One of the best ways to learn is to alternate between lecture and lab. Unfortunately, when it comes to reaching people for Jesus, many churches are too heavy on lecture and light on lab.
Older, existing churches are tempted to create committees to study the subject of evangelism. New churches must evangelize or starve.
Enduring companies understand the importance of research and development. R&D is what brings new products to market and serves as the catalyst for technological breakthroughs. Often R&D efforts will result in companies finding outliers — products they weren’t looking for but that surfaced as the result of experimentation.
New churches serves as the research and development arm of the larger church community. New churches are young, flexible, and able to change (and change again) quickly. Since they deal primarily with unchurched people, they have a good sense of what questions they are asking.
Here’s how existing churches can benefit from church planting: when your church helps start new churches, you get the benefit of their research. Your daughter church becomes your R&D department.
Cancel the committee meetings and schedule coffee with your church planter!