When most people think of church planting, they imagine a large church sending a team, a planter raising support, and a launch team gathering in a school gym.
Jeremy Putz wants us to think bigger.
In the first of two summer episodes on the The Sowers Podcast, Jeremy shares a conviction that has become central to his ministry:
"Every church should be involved in church planting."
Not every church will launch a congregation.
Not every church will send dozens of people.
Not every church will have the resources to fund a new work.
But every church can pray. Every church can tell stories. Every church can celebrate what God is doing beyond its own walls.
That conviction led Jeremy and several ministry friends to help launch Reach Edmonton, a citywide collaborative movement bringing together churches, denominations, and ministries around a shared mission: seeing more gospel-centered churches planted throughout Edmonton.
One of the most powerful moments in the conversation comes when Jeremy tells the story of two church planters from different traditions who met through Reach Edmonton.
A Pentecostal pastor invited a Baptist church planter to speak to his congregation about a new church being launched just blocks away. Rather than seeing a competitor, they saw a kingdom partner. The church gathered around him, prayed for him, and commissioned him into ministry.
Jeremy's question is one every church leader should wrestle with:
What if that became normal?
Throughout the episode, you'll hear:
How Jeremy grew up watching his father plant churches
Why collaboration is often harder than church planting itself
Practical lessons for building trust across church traditions
Why city-focused ministry matters
How small churches play a vital role in multiplication
Jeremy's dream for gospel saturation across Edmonton
One statement lingered with me after recording:
"We know what the hope of the world is. We need more believers, and we need more churches."
In a culture increasingly marked by isolation, fragmentation, and spiritual uncertainty, this conversation offers a hopeful vision for what can happen when churches choose kingdom over competition.
Listen to the full episode and be encouraged to think beyond your church and toward your city.
GUEST BIO
Jeremy Putz is the Lead Pastor of Central Baptist Church, a growing multisite church in the Edmonton region, where he is passionate about helping people follow Jesus together and developing healthy leaders and churches. He also helps lead Reach Edmonton, a collaborative movement focused on catalyzing new church plants across the city. In this season, Jeremy is helping guide Central's expansion into McDougall, a historic downtown church building that is becoming home to a new congregation and a renewed centre for ministry in the heart of Edmonton.
To learn more about Jeremy and Central Baptist Church, please visit https://www.followingtogether.com/.
To order a copy of Neil Powell and John James’ book, Together for the City, please visit: https://www.amazon.ca/Together-City-Neil-Powell/dp/0830841539
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