Should We Start a New Church?

I’ve often been asked a question about starting a new congregation.

I like to ask some questions.

1. Why do you want to start it?
2. Where do you want to start it?
3. Is this a project planned after much thought, prayer, and discussion with other brethren?
4. Is this a reaction to things that happened where you’ve been worshiping, and you’re still angry and upset about that?
5. Do you hope to grow from people you plan to convert or by recruiting members of other area congregations?

Interim Ministry and Other Ministry Workshop

Next workshop at Heritage led by Jerrie Barber: Interim Ministry and Other Ministry Workshop

Location: Heritage Christian University (Housing available in campus dorms upon request)
Lunch is provided daily by Heritage Christian University
Included: Books, materials, mentoring atmosphere

Limited spaces available. Spouses are invited and encouraged to participate. Reserve your place today: Interim Ministry and Other Ministry Workshop

Several people have told me they want to start another church because the congregation where they’re worshiping has become so bad that they can’t worship there anymore. I realize we can get disappointed in our brethren.

Here’s a guideline I’ve suggested several times.

Scripturally, to start another congregation for some reason other than for evangelism, the church where you’re worshiping now should be meaner than Corinth or deader than Sardis.

The church in the city of Corinth had multiple problems

1. Division.
2. Members who were arrogant and boastful.
3. A man was living in fornication with his father’s wife, but the church was not concerned about it.
4. Christians were going to law with other Christians rather than following Jesus’ instructions for conflict resolution.
5. The people there had marriage problems.
6. They had questions about previous pagan practices, such as eating meat offered to idols.
7. They had problems with partaking of the Lord’s supper in an irreverent manner.
8. They had the apostolic problem of people wanting to be greater and more important than others.
9. The public assemblies and worship were in disarray.
10. There was serious false doctrine by some who said there was no resurrection of the dead.

In all 16 chapters, I cannot find a suggestion or hint from Paul that the way to remain faithful to the Lord was to leave the less-than-ideal congregation in Corinth and start the Faithful Corinth Church of Christ.

When we come to Revelation chapter 3, we find a church that Jesus says is dead. When Jesus says a church is dead, it’s dead. However, neither John nor Jesus wrote in the book of Revelation that to solve that problem would be to leave the dead church in Sardis and start the Live Sardis Church of Christ.

Jesus teaches in Revelation 3:4 that you can be a living Christian in a dead church. He assures those few in that congregation that they’ll be saved, and their names won’t be blotted out of the Book of Life.

For these reasons, I’ve observed that:

Scripturally, brethren may be authorized to start another congregation for some reason other than for evangelism when the church where you’re worshiping now is meaner than Corinth or deader than Sardis.

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