Tuesday, January 30, 2007

somanorth most effective as church plant?

Christianity is shrinking in America at an astonishing rate. Is there anyway to reverse this tide? SharperIron argues that church plants hold the solution.

Perhaps the perception that somanorth is a church plant, even though it isn't and we have no desire to make it one, accounts for the exceptional growth we have experienced since our inception.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Coming from a church plant family i have to say that i agree with the above mentioned article in some ways. when i was a junior in highschool and we moved to plant a church i was a little confused wondering why would God want us to plant a church in a town that already had a ton of churches. the answer came quickly and is still evident today with the church family we have. the people who are apart of our church are those who felt rejected by the churches around town. there is the woman down the street who has two homosexual sons and has been kicked out of many churches because she refused to kick out and abandon her sons. there is the ex alchoholic who is living with her boyfriend who never had a bible in the house, however she gave up the alchohol and is picking up the bible. there is the athiest man who's wife is a faithful Christian who promised that he would never step into a chruch, however he has been to ours three times in the past four years, and is a faithful pool playing partner with my father. there is the teenager who pulled a knife and flashed it to another teen and was sentenced to court, but who found grace in doing community sercvice with the church and who is prayed for and who's pastor showed up to his court date to be with him and his family. there was the other young teenager who was shout in the back, the parents were angry and hurt and the church family rallied around them in prayer and support. there is the mission in san fransisco that this small group of 15 people/new believers have supporterd in innumerous ways both financially and physically. these are just a few of the changes and the life changes that i have been blessed to see during the time my family has stepped out in faith and moved to another city and plant a church for the poor, unbelieving, and the weak. these people are turing into the strong, the sympathetic, the compassionate, adn the believing. Brianna