Ed Stetzer and David Garrison released a paper at Exponential09 titled, “The Potential for Church Planting Movements in the Western World.” I’m sorry I can’t provide the whole thing for you, it’s gold.  This nugget really has me thinking:

“The way Protestent Christianity “does church” – and this is true whether it’s in India or Africa or America – typically means there’s a building and there’s a salaried pastor and/or staff.  These two elements alone create an entire web of ecclesionomic behavioral responses that impede CPMs.”

In other words, how much does it cost to make a disciple?  The question is of obvious importance because the more it costs, the less of them we’ll make.

That has me wondering if the way we start churches, and the reason we don’t start as many as we need, is its just too expensive.  We assume we need a salaried church planter and a building (and a website, and sound equipment, and lights and video projectors, and equipment for the kids to play…)  Maybe all we really need are more people willing to “go and make disciples.”