Today the word "organic church" has come to mean many different things. As with most terms simply give it time and you will then have to say what you mean when you use the term. The term "Organic church" is not a new term. It was Originally coined by T. Austin-Sparks who ministered in the 1920s until his passing in 1971. However, the term today has taken on many different meanings.

Acts 1:8 says, "but you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth."

The church is people not places, programs, or performances. But it is not just any people. It is the people of God empowered by the Spirit of God, on the mission of God in their world. Simply stated the church is, "empowered people on mission".

This is helpful to understand when we talk about "Church" planting. Church planting then is the planting of Jesus' people in a missional context. We can plant the church in a house in a neighborhood, in a coffee shop down the road, in a business break room, or in a nursing home.

This then is the "natural" or "organic" expression of the church. The people of God on the mission of God in the world around them naturally living out in community what Jesus is doing in them.