Why Plant Churches Here?

“So why all this fuss about new churches?” I hear this from time to time as I explain the new priorities of our partner, the North American Mission Board. Along with it they add, “Ours is a small field, and so many of our existing churches can use help.”

I agree with the latter statement, Our field is small in population when compared to others. And our congregations can use the help. Hopefully with increased involvement of our people in the associations and proper stewardship of my time we will be able to support our churches as well, if not better, than before.

But the need for new churches is very real. Not long ago a colleague and I spent some time surveying places in need of new works. In our Native American communities alone, statewide we identified more than 50! Look beyond the Pueblos and Rez, and you will see even more.

And consider this: our region is, on average, 95% lost. The average weekly worship attendance of all churches is close to 1300, with a total worship capacity of 2300 (a generous estimate). If every one of our churches were to so effectively reach its community that they filled their facilities to capacity twice on Sunday and once on Saturday, that would still leave lostness at 90%! In other words, it’s not only the unreached communities in need of new congregations. Given the best efforts of our churches, we need new congregations standing with them, sharing Christ to people groups and lifestyle groups they cannot reach.

This is true not only here, but across North America. While we never want to ignore the health of our existing churches, reaching North America AND western New Mexico requires a full-scale effort to plant new churches.

There is much I will share in coming months as to how we can answer this challenge, but today my request is simple. Pray. Pray for our unreached communities like the Zuni Pueblo and the red Lake Chapter of the Navajo Nation. Pray for the LDS dominated village of Bluewater, and any other place where you envision a church.

Pray also for laborers, for men to rise up as pastors and church planters, and for Christians to stand with them in their efforts. In Matthew 9:38 Jesus says, “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his field.”

Starting here and moving forward, I trust we will see the Lord do wonderful things through us. And one day that 95% lostness figure will be only a memory.

Blessings,
Bro. Jim