Church planting and missions

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

There is no distinction in the New Testament between being a disciple of Jesus and belonging to the church. If you came to faith in Christ, you became part of God’s church (Acts 2:47). Not an ‘invisible church’, but a local church where you joined other believers in worshipping the Lord. Thus we read that the churches were strengthened in faith and they daily increased in number (Acts 16:5). As a result, the role of the local church in the making of disciples can hardly be overemphasized. The local church is a local manifestation of Christ’s people (it is where God’s people can be found) and it is also the place where God meets his people through the means he has ordained. This makes the local church essential to church planting. Because the church must continue to fulfill the Great Commission until the return of our Lord, true churches need to be planted where few or none exist.

2017 RCSA Deputies report on church planting
The Reformed confessions and missions
Planting, Watering, Growing: Planting Confessionally Reformed Churches in the 21st Century
World Reformed Fellowship (WFR) statement of faith regarding mission
URCNA Church Planting Manual
OPC Church Planting Manual