I believe that much of the evangelical world suffers from urban amnesia. Except for a faithful remnant, we have forgotten our roots. The early Christians were primarily city dwellers. They knew their cities and utilized their unique features to advance the gospel.

When a small band of faithful believers planted our church near Berkeley, California seventeen years ago, I watched with amazement: the Lord gathered a diverse group of people to worship Him and do life together. From a core team of 25 people to a vibrant congregation that makes disciples and tangibly serves the needs of the community, Solano Church is a testament to the Lord’s faithfulness.

By now, likely thousands of people in church leadership have listened to Christianity Today’s The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast created and hosted by Mike Cosper. The series especially perked the ears of those involved in church planting in North America because of Mars Hills’ unique influence on the wave of new churches that started in the late 1990s and until around 2014.

Twenty years ago this fall, Converge MidAmerica experienced a breakthrough moment in launching four church plants within five weeks of the attacks at the World Trade Center on 9-11. Up to that point, this had never happened in the history of Converge MidAmerica.

God revealed his truth about his Son deep within my soul over 40 years ago and continues to reveal himself to me every day. I am passionate about church planting because I am passionate about God. My zeal for God drives me to be a part of what he is doing in this world. If God is on a mission, I want to be on a mission.

For years I have been faced with this question “Why is church planting such a big deal?”

I have answered it in multiple ways over the years but in this article, I offer you four simple reasons you can share with your pastors and lay leaders that will touch their hearts and give them a fresh perspective on the impact of church planting.

Ed Stetzer recently made a passionate appeal to church leaders saying, “This is not the crisis, we are weeks away from the real crisis.” The crisis is not that we cannot meet for worship or small groups — the crisis is not that our churches are losing revenue or our church mortgages cannot be paid. The crisis is quickly becoming a life and death situation that must be taken with the utmost seriousness, courage and faith that is fused with undeniable hope in the love of God.