Strategic Plan

Calvary Community Church:
Strategic Plan for 2010.

Revised: 1/24/2010.

Purpose Statement:
To glorify God in worship, edify one another in community, equip believers to exemplify Christ in love and humility, and to passionately reach the lost in our community and the world.

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”- Matt. 22:37-40, NKJV.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” – Matt. 28:19-20, NKJV.

Contents:

1. Why Does CCC Exist?
2. Strategic Plan 2010: Overview.
3. Strategic Plan 2010: Implementation Details.
4. Sunday Morning Service.
5. Youth Ministry – Nomads.
6. Children’s Ministry – AWANA.
7. College & Career Ministry.
8. Prayer and Praise Service.
9. Visitation – Sunshine Ministry.
10. Administrative.
11. PBU Recruiting.
12. Strategic Plan 2010: Outreach Details.
    1. Friendship Evangelism.
    2. Guy’s Basketball.
    3. WorldWide Missions.
    4. Parents-Day-Off.
    5. Community Events.
    6. After School Tutoring.
    7. Raising Awareness.
13. Strategic Plan 2010: Informal Ministry.
14. Strategic Plan 2010: Circling the Wagons.
    1. Sunday Evening Service.
    2. Sunday School.
    3. Vacation Bible School.
    4. Practical Skills Training.
    5. Other Programs.
15. The Commitment.
16. Metrics of Success.
17. Appendixes.

Thought Provoking:
“A church’s direction and momentum is usually determined by its past and its programs rather than by principles or purpose.”
- Steve Spacek, Help Ministries, IFCA.

Why Does CCC Exist?
Every instance of the local church exists for specific purposes set forth in Scripture. Our Constitution in Article II defines our purpose or objective as:

“The object of this church is to provide for the assembling together of New Testament believers for the study of the Word of God, prayer, worship and service; the administration of New Testament ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism; the provision of a pastoral ministry; the maintenance of a preaching and teaching ministry of the Word of God; the promotion of missionary endeavor both at home and abroad.”

If we were to categorize these objectives we would find them aligning under five broad headings:

• Worship
• Service
• Evangelism
• Fellowship
• Discipleship

As a church we must continuously evaluate ourselves as an entity and individually for our compliance with and our effectiveness in accomplishing these purposes. Over time our methods (the specific programs and services) may change but the purposes and message must never change.

Thought Provoking:
“If a program slows our possible effectiveness, it should be changed or deleted.”
- Steve Spacek, Help Ministries, IFCA.

Strategic Plan 2010: Overview.
As we seek to accomplish our biblical purposes as a local church we are looking forward to 2010 as a pivotal year for the church. This document summarizes large-picture steps we must take over the upcoming year to drive us in the direction of accomplishing our purposes as a local church:

• Stabilization: We will seek to stabilize both membership and finances. That is, we will seek to minimize membership losses except by death, geographic relocation, and graduation (from school/college) on the part of our membership. At the same time, we will seek to achieve a net positive balance for our financials.
• Cooperation: We will seek to reach out to the PBU community, securing the assistance of faculty, staff, and students in ministering to our local community. We will also seek to be of significant benefit to the PBU community – receiving not only manpower and resources from the PBU community but also lending it.
• Outreach: We will perform systematic and innovative attempts to effectively reach out to our local community – to communicate the gospel with grace and truth.
• Preparation: We will seek to reach certain realistic goals which will place CCC in a position by the end of 2010 to form a pulpit search committee and secure long-term leadership for CCC. Additionally, we will seek to expand our board with qualified elders and trustees, and bring in additional manpower to provide backup/in-training leadership to our various ministries and services.

Thought Provoking:
“There is nothing wrong with being affected by culture unless it begins to interfere with biblical priorities and truth. We must invest time analyzing how our culture has distorted how we do things as a church.”
- Steve Spacek, Help Ministries, IFCA.

Strategic Plan 2010: Implementation.

This segment looks in a fairly exhaustive fashion at the specific implementation details to accomplish our overall strategic goals and move forward in our commitment and execution of our scriptural purposes.

Thought Provoking:
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- Philippians 2:3-11, NKJV.

“If you are preaching the positive, life-changing Good News of Christ, if your members are excited by what God is doing in your church, if you are providing a service where they can bring unsaved friends without embarrassment, and if you have a plan to build, train, and send out those you win to Christ, attendance will be the least of your problems. People flock to that kind of church. It’s happening all around the world.”
- Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church, pg. 48.

