At the Bible week this summer Neil Cole spoke on organic church planting. At one seminar he spoke on the foundation for organic church planting which starts with the most important question “Who is Jesus to you?”

The first time Jesus spoke on the church was after he had asked the question, “Who do you say I am?” Any discussion on the church that doesn’t start with Jesus is starting the wrong way. How does Jesus view the church?

The church is his project. Jesus is saying that he will build his church. He owns the church. His is the King on the throne. He is the head of his body which is the church.

The church is growing. Jesus is building the church. When things are being built we can see growth.

The church will meet opposition. But Jesus promised that the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against the church. The church is on the offensive while the gates of hell are on the defensive. Gates are not offensive weapons but are only used to defend what is behind the gates.

There is no force or power on earth that can stop the church in fulfilling the commission from Jesus Christ, – only our own faith or lack of faith can defeat us.

The church is organic – it is a living entity. It starts on the ground and not in the barn. God lets the Kingdom grow and advance naturally and not in a artificial or fabricated way. As God blew life into the first man, he is blowing life into the church by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit makes us alive, causes us to be fruitful and to grow.

All the images of the church are organic, full of life, not organisations, business or institutions. The church is a living organism.

Neil Cole’s definition of the church: 

The presence of Jesus among his people called out as a spiritual family to fulfil his mission on this earth.