A new study Bible is being released that focuses on God’s mission throughout scripture. I have an article in it called, “The birth of intentional church planting.” I’ve included an excerpt from that article here:
Acts 13 marks an important shift in church history: from accidental church planting to intentional church planting. Here we see Barnabas and Saul (who from chapter 13 on is then called Paul) officially commissioned to go and start new communities of Jesus followers. Did churches exist before this point? Certainly. But they came about as a natural byproduct of people following Jesus. Here is where we became intentional about the process, and—not coincidentally—here is where the growth and multiplication of the church really took off.
Be sure to check out this new Study Bible. It’s packed with other helpful articles that illuminate God’s mission throughout scripture.