Sunday Morning Service:

We will:

• augment our ushers with at least two greeters. These greeters will be present at the opening and conclusion of a service and will provide new guests with a info. packet and a small contact form to place in the offering along with the bulletin.
• augment our ushers with two additional ushers and secure a total of four greeters – allowing for a rotating bi-weekly schedule.
• continue to have a missions, ministry, special music, or other special service entry each week.
• move from the overhead projector to a digital projector.
• add two individuals to rotate in control of the digital projector.
• move from the current choruses to contemporary worship songs while maintaining our traditional hymns – offering a blended service.
• add at least one individual to provide support on the sound system.
• add at least one individual who will lead the announcements, prayers, scripture readings, etc. during the service and begin a rotating schedule.
• establish at least three individuals who can vocally lead singing in the morning services and maintain a rotation.
• add an additional non-PBU pianist (e.g. long-term) to our number who can enter into the rotation.
• add a non-PBU organist to our number who can be mentored under Phyllis.
• hold finger food fellowships at least twice monthly.
• prop the front door open on days where the temperature outdoors is above 65.
• seek at least four individuals to run the nursery on a rotating, bi-weekly schedule.
• seek at least one additional individual to assist Kitty in leading children’s church.
• seek to add two additional individuals to provide a rotation for children’s church.

Thought Provoking:
“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”
- 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, NKJV.

Nomads Youth Ministry:

We will:

• use a rotating schedule. This schedule will consist of exegetical studies through a biblical book one week followed by small groups the next week. We will use Simply Youth Ministry’s Live curriculum for small groups.
• focus on equipping upcoming high school and college students to teach and lead the small group lessons, giving them hands-on experience.
• provide teens with info. packets covering not only youth group info. but also church info. and gather contact info. The info. will include service opportunities within the church (e.g. nursery, awana, special music).
• implement a group mailing list similar to that now in use for music and planning committees at CCC to orchestrate leadership planning.
• seek two additional male leaders and one additional female leader.
• focus on providing PBU students and other leadership with more opportunities to teach and lead throughout.

Thought Provoking:
“Inductive Bible study is a beneficial way to study, but to do it only is to ignore the results of the work of others, and to do it always can be an inefficient repetition of what others have already done.”
- Charlies Ryrie, Basic Theology, pg. 19.

“Creedal statements must always be considered fallible, in need of possible revision, and subservient to biblical authority.”
- Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology, pg. 22.

AWANA Children’s Ministry:

• provide each leader with a copy of the AWANA magazine so they can become aware of all the resources available.
• hold a training session for the upcoming year and invite our AWANA missionaries to perform the training. Specifically, this will cover Basic Training – AWANA Orientation.
• provide each leader with appropriate AWANA role books. These cover specific positions within AWANA including commander, game director, secretary, and specific guides for each class – Cubbies, Sparkies, T&T.
• provide children with info. packets covering not only awana info. but also church info. and gather contact info. The info. will include service opportunities within the church (e.g. nursery, awana, youth group, special music).
• invite other local churches to attend the AWANA training and have a sharing session in which leaders can share their ideas and experiences.
• pursue opportunities to enter into joint AWANA nights and events with other churches – such as First Baptist of Bristol.
• begin using the AWANA large group curriculum for teaching large groups and increase the number of counsel time teachers to a total of at least six. Optimally including at least two PBU students and two teens.
• split the AWANA counsel time to separate out Sparkies and T&T and provide more age-targeted teaching.
• hold the AWANA Grand Prix to conclude the 2009-2010 AWANA.
• begin encouraging leaders to perform independent training and further group training by achieving RIU’s.AWANA has created the Rorheim Institute which provides ongoing training for AWANA leaders. This includes both group and self-taught learning opportunities. AWANA leaders receive RIU’s for each approved study course they complete.

Thought Provoking:
“I was introduced to the pastor, who’d started the church as a youth church. As the people got older, married, and had kids, it became an adult church with a youth feel to it. I asked the pastor, ‘What’s your approach to embracing and nurturing young people in your church?’ He said, ‘Biblically, the older, more mature person should bow the knee to the younger, less mature person.’ Yet that’s exactly the opposite of how most churches work. They force kids to fit into the adult environment…Essentially, most churches make it hard for the less mature to graft in and be a part of the body.”
- Rick Lawrence, Rev. Magazine July/August 2007, pg. 41.

