My friend is wrong...

A friend told me that moving to St. Louis to plant churches that multiply rapidly, like they do overseas, could not be done. He said, "I believe you will plant one church in 6 years, but not 15 or 20. He said, "I do believe God is a God of miracles, but Americans would never settle for the kind of Church that is planted overseas."

1. My friend is right, I cannot plant 15 + churches in 6 years or less. My job is to make disciples who make disciples and it is God's job to plant or birth His Church.

2. My friend is right, God is the God of miracles and will always be that kind of a God.

3. My friend was not right to say America will never tolerate a church that looks like Africa, India or China.

4. My friends thinks too American, of course the places around the world do not have bigger buildings, larger budgets, better programs and of course the more butts in pews. But what they have is far better than those things mentioned above. They have Jesus and a willingness to die if need be for their faith and so that others can know Jesus.

5. My friend is wrong, Americans by the millions are becoming dissatisfied and disillusioned with what they have come to call church! They long for Jesus but will never find Him at church. It will take the Church being the Church to reach them. A novel thought!

6. My friend is wrong, Americans long for a genuine, close, authentic, transparent, real, lived out relationships with Jesus where people live, work and play. They long for what the church claims to have, but often doesn't display.

7. Then he gave me a long speech about his call to use the resources they have to reach their own city and build there own church and ministry.

I still think my friend is wrong! What do you think?