Vision: Starting, Strengthening, and Multiplying Churches

Introduction

The mission of God begins and ends with the glory of God. From Genesis to Revelation, the Father reveals his purpose to magnify his name in all the earth and to exalt his Son as the risen and reigning Lord over every nation. He accomplishes this through the Holy Spirit, who forms and gathers a redeemed people, shapes their worship and obedience, and sends them so that God’s glory spreads across the world. The church exists because God is committed to making his name known, honoring his Son among the nations, and filling the earth with a people who display his character and proclaim his salvation.

Key Texts on the Exaltation of God’s Name and Reign—through Jesus and by the Spirit

God intends his glory to be displayed across the entire earth: “Be exalted above the heavens, God; let your glory be over the whole earth” (Ps. 57:5).
Jesus teaches his disciples to make the honor of the Father’s name their first and governing desire: “Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy” (Matt. 6:9).
God reveals Jesus as the powerful Son through the resurrection and sends the apostles to bring about the obedience of faith for his name: “…and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead…through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith…for his name” (Rom. 1:4–5).
God exalts Jesus above every name so that all creation will bow and confess him as Lord: “…at the name of Jesus every knee will bow…every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:9–11).
The Lamb redeems a people from every nation to be a kingdom and priests who extend God’s reign throughout the earth: “You purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9–10).

This is the heartbeat of Scripture: God magnifies his glory, exalts his Son, and forms a Spirit-filled people who bear his name among the nations. Mission naturally flows from this doxology. Because God’s name is to be known and honored throughout the world, Jesus sends his disciples to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18–20). Mission defines what Jesus has sent us to do. Vision describes what it looks like when we faithfully do it. The mission is disciple-making. The vision is the Spirit-inspired picture of those disciples gathered, strengthened, and multiplied into churches that fill homes, neighborhoods, cities, regions, and eventually the world.

Our vision as a network is simple and expansive: to start, strengthen, and multiply churches at every level the New Testament describes. The apostles used the word ekklesia to refer to believers meeting in homes, to all Christians within a city, to churches spread across a region, and ultimately to the global body of Christ. This multi-layered vision guided their strategy and must guide ours. By keeping all four levels in view, we align ourselves with the pattern Jesus and his apostles left for us—one church in many expressions, advancing the name of Christ in every context.

This vision sits at the center of Our Network Design: How Everything Fits Together. And this vision is supported by these commitments: (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, and (10) The Gospel: Jesus Died and Rose from the Dead to Save Sinners. 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:

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.
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.
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.
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).

Because our modern use of the word church often differs from this New Testament framework, it is important to clarify how the term is commonly used today—and why those shifts matter for our vision.

Modern Uses of the Word “Church”

In modern speech, church often refers to things the New Testament would not call ekklesia. Because vocabulary shapes instinct, these uses can gradually shift our focus from a gathered people under Christ to programs, property, or institutional identity. We start evaluating “church” by attendance numbers, music quality, preaching style, budget size, or building condition rather than by faithfulness to Christ, shared obedience, mutual care, and visible unity.

Church as an organization (“First Baptist of…”). Here church is treated like a nonprofit or corporation—something to join, support, compare, or critique from the outside. Leaders are pressured to function as administrators, members are reduced to enrolled participants, and spiritual health is easily confused with institutional stability or numerical growth.
Church as a building or location (“the church on Main Street,” “we’re going to church”). In this usage, church means a facility. The building becomes the assumed center of gravity, so energy gravitates toward maintaining the property and staffing the calendar. The people—the ones who are the church—can slowly become secondary to the space they occupy.
Church as an event or service (“How was church?” meaning the sermon or music; “we have church at 9:00am”). Church becomes a scheduled experience to attend and evaluate. People naturally drift into the posture of an audience—watching, rating, and consuming—rather than a body that prays together, bears burdens, practices reconciliation, and shares responsibility for one another.
Church as a style or methodology (“traditional church,” “contemporary church,” “seeker sensitive church,” “house church,” and “institutional church”). Discussion centers on format, atmosphere, or philosophy of ministry. The deeper biblical questions—Who is gathered? Under whose authority? With what ordinances? With what kind of shared submission and accountability? Toward what obedience and mission?—are often displaced by arguments about preference and practicality.
Church as a personal identity marker (“I’m a church person,” “I go to church”). In this case, church functions as a moral signal. Regular attendance can replace repentance, faith, obedience, reconciliation, and accountable belonging within a known body of believers.

