In the 2017 Leadership Institute session Strategic Church Planting in the 21st Century, Rufus Smith discussed the importance and challenge of every EPC church being a parent, partner, or patron of church planting—especially among minorities:
- By 2023—in five years—the majority of children in America will be minorities. If we are serious about Generation to Generation, it’s important for our churches to reflect our neighborhoods.
- If we want the EPC to both reflect and reach America, we need more mono-ethnic churches in minority areas.
- If you are going to plant in an under-resourced area, the three-year paradigm doesn’t work. It takes at least 7-10 years.
Smith is Pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church in Memphis.
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