College & Career Ministry:

• will hold events at least twice each month.
• will focus on providing the college & career segments with opportunities to fellowship with other believers of the same age bracket.
• will allow seniors in high school to participate in order to encourage transition from nomads into college & career.
• will focus on developing community amongst college & career via shared ministry opportunities, group outings, and integration into regular church life.

Thought Provoking:
“Not much is heard about obedience in dying churches these days. Instead, a lot is heard about duty. They aren’t the same. Obedience grows out of our growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ and fills the church with love; duty grows out of a sense of guilt and fills the church with control. When people are driven by duty they do things simply because some-one twists their arm even if it doesn’t bring meaning to their life.”
- Bill Easum, A Second Resurrection, pg. 56.

Prayer & Praise Service:

We will:

• have at least three rotating moderators who can lead the service.
• not require music on a weekly basis but will include musical worship as people are able/willing.
• maintain a centralized and electronic list of prayer requests. Each prayer request will be reviewed and updated on at least a monthly basis to ensure our list is current.
• explore various methods for pursuing prayer/praise in addition to our historical “popcorn” method.
• commit a significant amount of our prayer resources to our missionaries overseas as well as to our local ministries.

Thought Provoking:
“The center for many adults in choosing a church is the children’s ministry. They want their children to be satisfied and happy.”
- Christine Yount Jones, Rev. Magazine July/August 2007, pg. 41.

Sunshine Ministry Visitation:

We will:

• assemble a group of at least three individuals willing to make visitation calls.
• maintain a centralized list of individuals in need of visitation and the last time they received a visitation.
• visit those who are absent over the long-term at least once every two months (for reasons such as illness, physical inability, etc.).
• those in short-term recuperation within the first three days of hospitalization and/or injury.
• seek to promote the celebration of individuals and families and personal milestones – e.g. birthdays, anniversary’s.
• assist in the maintenance of current information on individuals and families within the church – such as prayer requests, praises, and needs.
• take appropriate steps to comfort those who are grieving and providing appropriate individuals within the congregation information so they may reach out to grieving members.

Thought Provoking:

“So if you’re trying to help yourself or your church decide whether or not you and it are spiritually alive or dead. Remember: Jesus has given us only two commandments—love one another and make disciples of all the world (I’m referring here to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission). Congregations can love one another and not focus on making disciples, but congregations can’t make disciples without first loving one another. Both have to be at the heart of a congregation for it to be spiritually alive no matter how well-intentioned it might be. If your church spends most of its energy on its own preservation and the care and feeding of its own members, it is spiritually dead.”
- Bill Easum, A Second Resurrection, pg. 19.

Administrative:

We will:

• secure a contract for snow removal from a third party that will ensure the parking areas are cleared by 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings as necessary.
• secure a contract for salting of our parking in conjunction with snow removal to prevent ice from forming.
• secure a method of determining which individuals will handle shoveling of the snow on pathways/steps. This will include at least four individuals who can be called upon for these duties.
• secure and publicize a method for mail processing and make available all non-confidential and relevant mailings to administrative personnel.
• ensure that all materials for each weekly bulletin is submitted by midnight Wednesday each week.
• create a method for handling phone calls in a timely, organized, and effective manner.
• create a method for centralized email handling.
• create a method for a centralized repository of CCC information. Utilize digital means to maintain templates of various documents/policies in a manner which makes them easily accessible yet secure.
• place monthly financial summary statements at the back of the church.
• implement a name it or lose it policy that requires labeling of all supplies with name of individual who secured and name of ministry items are for.
• move towards pooling many resources and ensuring there is a constant supply of said resources rather than securing individual resources for each ministry.
• provide a monthly newsletter of news and events.
• add at least one additional individual to the grounds maintenance team currently manned by Dick Imhof.
• training courses will be scheduled on an as-needed basis for the sound system, multifunction machine, digital projector, phone system, heating/cooling system.

Thought Provoking:
“So, the painful truth is out: any successful turnaround begins with you, whether you’re a pastor or layperson. Your church must see the resurrected life of Christ in you. Christ in you is the hope of the church. That is where resurrection begins. You can’t resurrect the church, but Christ in you can.”
- Bill Easum, A Second Resurrection, pg. 55.

