About 25 years ago, God spoke to Gary Irby, our church planting director in these words… “You’ve been adding. It’s time to start multiplying.” God may be giving you a similar call to the ministry of “multiplying” through the starting of new churches.
The purpose of starting new churches is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to lead people into a life changing relationship with Him. Through this effort, new churches begin. Here in the Seattle area, we do not start churches to reach the “churched,” but instead to reach those who are at the heart of a very secular, post-modern society. The Pacific Northwest is not a “post-Christian” society. It is a “never-was-Christian” society. Only 4% of the population is active in an evangelical church. Only 10% go to a church of any kind at least twice a year.
In the greater Seattle area, God has started dozens of new churches in recent years among several groups, including Southern Baptists. Southern Baptists, through the leadership of the Puget Sound Baptist Association and in partnership with the Northwest Baptist Convention and North America Mission Board, has seen over 80 new churches since the year 2000.
The hope… the dream… is that a true God-led movement is developing to a point that the region is transformed to a place where it is evident that God reigns. The Puget Sound area (greater Seattle) literally could use another 1000 churches today to help accomplish that transformation.
As you prayerfully consider your call to plant a church in the greater Seattle area, you may be at any one of a number of stages in your journey.
