“In principle, almost every Adventist will say they believe in starting new churches and congregations, but when you start encouraging them to step out and actually do it, you can tell that at the back of their mind there's the niggling worry about losing friends and fellowship, tithe and building funds, leaders in the church. They worry about losing control. But there are effective ways of planting churches which keep the focus on mission and responsibly address these concerns.”

These are the words of Sven Östring, director of church planting for the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference in Australia, who has helped establish and provide training for a few dozen church plants across Australia’s sunny east coast over the past seven years.

“As we plant churches, potential leaders can step up and stretch their wings,” he continues. “We can reach new people groups and demographics who don’t feel comfortable walking into a church. The whole Christian movement began as a church planting movement 2,000 years ago. Furthermore, the Seventh-day Adventist church itself started as a church planting movement and in the 1860s and 1870s we were planting at a phenomenal rate. It’s part of our history and identity. For the past 100 years we’ve lost some of that passion because we’ve become more focused on established churches.”

Recognizing that church planting is central to our Christian identity and Adventist heritage, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (GC) have set aside August 12 as a special emphasis Sabbath, where members are encouraged to pray for and focus on the important work of church planting in their local communities and around the world.

"The purpose of planting churches is to make disciples. You can plant a church and not make disciples but you can’t make disciples without planting churches,” says Pastor Wayne Krause, director of Adventist Mission and Mission to the Cities strategy leader at the South Pacific Division (SPD).

His brother Gary Krause, director of Adventist Mission for the GC , elaborates that returning to a church planting model is crucial for the future and health of our church. “[It’s] a biblical mandate. The book of Acts is a church planting manual . . . Ellen White [was] an outspoken proponent. And if that’s not convincing enough, it works. Starting new groups of believers is the most effective way of growing the church.”

Pastors Roy and Jinha Kim—a married ministry duo living in Melbourne (Australia)— understand this well, having nurtured Melbourne City Adventist Church from a house church network into a vibrant company, thanks to their flexible and adaptive approach to ministry.

“At the moment our church community is made up of 92 individuals who are mostly young professionals (81 out of 92 are under 40-years-old),” explains Mrs Kim. “Because we are committed to growing together as followers of Christ, our community is open to innovation and flexibility . . . providing space for a diversity of individuals to explore faith at their own pace.”

A church service at Melbourne City looks different to one held at a traditional Adventist Church, with a typical program featuring a sermon first, and then discussion time at tables with pre-written questions relating to the topic of the day. 

“The questions are written to give people a chance to know each other but also to allow for an exchange of ideas. Some are designed to be entry-level for unchurched people who come, but [others] dig into the Word [and] challenge attendees to think critically. We have learned to give individuals time and space to explore a faith-centered worldview and experience God for themselves, without pressure or agenda. Discipling secular young professionals is not an exact science and it's not linear. There’s no one thing that gets them over, it’s many things simultaneously working—the Holy Spirit, church community, experience, Bible studies, life circumstances. Through it all a consistent genuine friendship to show them we truly care for them.” 

Just over an hour’s drive south of Melbourne, Adventist writer Ruth Hodge has also embraced this adaptive, person-centered approach to ministry, having recently moved cities to join and contribute to a church plant based out of Geelong Seventh-day Adventist Church.

“Only half of the people who attend are Adventists—probably around 15 people. It’s a grace-filled environment where we can grow together. It’s allowed me to explore my understanding of faith in open conversation with others.”

Having moved from a large church of 250 members, Hodge says that the intimacy found in a smaller community has challenged and expanded her personal relationship with God. “Here, we build relationships beyond the three-hour time slot on a Saturday morning. We do life with each other, we clash. That’s what God wants. He wants us to deal with the mess that comes with spending time together . . . [to] seek opportunities to extend God’s grace. Grace is the way that God enters our lives in tangible ways, surely we should do that in building community.”

Mrs Kim agrees, “We find most people are open to God but have reservations or negative preconceived ideas about institutions. As we build relationships with them and share what it means to have a relationship with Jesus, their view of church changes. Teaching people to pray in moments of difficulty, to lean on our community in times of need, to serve the city through ADRA, and to connect with God in worship have helped people know what it means to be a follower of Christ.” 

While it is wonderful to see pastors and individuals stepping out in faith and planting churches, Dr Östring says that more Adventists need to join the movement.

“Too many Adventists are busy discussing organizational issues, while other denominations are diving full-bore into mission. Not that it’s a competition, but Jesus has given us an amazing and very timely message, and is calling us to make disciples amongst all of the people groups around us! The first step we can take in responding to Jesus’ call is to pray for more churches to be planted right around the world. Then, we can step out under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to plant more house churches and centres of influence.”

Notably, both Melbourne City and Geelong church plants started out as house churches, and Dr Östring says that many of the church plants under his care are house church networks. This model has allowed most to survive COVID-19 lockdowns and lowered the bar of entry to church planting.

“The only way to reach cities is through a church planting movement, and particularly house church movements,” says Dr Östring. “There’s not enough funds to buy buildings. A building alone in downtown Sydney will set you back $A10 million. We need to plant groups.”

“When we talk about church planting, we don’t mean building planting,” elaborates Gary Krause. “New churches can meet almost anywhere—in homes, under trees, in community centers.”

Hodge agrees, “There are plenty of people who just aren’t going to show up to a big building anymore. They are going to go to a website, ask questions and look for community in other ways. We need to be able to cater to that.”

This Sabbath, you are encouraged to pray for Global Mission pioneers and church planters, to ask your local conference if there are church planting projects you can support, to prayerfully consider and make plans to plant other churches, and to share stories of church planting during your worship services and in your church communications. 

“The Adventist church in the South Pacific is creating a culture where church planting is normal, and where church members see volunteering their time to make disciples and plant churches as a way of life,” says Pastor Wayne Krause, encouraging others to do the same. 

“We need to tell stories!” says Dr Östring. “Stories have the capacity to demonstrate that [church planting] is real, that it is possible.”

 To learn more about the church planting process or how to start your own church plant, you can download the South Pacific Division’s church planting guide, watch short training videos at <https://vimeo.com/showcase/5564760>, or download the “House Church Movement Guide” developed by Dr Östring at <https://nnsw.adventist.org.au/departments/church-planting/>.