Recruiting PBU Students:
Philadelphia Biblical University main campus is slightly over a half mile from Calvary Community Church. Their off-campus dorms are literally across the street. PBU is host to in the realm of 1,200 undergraduate students and 500 post-graduate students as well as scores of faculty and staff.
We must take the opportunity to aggressively recruit PBU students to work with us. This will require several significant steps:

• The distillation to students of a strategic plan like this that gives students a purpose for working with CCC. By all appearances we have nothing to offer compared to the numerous mid-sized and larger churches in this area – becoming part of this plan, this purpose will set us apart for students.
• Offering students real leadership opportunities, not wall-flower opportunities. Students want to really serve, this means we need to give them the opportunity to teach, to lead, to sing, to do. We need to be helpers to them, not constantly expecting them to be helpers to us and performing the menial tasks we are too busy to handle.
• Requiring students to make CCC their home church while ministering with CCC. While this level of commitment may seem scary it actually attracts many of the students – the type of students we need. They are looking for a challenge, a call, a purpose in ministry.

Additionally, we would recommend establishing a scholarship fund for students out of the elder’s fund. Many of the students are extremely poor and their ability to return for further ministry training each semester is extremely tenuous. Further, we have an opportunity to demonstrate how much we value the assistance our students provide. We’d recommend creating one $500 yearly scholarship, one $250 yearly scholarship, two $100 yearly scholarships, and four $50 yearly scholarships to be awarded to PBU students ministering with us.
We must recognize that PBU students are not simply resources to be utilized, but individuals with needs and desires just like anyone else. We must treat them with honor, respect, and enthusiasm – demonstrating that their contributions are valuable to the church and community.
We will also actively recruit pastoral interns to work with Calvary Community as well as individuals interested in administrative/elder positions in future church ministry and provide them to intern by sitting in on board activities where appropriate, delivering sermons, and otherwise assisting in regular operations.

Thought Provoking:
“During the early going the stress level experienced by everyone involved can escalate to almost intolerable levels. Things can get so bad that most leaders will question the wisdom of even starting the process. Some will want to give up and let things return to what they were.”
- Bill Easum, A Second Resurrection, pg. 64.

“Asking for commitment doesn’t turn people off; it is the way many churches ask for it. Too often, churches fail to explain the purpose, value, and benefits of commitment, and they have no process to help people take gradual steps in their commitment.”
- Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church, pg. 55.

Strategic Plan 2010: Outreach Details.

This segment of the document focuses particularly on our outreach efforts. These are the methods by which we will pursue individuals who do not regularly attend our churches’ services or ministries.

“The more I listen to pastors talk about controllers, ‘church bullies,’ the inability to break through the barriers of traditions, the restraints brought about because people are more in love with fear than with Jesus, and—the most common of all—the insistence that ‘we’ve never done it that way before,’ the more I realize how deeply most churches are enveloped in a culture of fear. Too many church people are resigned to what is instead of passionately dreaming of what could be.”
- Bill Easum, A Second Resurrection, pg. 65.

“One of the common temptations I see many churches falling for today is the trap of majoring in the minors. They become distracted by good, but less important, agendas, crusades, and purposes. The energy of the church is diffused and dissipated; the power is lost.”
- Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church, pg. 89.

“…most churches try to do too much. This is one of the most overlooked barriers to building a healthy church: We wear out people.”
- Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church, pg. 89.

Friendship Evangelism:
Each Christian is called to be part of a church body and as such to be part of its corporate efforts to evangelize – but each Christian is also called to evangelize on an individual basis. We have numerous people with whom we interact on a regular basis – or at least have the opportunity – these are the people God has placed into our lives to share the good news with.
The primary method by which churches grow is not from a revival meeting, from programs or services – but from the one-by-one, over time, evangelism that occurs when individual Christians share with those they know and love what is most important to them.
Please see the Appendixes for a form that will help you think about the individuals God has placed into your life to be a witness to and see the recommended reading section for information on some materials that can help you in your endeavors to share the good news with others.

Guys’ Basketball:
Our community is filled with young men who are working dead-end jobs, barely holding on in high school, getting into trouble, and have never attended a church service. There is an opportunity to interact with these young men, to provide them with a safe environment, positive role models, and opportunities to learn about Christ. The Thursday night basketball program has been a success in making the community aware of our presence, of fostering friendships in the community, and of allowing church members to be a witness to the local community in life, word, and action.
We will

• include regular occasions during or after the game for a gospel message.
• seek out guest speakers who can share with the guys in an effective manner.

