Beyond the Book with Drs. Rogers and Newton: “Churches Planting Churches”

At Southeastern Seminary, Rogers serves as assistant professor of North American church planting and Newton serves as visiting professor of pastoral theology. In the following Q&A they take some time to dive deeper into the book and its insights.

What is the purpose of this book, and who is its target audience?

Rogers: Many churches today want to be involved in church planting, yet few know how to move from aspiration and vision to practice. We wrote “Churches Planting Churches” in an effort to help ordinary churches and pastors see that church planting is something that any church can, and should, give themselves to.

What inspired “Churches Planting Churches,” and how does it uniquely contribute to the conversation surrounding church planting?

Newton: With so many of our fellow pastors interested in leading their churches to engage in planting, we knew that a comprehensive toolbox would serve them well, something that would help them understand the biblical foundation, train up planters, involve their congregations, establish a planting team, raise finances, and address the nuts and bolts of planting. Providing a resource for sending churches, not just the planter and his team, gives local churches ownership of their roles as instruments in the process. While many church planting books exist, we wanted to approach planting from a confessionally Baptist angle.

Providing a resource for sending churches, not just the planter and his team, gives local churches ownership of their roles as instruments in the process.

You mention in the book’s description that churches can tend towards either non-involvement in church planting or pursuing church planting through pragmatic methods. How does “Churches Planting Churches” help readers navigate these two extremes to find a healthy balance?

Rogers: Ecclesiology drives missiology. Our understanding of God’s intention, design, and model for the local church informs the mission of church planting and the types of churches we plant. As we argue in “Churches Planting Churches,” we believe it is vital that pastors slow down and do the hard work of developing a robust ecclesiological framework for both the health of their local church and the health of the churches they plant. Robust ecclesiology isn’t antithetical to the mission; it’s essential.

What are some of the most common roadblocks that churches encounter in the church planting process, and how does this book help pastors preempt and approach such difficulties?

Newton: One common mental roadblock leads some churches to dismiss the thought of church planting: They mistakenly think that only large, well-financed churches can do so. There’s also the leadership roadblock: churches have the capability of planting but haven’t developed any type of pastoral leadership training program for future pastors and missionaries. Alluding to what Dr. Rogers mentioned, there’s also a pragmatism roadblock: some churches neglect the theological foundation for preparation and planting that gives the sending and planting team the roots necessary to endure the challenges of planting.

How does church planting play a unique role in fulfilling the Great Commission?

Rogers: I would argue that the Great Commission necessitates church planting because disciple-making, baptism, and ongoing sanctification are meant to be rooted in the local church. In order to fulfill the Commission, we need healthy churches in every community around the world. The book of Acts demonstrates this reality. As the word of God sped forward in the first century, the result was not merely individual followers of Jesus, but the starting and stabilizing of churches.

As the word of God sped forward in the first century, the result was not merely individual followers of Jesus, but the starting and stabilizing of churches.

What advice would you give a pastor who wants to lead his church towards church planting but doesn’t know what steps to take first?

Newton: Above all, commit the possibility of church planting to prayer. We can have a potential planter and team but without the power of God, their work may flounder along the way and never get off the ground. Second, include missiological explanations and applications in sermons. Many texts lend themselves toward good application. Third, through your example, preaching, and conversations encourage the congregation to trust the Lord in all things. Fourth, meet with key leaders to read and study church planting books, discuss potential planting candidates and teammates, and bring in some church planting pastors to dialogue about processes that helped them to plant. Fifth, include a church planting fund in the church’s budget. Finally, in collaboration with the church’s established leadership team, set forth a vision and plan for the church to begin the process toward sending out a church planting team. A book like “Churches Planting Churches” will be a good guide and resource to help through the process.

How has your work on this book challenged or encouraged you spiritually?

Rogers: It’s a true gift to help pastors and church leaders invest in the work of church planting. Pastors are busy and the demands of ministry are overwhelming, so I meet many pastors who long to be about the work of planting but continually stall out because they just don’t know where to start. My aim in “Churches Planting Churches” was to bring the donuts down to the bottom shelf and help give these faithful leaders and churches a place to begin.

Newton: I planted a church in 1987 and wish I’d had a resource like the one our contributors have given us in “Churches Planting Churches.” I’ve learned so much from the other twelve writers whose insights and inspiration have kindled in me a deeper fire for planting churches. It’s hard to read this book without feeling an urge to be involved in some way in this noble work of church planting. Often, a leadership team just needs a little guidance to lead their congregation into the joyous privilege of establishing another church. I hope “Churches Planting Churches” will be a catalyst for a new wave of national and international church planting among Baptists.