From the Coordinator

Creating a Healthy Church-Planting Ecosystem

For healthy church planting we need to cultivate the whole ecosystem—break up hard soil, establish deep roots, and provide nourishment.

Lloyd Kim|07 Nov 2017

Since moving to Georgia, I’ve been learning a lot about Bermuda grass and how to make it thrive. I didn’t realize that having earthworms is good for breaking up hard, compacted clay soil; it’s better to water deep and less frequently for strong roots; a lot of sunlight is needed; and too much fertilizer will burn the grass.

My big takeaway is that it’s not just one thing that makes a lawn healthy and green, but a whole healthy ecosystem is necessary for grass to flourish.

I can’t help but see this as an analogy for church planting on the mission field. Because we are on the front lines and our focus is on conversion growth, creating an ecosystem for church planting is vital. What would be those things that make a healthy church-planting ecosystem?

We need natural, regular evangelistic points of contact with the people we are trying to reach. It is for this reason we rejoice when evangelistic laypeople join our church-planting teams to care for the sick, minister to the poor, teach English, and disciple medical students, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, etc. Through these discipleship relationships and acts of mercy, we are breaking up hard, compacted soil.

We also need well-trained and seasoned pastors who can not only lead church plants, but also train and mentor others to plant churches. They need the skills and experience to go deep with this training, not only theologically, but missiologically and pastorally so that these new churches can have deep roots.

All those who serve as missionaries need the attractive, winsome light of Christ that shows itself in repentance, graciousness, humility, teachability, and love. It is the light of the gospel shining in and through us that draws people to Jesus.

And of course, too much fertilizer will also burn the Church. Pride and pretense have no place in church planting. Open, honest, and authentic servants are needed to create a beautiful environment for healthy, thriving, flourishing church planting on the mission field.

Though we trust that God alone is the One who gives growth, we also recognize that He chooses to use the whole body of Christ in all its diversity to work in harmony in creating healthy church-planting ecosystems. Could God be calling you to join one of these teams for kingdom growth and advancement?

Lloyd Kim

Lloyd Kim is coordinator of Mission to the World. He is a former PCA pastor and a former missionary with MTW in the Philippines and Cambodia. He holds an M.Div. from Westminster Seminary in California and a Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. Lloyd and his wife, Eda, are the parents of Kaelyn, Christian, and Katy.

God’s mission for the church: A look at Matthew 28:18-20

Cultivating a culture of expectancy in missions

A PCA Kurdistan partnership pioneers a new way to adopt unreached people groups

From the Coordinator

Creating a Healthy Church-Planting Ecosystem

Lloyd Kim

Get Involved

Member Care Coordinator

Church Planting Support Roles: Many Gifts Needed

Gain Experience in Pastoral Ministry

God’s mission for the church: A look at Matthew 28:18-20

Cultivating a culture of expectancy in missions

A PCA Kurdistan partnership pioneers a new way to adopt unreached people groups

Pray that the church in the U.S. would see the importance of embracing God's mission as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20 known as the Great Commission.

Pray that we would anticipate how God would be preparing church members around us to serve Him in the Great Commission, and encourage them toward His calling.

Pray for The Kurdistan Partnership—a partnership between PCA churches, MTW, and field workers to advance a church planting movement among the Kurds and Yazidis living in northern Iraq. Pray that God would raise up missionaries from these churches to serve.

Member Care Coordinator

Church Planting Support Roles: Many Gifts Needed

Gain Experience in Pastoral Ministry

God’s mission for the church: A look at Matthew 28:18-20

Cultivating a culture of expectancy in missions

A PCA Kurdistan partnership pioneers a new way to adopt unreached people groups

Pray that the church in the U.S. would see the importance of embracing God's mission as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20 known as the Great Commission.

Pray that we would anticipate how God would be preparing church members around us to serve Him in the Great Commission, and encourage them toward His calling.

Pray for The Kurdistan Partnership—a partnership between PCA churches, MTW, and field workers to advance a church planting movement among the Kurds and Yazidis living in northern Iraq. Pray that God would raise up missionaries from these churches to serve.

From the Coordinator

Creating a Healthy Church-Planting Ecosystem

Get Involved

Member Care Coordinator

Church Planting Support Roles: Many Gifts Needed

Gain Experience in Pastoral Ministry

God’s mission for the church: A look at Matthew 28:18-20

Cultivating a culture of expectancy in missions

A PCA Kurdistan partnership pioneers a new way to adopt unreached people groups

Pray that the church in the U.S. would see the importance of embracing God's mission as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20 known as the Great Commission.

Pray that we would anticipate how God would be preparing church members around us to serve Him in the Great Commission, and encourage them toward His calling.

Pray for The Kurdistan Partnership—a partnership between PCA churches, MTW, and field workers to advance a church planting movement among the Kurds and Yazidis living in northern Iraq. Pray that God would raise up missionaries from these churches to serve.

Member Care Coordinator

Church Planting Support Roles: Many Gifts Needed

Gain Experience in Pastoral Ministry

God’s mission for the church: A look at Matthew 28:18-20

Cultivating a culture of expectancy in missions

A PCA Kurdistan partnership pioneers a new way to adopt unreached people groups

Pray that the church in the U.S. would see the importance of embracing God's mission as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20 known as the Great Commission.

Pray that we would anticipate how God would be preparing church members around us to serve Him in the Great Commission, and encourage them toward His calling.

Pray for The Kurdistan Partnership—a partnership between PCA churches, MTW, and field workers to advance a church planting movement among the Kurds and Yazidis living in northern Iraq. Pray that God would raise up missionaries from these churches to serve.

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