WorldWide Missions:
We will:

• promote the Women’s Missionary Guild.
• establish a method for individuals to join the Missions Committee.
• designate an individual responsible for creating the monthly missionary prompter.
• contact all our missionaries and seek out availability to visit CCC during any portion of the entire year and encourage them to let us know if anything opens up for them within the year.
• work on utilizing Skype to allow for live video conferencing with our missionaries over a distance.
• work on promoting and publicizing – from the pulpit and otherwise – the communications received from our missionaries.
• recommend that the Missions Committee convene following the Wednesday Eve. prayer and praise service on a bi-weekly or monthly basis.

Parents-Day-Off Events:
These events will be held on a weekend or a week-night. They will last longer than a traditional program and will provide a simple day off for parents. It will be an opportunity to show the community that we care about them, an opportunity to encourage our teens to get involved in ministry, and an opportunity to share the gospel with the children. These days can include multiple phases, for example:

• Game time in the gym.
• Crafts in the church.
• A Christian video.
• A time of song.
• Nap time.
• Snack time.

Community Events:
We will hold at least two community events. These events will be free and open to the public. They will include displays with information about our church and will be run by the congregants. They will be an opportunity for individuals who aren’t associated with the church to experience the church in a safe, non-threatening manner.

• Carnival Day: We will create a carnival (free). We will create a number of games for children to play – for example bean bag toss, ping pong ball toss (win a gold fish), ring toss, guess the lucky number, hangman, etc. We will have prizes and foods available.

After-School Tutoring:
Students are struggling to maintain good grades at school and parents are stretched thin with time as both parents often have to work full-time to provide for their families. There is a significant opportunity to tutor our communities children – providing something of value to families, demonstrating that we care for them, offering us an opportunity to mentor and befriend kids, and an opportunity to invite families to become further involved in the church.
We will work to integrate with the endeavors of PBU in this arena – especially the U-Link program and the Education Department.

Thought Provoking:
“Hear me clearly: one spiritually alive person can bring about resurrection in a church. No singular action ever takes place without changing the course of the future. The actions of one person do make a difference. Start living from the vantage point of faith and the whole church system begins to change. Will you be the one who begins the process that leads to the resurrection of your church”
- Bill Easum, Second Resurrection, pg. 66.

Strategic Plan 2010: Community-Building Ministry.

In addition to our many outward focused ministries it is also important for us to strive in the creation of community amongst our members. The examples set forth throughout Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments of the deep love and loyalty existing between believers should be our goal. In this vein, we have several ministries which seek to foster community within the church. These ministries oftentimes serve other purposes as well – including evangelism – but their primary purpose is to establish a safe and loving environment for existing and new congregants or visitors within which to experience Christ.

Individual Fellowship:
While we have opportunities as an entire church body to meet and fellowship – whether while performing ministry, attending services, or during finger food fellowships – there is still a great need for pursuing fellowship on an individual level. There must be an intentionality to our efforts if we are to maintain deep relationships with one another. Take the opportunity to plan out times with other individuals and families within the church – whether for a meal, a game of bowling, or a trip to the store. We cannot be strangers who pass each other in a building once or twice a week – but siblings in Christ.

Young Women’s Tea:
The women’s tea is held on a bi-weekly basis. It generally includes hot drinks, delicious snacks, prayer, and biblical discussion. Its goal is to foster relationships between the various women within the church in a relaxing and encouraging environment while also providing a safe place for individuals outside the church to experience Christ.

Young Men’s Tea:
Held on a bi-weekly basis aligning with the women’s tea, the young men’s tea serves the same purposes as the women’s tea – with significantly less niceties and more pizza. Its goal is to foster relationships between the various men within the church in a relaxing and encouraging environment that is also a safe place for men outside the church to experience Christ.

