{"id":171,"date":"2021-12-21T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/stages-in-a-replanting-a-church-planting\/"},"modified":"2022-01-12T18:55:52","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T23:55:52","slug":"stages-in-a-replanting-a-church-planting","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/stages-in-a-replanting-a-church-planting\/","title":{"rendered":"Stages in Replanting a Church: Planting"},"content":{"rendered":"

And he said, \u201cThe kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.\u00a0He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows;\u00a0he knows not how.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\nMark 4:26-27<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Previously, we highlighted the importance of the hard work of\u00a0plowing<\/a>\u00a0in the process of replanting a church. Once you’ve plowed–it’s time to plant.<\/p>\n

Planting is faithfully casting or sowing the seed of the gospel into the lives of the people and the culture of your church.<\/p>\n

Often for those in a declining church the gospel is simply the message of Christ’s life death and resurrection. It’s the way to a relationship with God and it sometimes stops there. In the book, The Gospel Centered Life<\/a><\/em>, by Bob Thune and Will Walker offer this:<\/p>\n

\u201cMany Christians live with a truncated view of the gospel…(the gospel) is not just the means of our salvation, but the means of our transformation. It is not simply the deliverance form sin’s penalty, but the release from sin’s power. The gospel is what makes us right with God (justification) and it is also what frees us to delight in God (sanctification).\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

While the reasons behind a church’s decline are often multiple, layered and complex they are ultimately the result of the lack of understanding and growth in the gospel.<\/p>\n

A replanter must do the important work of casting gospel seeds in every member, process, program and policy of the church.<\/p>\n

In Creature of the Word<\/a>, Geiger,\u00a0Chandler and Patterson offer this helpful insight on how the gospel impacts programming:<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause church programs communicate, we must consciously bring the gospel to bear on them. Perhaps in analyzing your programs, you\u2019ll discover that you schedule activities or programs because of guilty obligation. The gospel, on the other hand, frees us from feverish attempts to appease God with religious activities. The gospel frees us to say no and to rest from our work because we trust His finished work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A replanter sows gospel seeds through:<\/p>\n