Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization Church Planting in New Zealand by Brian Hathaway Church planting was embraced enthusiastically by several denominations in New Zealand and over the years there have been major conferences on this topic and considerable training of church planters. Some church plants have done very well and a few have become large churches. But most plants have remained small. Yet, the extensive church planting of recent years hasn't brought many people to Christ.
Mainline denominations are in decline and most Pentecostal groups have plateaued.
The leaders of our most prolific church planting denomination recognize that church planting has not achieved the results hoped for and acknowledge that although they've covered the land with churches, they've had comparatively few converts. In many cases church plants weakened further the few struggling churches already there, and didn't come to much themselves. Strategic church planting There is growing recognition for the need to revitalize churches so that they make good gospel sense in every rural and urban community. Ways must be found to make all our churches more authentic, vibrant, winsome and earthed locally. That's exactly what the denomination mentioned above has decided to do.