Strategic Plan 2010: Circling the Wagons.
Our average attendance has shrunk significantly over the last several years, as the following chart illustrates:

Service: 2001 Attendance: 2008 Attendance: Decline:
Sunday School 57 12 21%
A.M. 90 31 34%
P.M. 45 16 35%

Over this same period of time, in spite of a significant decrease in attendance and an even more significant loss amongst our leadership we have maintained (with few exceptions) our services and ministries. We have stretched our decreasing personnel further and further, but attendance has generally continued to decline or held at a certain plateau.
In order to reverse this downward/plateauing trend we need to circle the wagons. This involves temporarily setting aside a few of our ministries so we can reduce the strain on personnel and increase our focus on key areas.
This does not suggest that these ministries or services are useless or do not have a place. It does indicate that at this time we might better serve God by doing a few things well than many things poorly. Should God bless us with growing numbers (as we believe He will) then there will be time to consider these opportunities again in the future – as the leadership and the membership is provided in God’s timing.
Below you will find several services and ministries which it is recommended be put on hold in their entirety or in part for this year. The purpose is not to remove these ministries entirely but to recognize that we must do less but do it better.
You will also find ministries which it might be beneficial for us to start in the future and which we can anticipate – but which must also be put on hold until such time as manpower and resources are available.

Sunday Evening Service:
We will:

• suspend Sunday Evening Services until April 1st, 2010.
• hold periodic evening events. These might include concerts, hymn sings, seminars, or guest speakers. These might span for a period of several consecutive weeks but will be of a specifically delimited length in nature.

Sunday School:
We will:

• Eliminate children’s sunday school and instead move these children into children’s church and all willing personnel.
• We will suspend adult S.S. school until April 1st, 2010.
• We will not promote S.S. during this year and instead focus on the Sunday A.M. Service and Wed. Eve. Services.

Vacation Bible School:
We will suspend VBS for this year and try parent-days-off events. VBS over recent years has seen diminishing amounts of personnel available for leadership, a small number of children who largely come from other churches, and is exhausting in its pace for those with full-time employment. The parents-days-off will occur throughout the year, target individuals in the community (particularly unchurched), and accomplish much the same purpose as VBS.

Practical Skills Training:
Sherwood Forests pulls in a lot of individuals who are looking to escape poverty and a harsh lifestyle. We have the opportunity to teach them simple practical skills (computing, basic carpentry, electrical, parenting) and use this as an opportunity to help them physically while encouraging them to also find healing for their deepest need – the salvation provided by Jesus the Christ.

Thought Provoking:
“Resurrection is never easy; it cost the disciples their lives. It may cost yours as well. But the point is—make a commitment to see this through no matter what. Too much is at stake here for you to begin the process and bail out when the going gets tough, and it will.”
- Bill Easum, Second Resurrection, pg. 71.

Metrics of Success:

• To add two families with long-term potential commitment to the church.
• To reach a place financially where our regular income meets our expenditures without requiring supplementation from reserves.
• Have we as individual members of the church:
  • Been active in personal evangelism throughout the past year?There are many who are full-time missionaries. Can we devote individually two hours a week to “missionary work?” How would you employ that time?
  • Been cultivating one or more positive characteristics over the past year?
  • Been working on removing/reducing one or more negative sinful habits or actions from our lives?

Thought Provoking:
“We don’t question the significance of their work [missionaries] when it takes them years to develop a small congregation. Is a similar ministry in a small town in North America any less important?”
- Ron Klassen and John Koessler, No Little Places: The Untapped Potential of the Small-Town Church, pg. 27.

The Commitment:
In this document we have outlined a number of practical ways in which the church as an organization can take steps to effectively accomplish its purpose. These steps are useless, however, unless we as individuals are continuing (by the grace of God) to work towards and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us towards our sanctification.
When we think of the church as an organization we recognize that it ministers to at least four different groups:

• The Outsider – Those who do not regularly attend or visit the church, have no relationship with Christ or to the local body of believers.
• The Guest – those who visit or attend the church but have no personal commitment to Christ or this local body of believers.
• The Member – those who attend the church and have a personal and growing commitment to Christ and this local body of believers.
• The Servants – those who are members but also ministers. They are actively involved in serving the church through leadership and service.

When we think of the church in its ultimate organic concept we recognize that it consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Christ – wherever they may gather with local believers and that it cannot include anyone who does not have a personal relationship with Christ – no matter how long or often they have attended services or served in ministries.
As individual members of the congregation – in the truest sense we should strive to be constantly growing and being or becoming servants as well. Our church covenant in Article V summarizes this call well:

“Those received into membership of the church will publicly assent to the following covenant:
We, the members of this Church, do affectionately welcome you to fellowship with us in the blessings of the Gospel, and covenant together, God helping us, that as strangers and pilgrims we will refrain from fleshly lusts (1 Peter 2:11). That we will put away from us all bitterness and wrath and angor and clamor and evil speaking and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:31,32). That as we have opportunity we will do good unto all men, especially unto them that are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). That we would remember them who have rule over us who speak unto us the Word of God (Hebrews 13:7). That we will submit to the loving oversight and discipline of the members and officers of this Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we will give as God has prospered us (1 Corinthians 16:2), not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).”

