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 worship, edification, and witness.

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, to regional networks, and to the global body of Christ. 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) Values and Purposes, (3) Strategy: The Apostolic Cycle, (4) Implementation: Evangelism, Discipleship, and Leadership Development, (5) Gathering in Homes: The Weekly Assembly of the Church, (6) Apostolic Alignment: Our Underlying Goal, (7) Core Concepts: Our Unifying Vocabulary.

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 both public and private settings. This dual rhythm ensured that the gospel was proclaimed widely and also lived out deeply in 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.”

This public and private dynamic was vital. Public gatherings gave visibility to the gospel, fostered corporate worship, and almost certainly included coordination of mission throughout the city. Private gatherings in homes provided relational depth, hospitality, accountability, and practical care. 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 gather across house churches to pray and develop leaders, while also gathering in homes to evangelize family and friends, establish believers in the faith, and multiply communities. Just as in the first century, both dynamics are indispensable for starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches today.

Apostolic Implementation: AD 30–95

The story of the New Testament reveals how Jesus’s commission to make disciples of all nations unfolded through the Spirit-empowered church. What began in Jerusalem spread to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Through preaching, persecution, partnership, and pastoral care, the apostles established local churches, strengthened them by teaching and letters, and multiplied them through trained leaders.

This movement provides the biblical foundation for the vision of starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches. The Gospels proclaim who Jesus is; Acts narrates how his mission continues; the letters instruct and equip churches to grow in faith and mission; and Revelation assures the church of its ultimate victory under Christ’s reign. Together, these writings form a unified witness to God’s plan for his church in every generation.

AD 30–33: JERUSALEM — THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH

At Pentecost (AD 30), the risen Christ poured out the Holy 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 church’s life revealed two essential rhythms—public witness in the temple courts and household fellowship from home to home.

Jerusalem became the prototype for the local church: Word-centered, Spirit-filled, prayerful, and communal. It was both the birthplace of the gospel movement and the training ground for leaders who would carry the message outward. Even persecution could not stop it; when believers were scattered (Acts 4–7), they carried the gospel into Judea and Samaria, planting the seeds of new churches.

During this period, James (AD 44–48)—the Lord’s brother and leader of the Jerusalem church—wrote his letter urging steadfastness, wisdom, and faith expressed in works. Meanwhile, Luke began to compile accounts of Jesus’s ministry and the church’s early years. His Gospel (along with Matthew and Mark) became foundational documents for evangelism and discipleship, written to strengthen believers in “the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:4).

AD 33–47: ANTIOCH — THE FIRST MISSIONARY HUB

Following Stephen’s martyrdom, believers fled north, planting the gospel in new regions (Acts 8–11). Peter’s vision and preaching to Cornelius (Acts 10) confirmed that salvation extended to the Gentiles. Refugees from persecution preached in Antioch, where a vibrant, multiethnic church emerged. Barnabas and Saul taught there for a year (Acts 11:19–26), and Antioch became the first missionary-sending hub, marked by worship, fasting, and commissioning (Acts 13:1–3).

Antioch illustrates how a strengthened church becomes a sending church. It modeled the apostolic rhythm of discipleship, leadership development, and mission partnership. From this base, Paul and Barnabas were sent to plant churches across the Gentile world and later returned to report “all that God had done with them” (Acts 14:26–28).

AD 47–57: PAUL’S MISSIONARY JOURNEYS — PLANTING AND STRENGTHENING CHURCHES

From Antioch, Paul launched three missionary journeys (Acts 13–21), planting churches in Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia. His pattern was clear: proclaim Christ publicly, disciple believers in households, appoint elders in every church (Acts 14:23), and remain connected through visits and letters.

During this decade, the New Testament letters began to circulate among churches:

  • Galatians (~AD 48) – defending the gospel of grace against legalism.

  • 1–2 Thessalonians (~AD 50–51) – encouraging perseverance and hope in Christ’s return.

  • 1–2 Corinthians (~AD 55–56) – strengthening a troubled church in unity, holiness, and generosity.

  • Romans (~AD 57) – laying out the logic of the gospel and the vision of mission “to the nations.”

Corinth became a model of how churches were started, corrected, and strengthened. Paul spent eighteen months there (Acts 18:11), evangelizing, teaching, appointing leaders, and later writing multiple letters to guide them toward maturity. The correspondence reveals his deep pastoral care and his commitment to strengthen churches he had planted.

Ephesus, meanwhile, became a regional hub for training and multiplication. Paul spent three years there, teaching daily in the hall of Tyrannus so that “all Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:9–10). From this base, churches were established throughout the region—such as in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis—showing the power of sustained discipleship and leadership development.

During this period, Mark’s Gospel (~AD 55–60) was written, likely for believers in Rome, presenting Jesus as the suffering Son of God who calls his followers to costly discipleship.

AD 57–70: ROME AND THE MATURING OF THE CHURCH

Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea (AD 57–59) and then under house arrest in Rome (AD 60–62). Even in chains, he continued to strengthen churches through the Prison Epistles—Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon—which emphasize unity, joy, and the supremacy of Christ.

Rome itself had become a citywide network of house churches (Romans 16:3–16), strategically influencing the empire through relational discipleship. This period represents the maturing stage of the apostolic movement: churches were multiplying, and leaders were being established to carry the mission forward.

After his release, Paul likely revisited churches and wrote the Pastoral Epistles (1–2 Timothy, Titus, AD 63–67), emphasizing qualified leadership, sound doctrine, and the training of faithful men (2 Tim. 2:2).

Meanwhile:

  • 1 Peter (AD 62–64) urged perseverance in suffering.

  • 2 Peter (AD 65–67) warned against false teachers.

