Vision: Starting, Strengthening, and Multiplying Churches

Overview

Mission defines what Jesus has sent us to do. Vision describes what it looks like when we faithfully do it. The mission is to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18–20). The vision is the Spirit-inspired picture of those disciples gathered, strengthened, and multiplied into churches that fill homes, cities, regions, and ultimately the world. Vision takes the task of disciple-making and shows its fruit—communities of believers living under the lordship of Jesus, united in mission and worship.

Our vision as a network is simple yet expansive: to start, strengthen, and multiply churches at every level the New Testament describes. The apostles used the word church (ekklesia) to refer not only to groups meeting in homes, but also to Christians throughout a city, throughout a region, and to the body of Christ in heaven and on earth. This multi-layered vision guided their strategy and should guide ours today. By keeping all four categories in view, we embrace the full scope of the church’s calling and align ourselves with the pattern Jesus and his apostles left for us to follow.

This vision is supported and advanced by these core categories: (1) Mission: Make Disciples of All Nations, (2) Core Values and Purposes, (3) Strategy: The Apostolic Cycle, (4) Our Approach to Making Disciples, (5) The Message: The Apostles’ Missionary Proclamation to Non-Christians, (6) Sound Doctrine: The Teaching of the Church for Christians, (7) Gathering in Homes: The Weekly Assembly of the Church, (8) Apostolic Alignment: Our Underlying Goal, (9) Core Concepts: Our Unifying Vocabulary, (10) Apostolic Implementation: How the First Churches Started, Strengthened, and Multiplied (AD 30–95), and (11) Church Planting Movements. Each of these, including this web page (Vision), can be usefully studied with pastors and your other team members.

The Four Categories of the Church

The Greek word ekklesia means assembly, gathering, or congregation—a word usually translated as church. The church of Jesus Christ is not a place Christians go or a building they occupy. Instead, the church consists of people—God’s people—saved by grace through faith, living under the lordship of Jesus.

The New Testament describes the church in four categories:

  1. Christians who meet in homes (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2). The historic marks of the church, according to Luther and Calvin, are (1) the right teaching of the Word and (2) the administration of the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper). Where these marks are present, even in a household, there is a true church.

  2. Christians throughout a city (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1). Paul often addressed “the church in Corinth” or “the church in Thessalonica,” recognizing all believers in a city as one church, expressed through multiple households.

  3. Christians throughout a region (Acts 9:31). Luke records “the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria,” showing that churches were connected and resourced across larger areas.

  4. Christians in heaven and on earth—all God’s people throughout time (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 5:25; Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1051–1052).

These categories form concentric circles—homes (the smallest), cities, regions, and the universal church (the largest). Local churches (categories 1 and 2) are concrete, historical manifestations of the universal church (category 4). As D.A. Carson observes: “The assembly of the local church is a kind of outcropping in history of the assembly of the church of the living God already gathered in solemn assembly before the throne in union with Christ…The local church is the historical manifestation, under the new covenant, of this massive, blood-bought assembly” (The Gospel and the Modern World, 83).

The Public and Private Dynamic of the Early Church

The New Testament consistently shows that the church carried out its life and mission in two complementary settings. This dual rhythm ensured that the gospel was proclaimed widely and also lived out deeply within households.

  • Acts 2:46 – “Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house.”

  • Acts 5:42 – “Every day in the temple, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.”

  • Acts 20:20 – “I did not avoid proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you publicly and from house to house.”

In homes, believers gathered as the church to share the Lord’s Supper, exercise spiritual gifts, receive teaching, practice hospitality, and care for one another personally (1 Cor. 11–14; Rom. 16:5). These household gatherings formed the primary expression of the local church. In public spaces, the apostles and early believers proclaimed the gospel, taught the Scriptures, reasoned with unbelievers, and coordinated mission and leadership across the city (Acts 3–5; 17–19). These settings provided visibility, evangelistic opportunity, and citywide alignment but did not replace the household gathering of the church. Together, these settings created a balanced and reproducible pattern of ministry that advanced the mission of Jesus in every place.

Our network embraces this same rhythm. We meet in homes as the primary gathering of the church—sharing the Lord’s Supper, discipling believers, and welcoming unbelievers. We also gather across house churches for prayer, planning, and leadership development, following the early church’s pattern of both intimate ministry in homes and coordinated mission in the broader community.

