In 2010, NAMB raised the standard in how we count church plants. Previously, NAMB reported a general “new congregation” total that included both churches planted and established churches that decided to affiliate with the SBC without providing a breakdown of how many congregations were in each category. Additionally, for the church plant count before 2010, NAMB only asked our state partners for the overall number of church plants for their state each year, without asking for identifying details for each plant.
Today, we require an SBC ID number, church name, church address and name of planter for each new church plant before we will count a new plant. None of these requirements were in place prior to 2010, and because of that, an unknown number of church plants were counted twice or more during the annual tallying. Without the SBC ID number requirement, a broad definition of “church” was applied, leading to artificially higher numbers in the past.
In addition to these changes, NAMB also raised the bar on missionary assessments to ensure that church planting missionaries are better prepared for the rigors of church planting. Even if the total number of churches planted is lower than any of us would like, the survival rate – nearly 90 percent after four years – is better than ever. And that higher survival rate should be the ultimate measure.
In church planting, our biggest challenge today is the need for more qualified church planters. As Southern Baptists, we need our churches to continue calling out the called at a higher rate. The bottom line is that planters come from churches, not from NAMB. They come from big churches, small churches, urban centers, suburbia, and small towns. And we need your help.
The first, and most important, investment we ask for is prayer, committing your church to being a prayer warrior for the planters and their families who are sharing the gospel in the toughest places. You can connect with our church planters today.
Text PRAY right now to 888123 (Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help. Msg & data rates may apply. Terms & privacy: slktxt.io/7pu7).