Church plants again

Dear Sir,

I think it’s a good thing that there’s an ongoing conversation about church planting into our unreached areas via your letters page. I know that, from time to time, en puts the spotlight on church planting and on gospel work in tough areas. Maybe another spotlight on the great work happening in needy areas would be timely.

It may be that there is sometimes pragmatism and that planting in student/graduate areas may appear easier to some (I suspect it isn’t really ‘easier’ just ‘different’). However, I would suggest that often there is nothing really sinister behind why some people plant among students and graduates. It is simply that a lot of people become Christians at university or become more involved in church life and then graduate and remain linked to the church. Some of our ‘student churches’ have become increasingly generous at sending people out to plant. However, naturally, those plants are going to follow the normal migration paths of students/ gradu-ates/young professional families. Our unreached estates are off those migration paths and so will need a different type of intentional choice to plant.

The answer to the challenge is not to become bitter or to try and discredit the excellent work that Christians are doing in one needy context. So long as those churches are focussing on reaching unreached people with the gospel and not merely attracting believers from other churches, then such gospel work is to be welcomed and we should rejoice when it is fruitful.

But we should be seeking ‘both/and’. We want to see lots of good churches in student areas and we also want to see churches on estates and inner city areas too. I mentioned what we are trying to do here in Bearwood last time I wrote. It is also worth mentioning the great work of people like London City Mission, 20 Schemes, Duncan Forbes and Urban Ministries, etc. If readers wish to do something to encourage wider gospel outreach, then supporting and praying for some of these would be a great place to start.

Warmly,