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Christian Leadership Training Course

By J.C. Choate

Lesson 29

Establishing New Congregations

In a part of the world where the church is still young and growing, having already had a remarkable growth rate, it is necessary to have preachers who have an evangelistic spirit, not only in converting souls to Christ, but also in establishing new congregations of the church. Every area of every large city needs to have a local congregation, as well as all neighboring cities and villages. That means that we need lots of preachers to work with those congregations already in existence, but also to go out to begin new ones. And with every soul converted, and with each new congregation established, they can not only add to the work force, but also they can help to support the work that is being done. For instance, it shouldn’t take a thousand members to support a preacher, or even several hundred, or even one hundred. Actually, it shouldn’t take all that many members of a local congregation to have enough funds to support a preacher; that is, if they will give as the Bible teaches. They can also help the preacher in other ways, such as helping with food, clothes, etc. When we really have an evangelistic spirit then things begin to happen to enable the cause of Christ to spread.

As a preacher, you must not only be able to convert souls to Christ, but if you are in areas where the church does not exist, then you must be able to help them to get organized to have a local congregation. Even if you are working with a local congregation, you should be looking for opportunities to begin new ones.

Evangelism is the very life of the church. It gives the members a mission, a purpose for existence, a goal to work toward. We live to help others to live. We must be able to reproduce ourselves wherever we are. Preachers and missionaries may take the lead in this, but all of the members are to support it. To have a part in it, and to see what it produces, brings joy and happiness, encouragement, and strength.

If you will read through the book of Acts you can see how the church began in the city of Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ. Then as you go on reading you will find that as the gospel was taken to other cities and areas, and as people obeyed the Lord, other congregations were established. Paul and those who accompanied him made three missionary journeys, preaching in Asia and Europe, and everywhere they went the church of our Lord was planted. Not only with them, but the same was true of the other apostles and many preachers as they went forth to spread the cause of Christ. It spread so rapidly, as a matter of fact, that the gospel was taken to every creature under heaven in less than thirty years (Colossians 1:23). Hundreds, and even thousands and thousands of congregations were established.

No, it was not easy in that day to preach the gospel and to establish congregations. They met with opposition, were persecuted, many were even killed for their faith, but this did not stop them. That only added fuel to the flames of evangelism, conversion, and the establishment of congregations of the Lord’s church throughout the world. Again, you can read of a lot of this in the book of Acts, such as with Peter and John (Acts 3,4), the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), the killing of James (Acts 12), and all of the things that Paul suffered.

Neither did they have a lot of wealth with which to work. Preachers weren’t put on salaries, although some were helped here and there. Certainly, they didn’t have some foreign country to underwrite their expenses. They didn’t have church buildings, since they met in homes, in stadiums, or other public meeting places, and neither did they have Preacher Training Schools, Christian Colleges, and many other things that we think we must have today. Yet, they went out and did the job.

I will tell you, though, what they did have. They had faith in God, love for the Lord and the souls of men, zeal to spread His cause, and determination and willingness to work. They were willing to suffer, die, or whatever it took to do the job. They were not willing to take no for an answer. They believed it could be done and they did it. They would not stop, quit, give up, turn back, offer excuse, or refuse to go on. What a great people they were and what an example they set for us! They changed the world and we are still enjoying the benefits of it.

The Lord is still telling us today that we should go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15,16). People are still lost and need to be saved. We who are saved are the ones that have been commissioned to do it. If you will read through the book of Acts again, you will find that the apostles and their converts preached the gospel, the same gospel everywhere they went, and when there were those who would believe, repent of their sins, confess Christ as the Son of God, and be baptized for the remission of their sins, then the Lord saved them and added them to His church (Acts 2). You will also note that the scriptures are constantly talking about thousands obeying, many being added, and of their numbers growing. As a result, each time two or more obeyed the Lord in one of these areas, a congregation of the church was established. Each congregation usually began with several members. That is, they would then begin to meet each week to worship, and as they grew and they had men who could qualify to be elders and deacons, then they were appointed by the members to give leadership to the congregation. There were also preachers, teachers, etc., that likewise developed and then they would begin to spread the gospel around them and maybe even other congregations were established.

Now that is what is needed today. Preach the gospel, convert some souls, and establish a congregation wherever you are. Those who obey can begin to worship and work where they are.

The Lord has given His people today everything they need to go out and to evangelize the world. More important than money, buildings, transportation, and many other things is faith, zeal, love, courage, and determination to serve the Lord and to spread His cause. If you can’t do that, what are you worth to the Lord?