In today's Footsteps, Doug Fry, a missionary in Portugal with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE), makes an interesting statement about church planting.  He says, "we struggled for a long time to get people to come to our church to hear the Gospel.  What we finally discovered was that we needed to use a biblical approach and that meant going out into the community."  What does he mean by "a biblical approach?"  Well, let's check out Luke chapter 9: "And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.  And he said to them, 'Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.  And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.'  And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere" (Luke 9:1-6, ESV).  Looking at this passage, I would have to agree with Doug that "going out into the community" seems to be a biblical approach.

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(Photo of Doug and Sharon Fry, ABWE Missionaries to Portugal)