  • Hebrews (AD 60s) encouraged confidence in Christ’s priestly work.

  • Jude (AD 60s) echoed the call to contend for the faith.

  • Matthew’s Gospel (~AD 60s) presented Jesus as the Messiah and authoritative Teacher, grounding churches in obedience and discipleship.

The persecution under Nero (AD 64) claimed the lives of Peter and Paul. The destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70) further confirmed the global identity of the church, no longer centered in one nation but united under one Lord.

AD 70–95: EPHESUS AND THE JOHANNINE COMMUNITIES

After Paul’s death, Ephesus emerged as the leading hub of mission. Timothy continued Paul’s work (1 Tim. 1:3), training elders and sending missionaries to strengthen neighboring churches. Ephesus exemplified how mature churches become centers of multiplication—training leaders, sending teams, and fostering unity among regional congregations.

During this era, Luke–Acts (AD 70–85) was completed, written to Theophilus and the wider church. Luke demonstrated the Spirit-directed advance of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome, showing how Jesus’s words in Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8 were fulfilled through local churches planted and strengthened along the way.

John’s ministry (AD 85–95) likely centered in Ephesus. His Gospel proclaimed Jesus as the divine Son who gives eternal life through faith; his Letters (1–3 John) emphasized love, truth, and discernment in local churches; and Revelation (AD 95) offered both warning and hope to the seven churches of Asia. The image of Christ walking among the lampstands symbolized his intimate care for each local congregation, calling them to repentance, perseverance, and faithfulness.

By the end of the first century, churches had been planted in every major region of the Roman world—Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, Philippi, Thessalonica, and beyond. These communities were connected by shared teaching, leaders, and letters. The New Testament itself emerged as the church’s manual for multiplication—documents written to evangelize the lost, disciple believers, train leaders, and unify the growing body of Christ.

SUMMARY: THE VISION THAT CONTINUES

From AD 30 to 95, the gospel advanced through Spirit-filled believers who started, strengthened, and multiplied churches across the Roman world.

  • Jerusalem was the birthplace of the church—marked by teaching, fellowship, and prayer.

  • Antioch became the first missionary hub—training and sending leaders to plant churches.

  • Corinth modeled ongoing strengthening through pastoral visits and letters.

  • Ephesus became the leading center for leadership development and church multiplication.

  • Rome emerged as a global influence through its network of house churches.

By the close of the first century, the pattern was clear: the church grows through the cycle of evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, and mission partnership. This story is not ancient history—it is the living blueprint for Christ’s continuing work through his people. Jesus is still building his church, the Spirit still empowers its mission, and the Word still strengthens and multiplies it. To pursue the vision of starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches is to step into this same divine pattern—a movement that began in Jerusalem, spread through Antioch and Ephesus, and continues wherever the gospel takes root today.

Descriptive and Prescriptive

Our vision to start, strengthen, and multiply churches comes directly from the pattern of the early church. This vision is both descriptive and prescriptive. It is descriptive because it recounts what the apostles actually did under the leadership of the risen Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture describes how 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 are not bound to the first century—they reveal how Jesus intends His mission to continue in every generation. The apostles were not improvising; they were obeying Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations. What they modeled, we are meant to multiply.

To understand how this vision continues today, we frame our mission around three enduring categories that arise directly from Scripture and reflect the apostolic pattern of ministry:

  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 and leaders (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 2:42–47; 2 Tim. 3:16–17).

  2. Apostolic Pattern: The book of Acts reveals a consistent rhythm: the apostles evangelized unbelievers, gathered them into local churches, appointed leaders, and sent new workers to new places. This reproducible pattern shaped how the gospel spread from city to city and remains the blueprint for 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 today in every nation. Methods may vary, but the mission remains: to start, strengthen, and multiply churches that embody the gospel in their context (Acts 11:27–30; 16:4–5; Rom. 15:22–29).

In short, the vision of starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches is descriptive of what the apostles did—and prescriptive of what every church must keep doing. It is Jesus’s enduring 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 the work of starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches for seven 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 wisdom and power to the world (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 3:10–11).

  2. Because the church is Christ’s chosen instrument for his mission. Jesus designed his gospel to advance through local churches—centers of worship, fellowship, and witness that embody his kingdom on earth 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—new 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 existing churches by teaching believers to obey Christ’s commands, grow in maturity, and reproduce their faith in others, so that the body of Christ is built up in love (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, extending the gospel’s reach to new regions and generations (2 Tim. 2:2; Titus 1:5; Acts 14:21–23).

  6. Because Christ’s love compels us and his Spirit empowers us. Out of gratitude for his mercy and through the Spirit’s power, we plant new churches, strengthen existing ones, and train leaders so that more people live for him who died and was raised (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 through his people (Hab. 2:14; Eph. 3:20–21).

We pursue the vision of starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches because it reflects the heart of Jesus and fulfills his purpose for the world. Through evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development, we join him in building a people for his name among all nations.

Questions for Reflection and Action

  1. Why is it essential to keep all four categories of the church (homes, cities, regions, universal) in mind, and what happens when one is neglected?

  2. How does the apostles’ intentional strategy (house → city → region → world) reshape the way you think about church planting today?

  3. What practical steps from the apostolic cycle could we replicate in our church or network?

  4. In what ways could recovering both public gatherings and house-to-house meetings strengthen the health of our churches?

  5. Do you believe the apostles’ categories of church were meant only to describe the early church, or to prescribe how we should organize today? What evidence supports your answer?

  6. What specific advantages do house churches provide for evangelism and discipleship that larger gatherings cannot—and what strengths do citywide gatherings offer that homes cannot?

  7. What concrete changes could your church or network make to partner more effectively in sending workers, sharing resources, 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.”