Apostolic Implementation: How God Started, Strengthened, and Multiplied the First Churches (AD 30–95)

The New Testament reveals how Jesus’s command to make disciples of all nations unfolded through the Spirit-empowered church. From Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), the apostles proclaimed the gospel, gathered believers into churches, strengthened them through teaching, and sent new workers to new places. This rhythm—starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches—became the enduring pattern of the church’s mission.

Jerusalem (AD 30–33): The Birthplace of the Church

At Pentecost, the risen Christ poured out the Spirit, fulfilling his promise and inaugurating the church (Acts 2:1–4). Thousands believed, were baptized, and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42–47). The first believers met publicly in the temple and privately in homes, modeling a rhythm of witness and fellowship that would define the church’s life. Even persecution scattered the believers only to spread the message farther, planting seeds of new churches throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1–4).

Antioch (AD 33–47): The First Missionary Hub

When persecution forced believers north, the gospel reached Gentiles in Antioch, where a multiethnic church formed under the teaching of Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:19–26). Through prayer and fasting, this strengthened church became a sending church, commissioning Paul and Barnabas for missionary work (Acts 13:1–3). Antioch displayed the apostolic rhythm—discipleship, leadership development, and mission partnership—that turned local gatherings into reproducing networks.

Paul’s Journeys (AD 47–57): Planting and Strengthening Churches

From Antioch, Paul launched missionary journeys across the Roman world—proclaiming Christ publicly, discipling believers in homes, appointing elders in every church (Acts 14:23), and maintaining relationships through visits and letters. His epistles—Galatians, Thessalonians, Corinthians, and Romans—demonstrate how the apostles both started and strengthened churches. Ephesus became a regional training base where Paul taught daily so that “all Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:9–10). The gospel advanced through local leaders and households, not programs or institutions.

Rome and Ephesus (AD 57–70): Maturing and Multiplying Churches

Even in imprisonment, Paul strengthened churches through his letters to Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Philemon—emphasizing unity, joy, and the supremacy of Christ. The Roman network of house churches (Rom. 16:3–16) demonstrated how relational discipleship could transform an empire. After his release, Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles (1–2 Timothy, Titus), instructing leaders to train faithful men who would teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2). Ephesus, under Timothy’s leadership, became a hub for multiplication across Asia Minor.

The Johannine Communities (AD 70–95): Persevering in Maturity

After Paul’s death, John ministered from Ephesus, writing his Gospel, Letters, and Revelation. His writings called churches to truth, love, and perseverance, showing how mature congregations must remain faithful amid persecution. Revelation portrays Christ walking among his churches—correcting, strengthening, and sending them forward until his return.

The Pattern That Continues

By the end of the first century, churches existed in every major region of the Roman world—Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, Philippi, Thessalonica, and beyond—connected by shared teaching, leadership, and mission. The Gospels revealed Christ, Acts displayed his ongoing mission, the Letters strengthened his churches, and Revelation secured their hope.

Together they form a single witness: Jesus is still building his church, the Spirit still empowers its mission, and the Word still multiplies it. To pursue the vision of starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches is to join that same divine pattern—a movement that began in Jerusalem, spread through Antioch and Ephesus, and continues wherever the gospel takes root today. For a more detailed summary of this pattern, see here.

Descriptive and Prescriptive

Our vision to start, strengthen, and multiply churches flows directly from the pattern established by the apostles under the authority of the risen Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit. This vision is both descriptive and prescriptive. It is descriptive because it recounts what the apostles actually did in obedience to Jesus’s command—they proclaimed the gospel, formed new churches, appointed leaders, and sent workers to new regions (Acts 13–14; Titus 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:2). It is prescriptive because these same patterns reveal how Jesus intends his mission to continue in every generation. The apostles were not innovating strategies; they were implementing Christ’s vision. What they modeled, we are meant to multiply.

Thus, our vision captures not merely a record of early church history but a divine pattern for ongoing mission. The mission expresses what we do—proclaim the gospel and make disciples of all nations. The strategy expresses how we do it—by starting new churches, strengthening existing ones, and multiplying leaders and communities that carry the gospel forward. Together, this vision, mission, and strategy reflect the same Spirit-led rhythm that shaped the book of Acts and still defines the work of the church today.

  1. Biblical Foundation: The mission begins and ends with God’s Word. Scripture gives us our message—the gospel of Jesus Christ; our methods—Spirit-empowered witness; and our measure—faithful obedience. This foundation fuels the starting of new works, the strengthening of existing churches, and the multiplication of disciples, leaders, and congregations (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 2:42–47; 2 Tim. 3:16–17).

