So said Matt Wilson (pictured), team leader at BMS International Mission Centre (IMC), as he opened the Successful Church Planting seminar.

Aiming to bring what is happening in India into dialogue with the UK, seminar attendees were split into groups to hear four stories of church planting, following an opening whistle-stop-tour of the issues of incarnation and contextualisation.

Benjamin Francis, leader of Big Life Ministries and BMS associate team leader, spoke of how God called him to evangelise in villages in north India, and how he has seen 10,500 churches planted since Big Life started in 2000. Mr Francis and his team build relationships with people in villages, telling them about Jesus and asking them if they want to know more. These churches do five things, said Mr Francis; worship, fellowship, ministry, evangelism and discipleship. 'We don't build church buildings,' he said. 'We meet in houses or under trees, because everyone has a tree.'

Talking about Bristol-based church plant Jacobs Well, Jenni Entrican, vice president of the Baptist Union and chair of the Incarnate Network Steering Group, explained the way the team there are engaging with their neighbours. They are planting church in an organic, community setting through a range of initiatives - from community gardens to clean-up schemes.

Ivan King, co-pastor of Church from Scratch in Southend-on-Sea, sees Shared Space, a community shop, as another authentic way of being church. There is no worship, or preaching, but people meet together and have Christian fellowship. The shop engages with 11,000 people a year and so has huge potential to reach the community, he said.

Finally, Kerry Hilton spoke about Freeset in India, the fair trade business he leads. Freeset is rescuing people from prostitution in Kolkata and giving them a way to support themselves by making bags and T-shirts. Organised as a business of freedom, Mr Hilton said that Freeset is also a church community - the staff worship and read the Bible together at the start of every working day, and close each day together with thankfulness. 'People say to me, what do you do about church?' he said, 'I say, we do church six days a week, and have Sundays off.'

Reflecting on these four different ways of being church, Jim Kiplin, who works with Urban Expression UK, closed the seminar by challenging delegates, saying, 'The main hope for us is that while you were listening to these stories you would have had half an ear for your context, thinking: how can this apply in my setting?'