These same concepts are reaffirmed in Article VII on Conduct. Of which, only one principle which finds expression in the covenant but is not explicitly stated is found in Section C:

“We shall urge…personal and public testimony and the winning of others to Christ.”

It is possible for us as a church (organization) to grow – numericially and financially – but to fall flat on our faces in accomplishing the purposes of the church. This will occur if we do not continue to grow in our personal and corporate sanctification through Christ. Please see the Appendix Entitled, “Opportunities for Personal Growth” for ideas on ways in which you can spur yourself and your family throughout the week to grow in your relationship with God.

Thought Provoking:
“Do I want to be a star or a servant? Stars seek the spotlight; servants are willing to work for a lifetime in obscurity. They are missionaries laboring in places unknown, people working in inner-city ministries, pastors serving in small churches. Servants don’t need the spotlight. They are genuinely working for the Lord.”
- Ron Klassen and John Koessler, No Little Places: The Untapped Potential of the Small-Town Church, pg. 28.

Appendixes.

1. Personal Evangelism Chart.
2. Opportunities for Personal Growth.

Thought Provoking:
“I believe the key issue for churches in the twenty-first century will be church health, not church growth.”
- Rick Warren, Purpose-Driven Church, pg. 17.

Personal Evangelism Chart.

Sometimes we feel as if there is no one we have the opportunity to share the gospel with. Take some time to fill out this chart and prayerfully ask God to provide you with opportunities to be a witness to these individuals of the love of God.

Thought Provoking:
“Most of our successes have been the result of trial and error and some of our discoveries were purely accidental.”
- Rick Warren, Purpose-Driven Church, pg. 28.

Opportunities for Personal Growth.
The struggle to grow in our personal relationship with God remains for us whether we are a child or a senior citizen. At no age are we too old to learn and grow in likeliness to our wonderful Savior. In this section we’ll look at a few ways in which we can be working at growing in our personal lives in the upcoming year.
Remember, these are not rituals to be performed but disciplines which are tools towards a specific end – growing in the knowledge and likeness of Christ. We’d like to see everyone in the church partaking in these opportunities – one from each section (at your experience level). We’d encourage you to prayerfully consider doing so.

Read the Scriptures:

Beginner:

• Read the Bible on a daily basis. YouVersion.com has a number of useful bible reading plan options that will help you stay on track and pace yourself. For example, consider the Project 345 (New Testament in a year) or Project 345 Plus (New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs in a year).
• Read a book that explains the different genres and some of the historical and cultural context surrounding various portions of Scripture. A good beginner book is Howard Hendrick’s Living by the Book. A slightly more advanced (but exponentially more rewarding compared to its increase in difficulty) is How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart.

Intermediate:

• Read the Bible on a daily basis. Consider using a bible reading plan if you have trouble staying on track or want to try something a little different. Try one of the plans from YouVersion.com or perhaps the One Year Bible Plan from which gives you daily readings from the O.T., Psalms, Proverbs, and the N.T. (you can find further information at oneyearbibleonline.com).
• Read a book that takes you deeper into understanding the historical, geographical, cultural, and literary context of the Scriptures. Gordon Fee’s and Douglas Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth is an extremely valuable book. Another option would be Leland Ryken’s Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible.

Advanced:

• Read the Bible on a daily basis. Consider using a bible reading plan that shakes things up a bit and may help you approach Scripture from a different light. For example, there is the Historical Plan which attempts to order the reading of Scripture in its chronological pattern or the Blended which brings diverse portions of Scripture together for reading on the same day.
• Read a book that takes you deeper in your understanding of the text. If you haven’t previously read How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth and Leland Ryken’s Words of Delight – both of these are excellent resources. Alternatively, grab a commentaryFor example, H.K. Willmington’s Guide to the Bible or Dallas Theological Seminary’s Bible Knowledge Commentary. There are numerous commentaries available in the church library. A number of excellent commentaries are also available online from the Biblical Studies Foundation at www.bible.org. Some of the classics (Calvin, Luther, Barnes, Gill, Henry, Wesley) are available at www.ccel.org. by one of your favorite teachers/preachers or perhaps even someone who would disagree with you in some areas and read it thoughtfully along with your daily Scripture readings.