  2. Apostolic Pattern: Acts reveals a consistent and reproducible rhythm. The apostles engaged target audiences, proclaimed the gospel, and called people to repent and believe. They then gathered new believers into churches, appointed leaders, and sent new workers to new places. These core commitments, goals, and activities remain unchanged—the same Spirit-led pattern that advanced the gospel in the first century continues to guide the church’s mission today (Acts 13:1–3; 14:21–23; Titus 1:5).

  3. Transcultural Practice: Because this vision is biblical, it transcends cultures and centuries. The same gospel that formed churches in Jerusalem, Antioch, and Philippi continues to form churches in every generation and nation. Methods may vary, but the vision endures: to start, strengthen, and multiply churches that embody and proclaim the gospel within their context (Acts 11:27–30; 16:4–5; Rom. 15:22–29).

The vision to start, strengthen, and multiply churches is both descriptive of what the apostles did and prescriptive for what every church is called to keep doing. It is not merely an ancient record but an enduring roadmap—a Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered strategy for the redemption of the world.

Why We Pursue This Vision

Our vision is to see vibrant, multiplying churches—rooted in Scripture, united in love, and advancing Christ’s mission in every community. We pursue this work for seven key reasons:

  1. Because Jesus is building his church. We join the risen Christ in the work he has already begun—establishing new communities of faith that display his glory and power (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 3:10–11).

  2. Because the church is Christ’s chosen instrument for his mission. The gospel advances through local churches—centers of fellowship, witness, and worship that embody his kingdom and serve as sending bases for new works (Acts 2:42–47; 13:1–3).

  3. Because evangelism is the first step in advancing Christ’s mission. As the gospel is proclaimed and believed, new gatherings of believers are formed—churches that bear witness to Christ’s saving power in their communities (Rom. 10:14–17; Acts 13:1–3).

  4. Because discipleship is the heart of the church’s mission. We strengthen churches by teaching believers to obey Christ, grow in maturity, and reproduce their faith in others (Matt. 28:19–20; Col. 1:28–29; Eph. 4:11–16).

  5. Because leadership development multiplies the mission. Healthy churches raise up pastors, elders, and ministry leaders who shepherd God’s people and plant new congregations (2 Tim. 2:2; Titus 1:5; Acts 14:21–23).

  6. Because Christ’s love compels us. His sacrifice calls us to love him and others through Spirit-empowered service that starts, strengthens, and multiplies the church (2 Cor. 5:14–15).

  7. Because God’s glory will fill the earth. Every new church is a light among the nations, every strengthened church a testimony of grace, and every multiplied church a glimpse of the day when Christ’s glory fills the earth (Hab. 2:14; Eph. 3:20–21).

Through evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development, we join Jesus in building a people for his name among all nations.

Questions for Reflection and Action

  1. Seeing the Church in Its Full Scope: How does keeping all four categories of the church (homes, cities, regions, universal) broaden your understanding of what Jesus is building and how your congregation participates in that larger work?

  2. Learning From the First-Century Movement: When you look at how the apostles started, strengthened, and multiplied churches from AD 30–95, what patterns stand out—and which of those patterns seem most relevant for your context today?

  3. Practicing the Apostolic Cycle: Which part of the apostolic cycle (starting, strengthening, or multiplying churches) most needs renewed attention in your church or network, and what is one concrete step you could take this year?

  4. Coordinating Ministry Across Houses: How could renewing both the house-based gathering of the church and periodic, mission-focused coordination times (online or in-person) strengthen evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development in your context?

  5. Descriptive and Prescriptive Vision: If the apostles’ approach is both descriptive of what they did and prescriptive for what we are called to continue doing, what practical implications does that have for how your church organizes, sends, and supports workers today?

  6. Strengths of Home Gatherings and Broader Collaboration: What aspects of evangelism and discipleship flourish best in home gatherings, and what strengths emerge when households collaborate across a city or region through shared training, prayer, or resources?

  7. Partnering for Multiplication: What concrete changes—whether in relationships, shared rhythms, communication, or training—could help your church or network partner more effectively in sending workers and multiplying new gatherings?

For more information on the development of the early church, see Jeff Reed’s chapter “The Churches of the First Century: From Simple Churches to Complex Networks” in The Encyclicals: A Global Return to “The Way of Christ and His Apostles.”