Church Plantings

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants, nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 

In the first century, the gospel was proclaimed to all nations through the planting of churches in the most influential of cities. (Colossians 1:6, 23) If we as God’s modern day movement are to evangelize the nations in our generation, then we too must plant churches in the most influential cities of the world – thus The Crown of Thorns Project. This requires the tireless training of preachers and women ministry leaders, as well as the finances to support their efforts for the Lord.

In the 1970’s, Kip McKean was privileged to befriend Reuel Lemmons (1912- 1989), one of the most prominent preachers and significant voices in the Mainline Churches of Christ. Reuel was a minister for 53 years speaking in 79 countries. From 1955 to 1983, he served as the Editor of the Firm Foundation, a publication of the Mainline Churches of Christ. According to The Handbook of Texas Online, Reuel’s weekly editorials were “probably the most widely read single column among members of the [Mainline] Churches of Christ.” 
Brother Lemmons was a hero to Kip. Their friendship developed as they spent “down time” during seminars and workshops at which both of them were guest speakers. Kip found him to be a soft-spoken man, yet with unwavering deep convictions. The following Firm Foundation editorial from February 9, 1982 entitled Church Plantingchallenged all in the Mainline Churches of Christ. We believe it is still a clarion call every disciple of Jesus in every denomination, as well as prophetic warning to the churches in the SoldOut Movement. Our brother Reuel wrote: 

It is a strange and almost sacrilegious thing to say, but we do not look for too much growth in the great majority of our presently existing [Mainline Church of Christ] congregations during the next two decades. True, populations will shift and a few will grow, largely at the expense of others, but our church plans are not now orientated toward church growth. We would not be afraid to prophesy that more of our congregations that exist today will die than will grow in the next 20 years. We mean, really grow, not just swell. 
This is not to prophesy that the church as a whole will not grow. We believe it will, but it will grow from church planting rather than church building. We are doing practically nothing to build churches, and seem bent on crucifying the few that are… The church grows from church planting, and we have just about quit planting churches. We are educating our young preachers to fill existing pulpits rather than to plant churches. The number of preachers we have or need is related by the number of existing pulpits rather than by the world’s need for the gospel… The average church is reducing its interest in “for others” and is proclaiming the doctrine of “for us.” We even heard recently an elder say that the church’s first duty was to itself. We fear for a church with this philosophy. Search the annals of history and you will find that God never let a church grow at home that lost its interest in the great commission. The church’s first duty is to preach the gospel and plant churches – not to satisfy its selfish wants.
Whatever church growth there is in the next twenty years will come from the relatively few congregations that are interested in church planting. When the preaching ministry of the church is centered in professional ministering to people pleasing groups, in job security and fringe benefits, then the church will die. Preachers ought to be taught to create pulpits rather than fill them.
If surveys are correct, the over 18,000 [Mainline Church of Christ] congregations have shrunk to less than 10,000 in the last 20 years or so. If there was an ounce of church planting vision among us, we could turn those 10,000 congregations into 20,000 in the next twenty years. So long as it takes 6,000 members of the church to send one missionary, we probably won’t plant 10,000 churches. This is a problem that every [church leadership] should search their souls over…
There is only one reason in the world, so far as we can see – why churches have quit growing. They have lost their church planting zeal and have taken up housekeeping operations. Jesus cursed a fig tree because it bore nothing but leaves; we have so many barren churches and so little fruit! There is grave danger that the Lord might curse us with jealousy and division until we die out. Then He might raise-up in our place a people who would be the Israel of God – He has done it before. Reuel Lemmons – February 9, 1982

I believe the SoldOut Movement is “the Israel of God” that Reuel “prophesied” about which God is raising-up out of a jealous, divided and dying-out church. The City of Angels Church planted in May of 2007 with 42 SoldOut disciples sent by the Spirit from Portland, now sees 1,500 on Sunday mornings! Yet, the real impact of the congregation can be seen through the efforts of the hundreds of disciples that have been sent-out from LA to lead or plant churches. In twelve and-a-half years, those valiant 42 disciples have multiplied into 99 churches, on all six populated continents, with over 7,000 disciples worldwide!

In the first century, Jesus said to the faithful Eleven, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(Acts 1:8) Our Crown of Thorns Project adapts Jesus’ vision for the twenty-first century. “Jerusalem” is Los Angeles for God’s modern day movement; “Judea and Samaria” are parallel to the United States and Canada; and “the ends of the earth” are “the ends of the earth!” To go to “the ends of the earth,” twelve of the most influential cities outside of the United States have been targeted as Crown of Thorns Cities: Chennai, Dubai, Hong Kong, Lagos, London, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow, Paris, Santiago, Sao Paulo, and Sydney. Excitingly, God’s New Movement completed the planting of these churches in August, 2017!! To lead the way in how to evangelize the Geographic area of a Crown of Thorns church, we developed Operation Eagle, which follows the same model as The Crown of Thorns Project, but focused on getting a church into the most influential city of every state, moving on from that Operation Eagle Church to the rest of the cities in that state! Of course our very own Atlanta church had our inaugural service this past Sunday, becoming the 20th Operation Eagle Church – with an attendance of 233 and 2 baptisms on that weekend. We have seen 8 additions in the first 9 weeks of the church!

For the rest of 2019, the Central Leadership Council is presently praying over and cementing plans to plant the following Samaria Project church plantings: teams to Brideport, CT and Indianapolis, In! Lord willing, the Spirit will also send from our Crown of Thorns churches: Amsterdam, Davao, Johannesburg Kathmandu, Phnom Penh and Shenzhen! To Support the continued effort of building a vibrant church in Atlanta, the ATLICC is raising $60,000 from March 15th – December 31st!
As Reuel Lemmons wrote, “The church grows from church plantings.” He also noted that though there may be some churches that grow individually with a “for us” mentality, the only hope for a lost world is a movement of churches that “preach the gospel and plant churches – not [satisfying their] selfish wants.” Reuel also realized that persecution would come from those who “are doing practically nothing to build churches, and seem bent on crucifying the few that are.” Underlining this principle, many of our heroic leaders and members have been “sinfully” marked and “wrongly” disfellowshipped by what is left of the former fellowships in their cities.
Some reject and scorn Jesus’ dream to evangelize the nations in this generation as burdensome and embittering to the families in the church, especially those in leadership. In fact, to attempt to save everyone’s family members requires that we reach the entire world! So encouraging in our movements has been the many “Kingdom Kids” who have been baptized, such as Matt & Helen Sullivan’s daughters – Melissa & Amanda and Ron & Tracy Harding’s son – Dylan Harding! Both couples serve on Sold-Out Movement’s Crown of Thorns Leadership Council! 
Indeed, Reuel was a prophet – “a voice of one calling in the [spiritual] desert.” So by faith, Reuel sensed that out of the Satanic chaos and confusion of modern-day Christianity our Gracious Father would raise-up a new “Israel of God,” or as we were named by our persecutors – the SoldOut Movement! However, it is necessary and good that we recognize the faithful disciples in the Mainline and International Churches of Christ, as these two fellowships comprise our spiritual heritage – as well as all Christendom, where the seeds faith are plantied for some many in our fellowship. Yet as Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” (Matthew 21:43) I believe there are countless disciples who still desire the unity of doctrine which built a movement that spanned the entire globe in every city with a population of over 10,000 and still want to see the realization of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and His dream to evangelize the nations. I Invite all who have this dream to join us as we watch “only God, who makes things grow,” then together, we will give Him all the glory!

Ronald C. Harding, Jr.
Lead Evangelist