Spend Time in Conversation (Prayer):

Beginner:

• Take time daily to pray. If you struggle knowing what to pray about or how to pray consider reading Bill Hybel’s Too Busy Not to Pray or using Ken and Karen Boa’s Simple Prayers to give you ideas from Scripture for prayer.
• Consider coming out to the prayer and praise service once a month (or more!) and experiencing corporate prayer in a relaxed setting.

Intermediate:

• Continue to take time to pray daily. Make use of the prayer bulletin for the local church and our missionaries. Consider praying for one or two specific requests on each list each day – working through the entire list in that month.
• If you find yourself spending most of your time petitioning God (asking) consider using a book like Ken and Karen Boa’s Simple Prayer to refocus yourself on other aspects of prayer – like confession and thanksgiving and praise. Alternatively, pick up any book on prayer and use it as an opportunity to remind you about the importance of prayer – for example any of the several works by E.M. Bounds or Andrew Murray’s With Christ in the School of Prayer.

Advanced:

• Continue to take time to pray daily. Continue to make use of the prayer bulletins.
• Consider coming out to the prayer and praise service two to four times each month, or taking another opportunity to pray corporately with a small group of believers.
• Find a book on prayer and take the opportunity to refresh yourself on the purpose of prayer – try E.M. Bounds or read some of the works on George Mueller’s life.

Share the Good News (Evangelism):

Beginner:

• Take time to fill out the Personal Evangelism Chart. This will give you a few individuals who are in your life whom you can be praying for, encouraging, and as the opportunity is given by God, sharing the good news.
• Read a book on evangelism – to stoke your passion and give you some ideas on how to witness effectively. Examples might include Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg’s Becoming a Contagious Christian or Bill Hybel’s Just Walk Across the Room.

Intermediate:

• Take time to fill out the Personal Evangelism chart. This will give you a few individuals who are in your life whom you can be praying for, encouraging, and as the opportunity is given by God, sharing the good news.
• Read a book on evangelism – perhaps one of the titles mentioned under the beginner section or Rebecca Manley Pippert’s Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World.
• If you are not already, become involved in one of the ministries of the church. If you are involved, take time to contemplate how you might improve your part in the ministry.

Advanced:

• Take time to fill out the Personal Evangelism chart. Sometimes, as we get older in the faith, we find we have few or no friends who aren’t believers. Take time to intentionally pursue new friendships with individuals who don’t know Christ – perhaps by joining a community sports league, volunteering at the local library, or inviting some neighbors over for dinner.
• Read a book on evangelism – perhaps one of the ones mentioned above or try a evangelist’s biography – for example a biography of D.L. Moody, John Wesley, or George Whitefield.

Character Development (Being Discipled):

Beginner:

• Consider reading one of the numerous excellent Christian books available for example: Metamorpha (Kyle Strobel) or Fearless (Max Lucado).
• Prayerfully ask God to reveal to you one area in your personality/character that is weak/sinful and begin to work intentionally to strength yourself in this area.

Intermediate:

• Consider reading one of the numerous excellent Christian books available such as those mentioned above or for more advanced readers Desiring God or Future Grace by John Piper.
• Prayerfully ask God to reveal to you two areas in your personality/character that are weak/sinful and begin to work intentionally to strength yourself in these areas.
• Consider reading a book about the church – for example Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren – to fuel your understanding and passion for the church.

Advanced:

• Consider reading one of the numerous excellent Christian books available such as those mentioned above or for more advanced readers consider The Fundamentals (R.A. Torrey, ed.), The Story of Christianity (Justo Gonzalez), Basic Theology (Charles Ryrie), or any of the thousands of pages by the early church fathers and reformation leaders (e.g. Clement, Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Wesley).
• Prayerfully ask God to reveal to you two or more areas in your personality/character that are weak/sinful and begin to work intentionally to strength yourself in these areas.
• Consider reading a book about the church for example Purpose Driven Church (Rick Warren) or Comeback Churches (Ed Stetson and Mike Dodson).

Thought Provoking:
“Having so many unchurched people at the service actually made it quite comical. When I asked people to open their Bibles, nobody had one. When we tried to sing some songs, no one sang because they didn’t know the tunes. When I said, ‘Let’s pray,’ some of the people just looked around.”
- Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church, pg. 44.