# Biblical Church Planting Method



## JML (Jul 10, 2013)

At what level is it proper to begin a church plant?


Individual or Group of Individuals apart from any church / association oversight or approval
Individual or Group of Individuals with only local church approval / oversight
Individual or Group of Individuals with association approval / oversight (i.e. Presbytery, Synod)

In other words, if a person wanted to see a church started, what do you feel is the Biblical way to do so? Can they just start it on their own or do they need to go to someone for approval and oversight? If the latter, is it only necessary to get oversight from a minimum of a single local church or is a group of associated churches such as a Presbytery or Synod needed?

Please provide a Biblical basis for your answer.

One note: this would be prior to calling a pastor, so essentially we are talking about the infant stages where the church would really just be a fellowship.


----------



## Contra_Mundum (Jul 10, 2013)

The NT shows us more than one way churches came into existence.

Synagogues, or a portion therof, basically became churches, Jn.16:2; Act.6:9; 9:2,20; 18:7-8,17. This was a great benefit to the early church, because already there were elders for leading the church, who were already elders in their former Jewish synagogues.

Paul evangelized a group of people, perhaps predominately Gentile. He set up rudimentary organization, then moved on. He returned (sometimes on the same missionary journey) and did a bit more work in church-organization, ordaining elders, see Act.14:23; Tit.1:5. The Church is integral to this work of propagating of "more" church (or churches, if you prefer) from the beginning; see Act.13:3.

Churches came into being on their own, as Christians came together, perhaps most famously in Rome (RCC claims notwithstanding). These churches still could benefit from an Apostle coming thence, for to "establish" them, and to impart "some spiritual gift," see Rom.1:11. As a Presbyterian, I think this shows us that in the end, a particular church benefits by its connection (and one may wish to take that idea across a range of senses) to other churches, when it comes to organization.

A minister (I say) greatly benefits from having his ministry recognized by others outside his band of followers, men that in some sense he's accountable to. And the elders of a particular church benefit by having other churches and elders recognize that they have been regularly elected, ordained, and installed in that congregation, according to a common method; and that the congregations recognize that they are all together one church of Jesus Christ, holding the everlasting gospel in common, and a body of doctrine.


The OPC receives churches that are already established. We desire that these churches have elders we can recognize. If they have a minister, and he wishes to pastor a (new) OPC church, he needs to become a member of Presbytery.

The OPC also plants churches. These "missions" fall under the oversight of some body of governing elders (this could be oversight by a single congregation/session; or by a whole Presbytery through a committee of elders and ministers), until they have their own elders, whose preparation has been in some sense guided by the present eldership, so the new session can be entrusted with the work for the benefit of the sheep and lambs.


----------