Why This Matters

The word church does not simply describe something we attend. It names a people Christ has called, gathered, and purchased. Because of that, when the meaning shifts, the life of a congregation shifts with it.

If church is treated mainly as an organization, people begin to relate to it like an institution. They join, compare, and transfer when dissatisfied. Leaders spend increasing time on budgets, staffing decisions, and keeping things running smoothly. Hard but necessary practices—like personal shepherding, confronting sin, and patiently forming mature believers—can feel secondary to maintaining stability and forward momentum. Growth in numbers can quietly become more visible than growth in holiness.
If church is treated mainly as a building, ministry starts to revolve around a place. Schedules, rooms, and maintenance shape what is possible. Energy goes into filling seats and sustaining programs inside the facility. Meanwhile, everyday discipleship—shared meals, hospitality, prayer in homes, bearing one another’s burdens—can weaken because church life is assumed to happen primarily inside the building.
If church is treated mainly as an event, believers drift into the role of spectators. The main question becomes, “Did I get something out of it?” rather than, “Did we worship Christ together, confess sin, reconcile where needed, and strengthen one another?” The responsibility for ministry shifts toward a few visible leaders, and the congregation becomes increasingly passive.
If church is treated mainly as a style, unity becomes tied to preference. People identify with a certain sound, format, or atmosphere. When preferences change, commitment can change as well. Conversations about music or method begin to overshadow conversations about doctrine, shared obedience, meaningful accountability, and common mission.
If church is treated mainly as a personal identity marker, attendance can quietly replace repentance. Someone may assume they are spiritually healthy because they “go to church,” while remaining largely unknown, uncorrected, and uninvolved in the real lives of other believers. Proximity to religious activity becomes a substitute for transformation.

These outcomes are not inevitable, but they are common. That is why clarity about the meaning of church is not merely a matter of wording. It shapes how we gather, how we lead, how we belong, and how we multiply.

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 continued his mission 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 raised up leaders who carried the mission into new regions. This rhythm—reaching non-Christians, strengthening Christians in community, and developing leaders who multiply churches—became the enduring pattern of the church’s life.

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). Meeting publicly in the temple and privately in homes, they embodied the full apostolic rhythm: reaching the lost, strengthening believers, and forming a community rooted in the Word and prayer. Persecution scattered them but also spread the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1–4).
Antioch (AD 33–47): The First Missionary Hub: As scattered believers preached Christ, a multiethnic church formed in Antioch under Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:19–26). Grounded in teaching and strengthened through encouragement, this church became a sending base through prayer and fasting (Acts 13:1–3). Antioch displayed the apostolic sequence—discipleship, leadership development, and mission partnership—showing how local churches grew into networks that reached new places.
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 relational connection through visits and letters. His epistles show how the apostles both started and strengthened churches across generations. Ephesus became a regional training base where daily teaching equipped workers so that “all Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:9–10). The mission advanced through households and local leaders, not institutions or programs.
Rome and Ephesus (AD 57–70): Maturing and Multiplying Churches: From prison, Paul strengthened churches through letters emphasizing unity, holiness, joy, and the supremacy of Christ. The Roman house-church network (Rom. 16:3–16) illustrates how relational discipleship could permeate an empire. After Paul’s release, the Pastoral Epistles (1–2 Timothy, Titus) instructed leaders to train faithful workers who would teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2). Under Timothy’s leadership, Ephesus became a multiplying hub across Asia Minor.
The Johannine Communities (AD 70–95): Persevering in Maturity: After Paul’s death, the apostle John ministered from Ephesus, writing his Gospel, Letters, and Revelation. His ministry called churches to truth, love, and perseverance, showing how mature congregations remain faithful amid pressure. Revelation portrays Christ walking among his churches—correcting, strengthening, and sending them forward until he returns.
The Pattern That Continues: By the end of the first century, churches existed across the Roman world—Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, Philippi, Thessalonica, and beyond—connected by shared teaching, leadership, and mission. The Gospels reveal Christ, Acts displays his ongoing work, the Letters strengthen his churches, and Revelation secures their hope. Together they show one unified pattern: the Father advancing his purpose, the Son reigning over his church, and the Spirit empowering ordinary believers to reach, strengthen, and multiply communities of faith. To pursue the vision of starting, strengthening, and multiplying churches is to join that same divine pattern 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.

