before an apple tree starts to bear fruit. In that time, one continues to water, fertilize, and maintain appropriate conditions for the tree to nurture its growth. At its appointed time, the fruit will come.
Jesus’ Call
Church planting is a Great Commission mandate. Multiplication is at the heart of Jesus’ commission to believers, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Many individuals live out this call as church planters. Church planting is a supernatural work that only God can do. Joining God in Great Commission work is also expressed in planting new churches. In Colossians 1:29 (NKJV), Paul writes, “To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” Church planting is a demonstration of a passionate love for God, a priority for lost souls, and a place of specific service. The Great Commission provides the biblical motivation for the work of church starting.
Church planting is a demonstration of a passionate love for God, a priority for lost souls, and a place of specific service.
At the heart of church planting lies the work of discipleship. Church planting is a natural outgrowth of answering Jesus’ call to “come . . . and follow Me” (Mark 8:34; 10:21; Luke 9:23; 18:22) and “go therefore and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). In other words, it’s all about making disciples in every home, every town, every city, and every nation.
Church planting is simply a contextual model of answering the call of Christ to go and make disciples. Discipleship is not a program that has a beginning and an ending point. Rather, it is an ongoing process that is dynamic and organic in nature. In the words of Ed Stetzer, “Discipleship is not just a course or series of studies. Discipleship begins with conversion and continues as an ongoing process.
‘Make disciples’ means that the church is to win people to Christ and grow these new converts in the faith. That process is meant to take place in the local church.” Therefore, the call of discipleship is an absolute essential to the work of church planting. Understanding this truth, at Thrive, discipleship has been the emphasis from its inception. The focus has been to develop strong believers, whether through preaching, teaching, small groups, serving in ministry, or being integrated in community. Each believer is also helped to leave their past behind through a course called ‘Thrive in Wholeness’ to address and remove hindrances to spiritual growth and life, making way for the Holy Spirit to bring transformation in the life of a believer, setting them free to love God wholeheartedly, to love themselves correctly, and to love others compassionately. They are also encouraged to grow in the area of emotional health.
Therefore, the call of discipleship is an absolute essential to the work of church planting.
In the short three years of Thrive, by His amazing grace and to His glory, we are seeing the fruit of transformation in the lives of many members of Thrive. This transformation is positively impacting the community in Thrive and flowing beyond the church to family and friends.
Rev Eileen Lim, Founding and Senior Pastor of Thrive Church, grew up in Penang, Malaysia. Having received God’s call on her life since young, she gave up her six years secular finance job to serve God full-time. She is passionate about discipleship and carries a burden to see Christ’s followers live out life to the full. She also served in the youth and worship committee of Assemblies of God, Singapore. She is a worship leader who plays the drums and guitar. She holds a M.A. in Pastoral Ministries from Theological Centre for Asia and M. Div from Assemblies of God Bible College. She is currently pursuing her D. Min with Asia Pacific Theological Seminary, Philippines. She is married to Derek Lim. They both love sports and a commitment to see lives transformed for Christ.
