Church Planter or Disciple Maker
Which Is It?
Many of us involved in church planting are asking ourselves this question. For years, the push and emphasis of many Christian evangelical organizations in the bush has been focused on church planting. These organizations look for church planters—people burdened to pioneer new areas by evangelizing the lost, building buildings and starting groups of people who then meet regularly for fellowship, worship, and the preaching of God’s Word. This emphasis sounds and feels right, and even is supported by the Bible—yet something is lost when it comes to how we define success in our ministries.
Discovering what is lost overlaps with this question: Which is easier: church planting or making disciple-makers? Many people like SEND North’s new vision statement: To see every community of
the 60/70 Window
filled with local disciple-makers who meet together regularly and have established regional leadership.
This appears easy to measure and obtain success. I agree…to a point. While I appreciate this vision statement and believe it is helpful and practical in many ways, I would argue that this vision forces us to rise to the next level. It is, by no means, easier than the thought of church planting. On the contrary, it’s more difficult (from a human perspective).
Disciple-SHIFT
by Jim Putnam, Bobby Harrington, and Robert Coleman
calls us to shift our thinking. One point this book makes is that when we look at the maturity in a church we generally focus on success being ‘regulars’ getting involved by serving in the church—in a sense, when missionaries work themselves out of a job. But Disciple-SHIFT
brings us to the point that if we aren’t REPRODUCING then we are not a mature follower of Jesus.
This is a kick in the gut to many of us who call ourselves mature. And I’m not referring to birthing a new church, but reproduction IN the church. When we look at discipleship versus church planting in this way, making ‘reproducers’ becomes a more difficult and time-consuming task. The new vision requires effort and sacrifice—requirements that many Christians aren’t willing to do.
A longtime missionary to Albania said from his experience, “There are nine Demas’s for every one Timothy.” Demas was the man who ripped the apostle Paul’s heart out by walking away from Jesus (2 Timothy 4:10). On the other hand, Timothy was the faithful disciple of Paul who became an integral leader of the early church.
This is where I find myself as well—having worked with many men, pouring much time, life, energy and resources into them, I often find there isn’t much to show for this sacrifice. I also have the responsibility of leading a local church in the bush, and I believe it is much easier to plant a church than to make a disciple-maker. Planting a church is NOT the end goal—churches with disciples making disciples IS, whether bush or urban.
Making disciples who make disciples will inevitably, in time, birth a mature church (group of believers). And now that SEND North has clarified its vision, making it practical and measurable, it’s also raised the bar. And this requires God’s help more than ever!
The Great Commission ends with, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” (Matthew 16:18). Making disciples-makers (reproducers) is a hard, scary, heartbreaking, time-consuming, inconvenient and impossible task—but Jesus promised to be with us until the job is done.
And who will build His church? He will!
It is my prayer to be used in accomplishing this awesome task.
-A SEND North Team Member
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Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
Learn about the spiritual harmony in Vietnam & how missionaries engage with college students. Join us in sharing the gospel!
Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
