Matthew 16:16-18 (KJV)
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I am currently in Denver, CO, at what we have come to know as “Home Missions Conferences.” The purpose of these conferences is to promote church planting in the United States. The reasoning is simple: if we do not have strong and vibrant churches at home, we will soon be unable to support missions abroad.
At these meetings, messages are preached to encourage men who are planting churches (and it is not easy work) and to raise money to help meet their specific needs.
With as many churches as there are in the United States, a person might wonder why we feel such urgency to plant new ones. Besides the fact that many churches (of all denominations) are dwindling, Baptists particularly sense this urgent need to plant churches even in places where other congregations already exist. This conviction grows out of our belief concerning the nature of Christ’s church.
You see, we do not view congregations that are part of the Catholic movement—or its offspring in the Protestant and Reformation traditions—as fulfilling the biblical promise of Christ to “build my church.” In that system we see the work of men, influenced by the devil, seeking to undermine Christ’s promise that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The conviction that drives Baptist church planting grows out of these distinctions. Baptists have historically believed that Christ’s promise in Matthew 16:18 refers to churches made up of people who personally confess Christ, just as Peter did when he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Because of that, Baptists have emphasized a regenerate church membership, believer’s baptism by immersion, and a church that stands free from the control of civil authority, accountable only to Christ its Head.
These convictions set Baptists apart from the Puritan and broader Protestant systems that joined church life to national identity, practiced infant baptism, and relied on civil power to support religion. For Baptists, the church Christ promised to build is a body of redeemed believers who freely confess Him, follow Him in baptism, and gather together under His authority alone.
That belief is why the work of planting new churches remains so urgent—because every generation must see congregations established that reflect the simple New Testament pattern of Christ building His church.
#UponThisRock #ChristBuildsHisChurch #NewTestamentChurch #BaptistDistinctives #ChurchPlanting
Why Baptists Still Plant Churches in America—Even Where Churches Already Exist
Christ promised, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” That promise still matters today.
What do you believe Jesus meant when He said those words? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
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