A biblically sound approach to church planting must be fully integrated with apostolic ministry. At Sovereign Grace we’re particularly careful about how we define and apply the term apostle. Present-day apostles do not pen Scripture or act with the authority of Paul, but they do play an essential role in building the church.

Commissioned by the ascended Christ and armed with the gospel, apostles plant and build local churches for the glory of God. They are more than administrators, and more than pastors gifted to care for other leaders. They also act as pioneers to break new ground. These mobile leaders are supported by local churches, partly for the purpose of traveling in order to explore opportunities for church planting. They help build existing local churches primarily by equipping and caring for pastors. 

Every church we plant is started with the involvement of a member of the apostolic team, who is committed to serving the church planter. The ongoing work and unceasing commitment of apostolic care is vital to the health and development of our church plants. On a practical level such care is expressed—well before the new church is even begun—through helping the pastor to choose a location, think strategically, and organize his resources.

When a church is in its infancy, apostolic care is at its most active. An important early goal of every church is for the senior pastor to establish a plurality of leaders in the church. During this time, the pastor regularly receives direct care and counsel from a man on the apostolic team. As an eldership plurality is achieved within the church, apostolic care becomes less central and more supplemental. Like the father of an adult son, the apostle remains closely related, occasionally present, but always available to assist.

The delights of church planting generally lead quite quickly to the challenges of church care. So God has established apostles to care for churches, both new and old, until the return of Christ.