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).
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).
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:

Because Jesus is building his church. The church is not ultimately our idea or initiative. The risen Christ gathers, sustains, corrects, and preserves a people for himself through the gospel and by the Spirit. He builds his church through preaching, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, shepherding, prayer, and ordinary obedience. We plant and strengthen churches not to expand a movement of our own, but to participate in the work Christ has promised to accomplish (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 3:10–11).
Because the church is Christ’s chosen instrument for his mission. Jesus saves individuals, but he forms them into a visible people who confess his name together. The local church is where believers are baptized, taught the apostles’ doctrine, corrected when they wander, nourished at the Lord’s Table, and sent out in witness. Mission does not bypass the church; it flows from gathered, ordered, accountable communities that embody the gospel in real relationships (Acts 2:42–47; 13:1–3).
Because evangelism gathers people into churches. The gospel must be proclaimed, and sinners must personally repent and believe. But conversion is not the end of the process. Those who believe are gathered into identifiable assemblies where their faith is strengthened, their doctrine clarified, and their lives brought under the lordship of Christ in community. Evangelism that does not lead to incorporation into a church leaves believers spiritually exposed and disconnected from the means Christ has appointed for their growth (Rom. 10:14–17; Acts 13:1–3).
Because discipleship requires shared life and structure. Jesus commands us to teach disciples to obey everything he commanded. That obedience is learned through Scripture, example, correction, encouragement, and practice within a defined body. Churches are strengthened when members confess sin, reconcile conflicts, pray together, bear one another’s burdens, and exercise their gifts for the common good. Biblical discipleship is not merely classroom instruction; it is covenant life under Christ’s authority (Matt. 28:19–20; Eph. 4:11–16; Col. 1:28–29).
Because leadership development stabilizes and multiplies the church. The apostles appointed elders in every church and entrusted the gospel to faithful people who would teach others also. Healthy churches require qualified shepherds who can teach sound doctrine, guard against error, and care for souls. When leaders are trained and shared across households, cities, and regions, churches mature and the mission extends without losing theological clarity or relational accountability (2 Tim. 2:2; Titus 1:5; Acts 14:21–23).
Because Christ’s love creates a new people. Jesus did not merely forgive isolated individuals; he purchased a people for his own possession. His cross reconciles sinners to God and to one another. We pursue this vision because his love compels us to gather, forgive, serve, give generously, welcome outsiders, and endure hardship together. A multiplying church is a visible demonstration of the reconciling power of the gospel (2 Cor. 5:14–15).
Because God’s glory is displayed through gathered worship across the earth. The spread of churches is not organizational expansion; it is the spread of doxology. Each faithful local church becomes a community where God’s Word is proclaimed, his name is honored, and his reign is confessed. As churches are started, strengthened, and multiplied, the knowledge of the Lord increases in cities and regions until the day when every knee bows and every tongue confesses Christ as Lord (Hab. 2:14; Eph. 3:20–21).

Through evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development, we join Jesus in forming and multiplying churches that display his glory among all nations.

Questions for Reflection and Action

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?
Recovering the Meaning of “Church”: In your context, how is the word church most commonly understood—organization, building, event, style, or covenant people? How might that understanding be shaping expectations, leadership decisions, and participation in ways that differ from the New Testament pattern?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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.”