I recently attended the 10th anniversary of a Kentucky Baptist Church near northern Kentucky. The church started out of a burden from the pastor to reach people who were not being reached with the gospel. Like most church planters, his desire was not about a musical or methodological preference but a concern for the unchurched.
The congregation received financial assistance from Kentucky Baptist churches through the Cooperative Program and today they are doing well. The church has baptized 50 people since it began and given back more through the Cooperative Program than they received.
Also in attendance was the KBC regional consultant and KBC’s director of church planting, which gives an indication of the type of relationship this pastor and church enjoys with their state convention. It was a great day of celebrating the past and looking ahead to their future.
Why do we continue to plant churches in a state where there are already so many healthy and thriving congregations? Here are five reasons:
1. Because of lostness in Kentucky: With a population of nearly 4.6 million people, our research shows that less than 20 percent of them attend church on Sunday mornings. While church attendance is not the only indication of lostness, it is one indication. With more than 3.6 million people not in church, we know that we need more churches trying to reach more Kentuckians with the gospel.
2. Because new churches need help: Before the service at the 10th anniversary, I asked the pastor, ‘Does it feel like you are surviving at this point’ (meaning 10 years into the life of the church)?
He answered an emphatic “no” and went on to say that at five years it felt like they were surviving but at 10 years they were thriving. Best estimates are that between 30-40% of new church plants make it to the 10-year mark as healthy, self-sustaining congregations — and this is one of those.
3. Because cooperation is a biblical value: Kentucky Baptists do not cooperate to advance the gospel just because it is the most efficient and effective way to do ministry, which it is. We cooperate because it is a biblical principle. In Philippians 1:5 Paul told the Philippian church how much he appreciated them when he wrote, “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” In 2 Corinthians 8 we see the churches working together to support poor Christians in Jerusalem. When Kentucky Baptist churches cooperate to plant churches, we are honoring a biblical principle.
4. Because some churches will die: While there are approximately 2,350 Kentucky Baptist churches presently, we know that number is not static. Some of those churches are down to a handful of faithful saints trying to determine their own next steps. They may not see survival as a viable option any longer. Some of these churches will give their property away to a church planter and others will dispose of their property in other ways. But those which close their doors not to reopen leave a void of a gospel-preaching church in their community. For that reason, we need more churches impacting more communities with the gospel.
5. Because God is glorified: Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” And in John 17:21 Jesus prayed for us, “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Our cooperation in planting churches is an answer to our Lord’s prayer and glorifies God as it is a demonstration of God’s people working together to advance His mission.
By the grace of God demonstrated through Kentucky Baptist churches working together, we were able to report to that church on its 10th anniversary that, while 2,350 churches helped plant their church, it is currently helping 34 new churches get started in Kentucky.
It is good to be a Kentucky Baptist, and it is good to work together to plant gospel-preaching churches to reach Kentucky for Christ. Thank you for your partnership in this important gospel-advancing work.
Dr. Todd Gray 