Developing a Vision

I have been working now for a while to help crystallize a vision and mission statement for BT -the Fellowship of Joy.

Here are some of my most recent notes for us to toss around:

Mission/Purpose:
Our mission is the transformation of individuals, families, and communities through the whole gospel of the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ.

Goals

• Call and equip individuals, families, and communities to a life of significance and commitment to Jesus Christ.
• Equip followers of Jesus Christ to engage in passion based ministries through the gifts that God has given them.
• Develop and cultivate a culture of awe, wonder, and joy.
• Birth and encourage bold initiatives and community collaboratives for the Kingdom of God.
• Integrate local and global awareness, prayer, and action for the Kingdom of God.

Strategy

• Nurture the faith family at the core of this ministry and promulgate a culture of awe, wonder, joy, love, and mission through warm and relevant worship, fellowship, and teaching.
  
• Be a catalyst for collaborative efforts, partnerships, and strategic relationships that bring together human and material resources for the sake of multiplying influence, effectiveness, and impact in the community.
• Practice stewardship of the facilities owned by the church so that they receive maximum effective use in kingdom building and supporting efforts.
• Develop multiple congregations in one locations and multiple locations for the central congregation.
• Serve as an incubator for fresh ideas, entrepreneurial initiatives, and bold ventures for wholistic (spelled this way intentionally) gospel ministry and proclamation.
• Engage in community development wherever we have a location.
• Use Internet technology to build and nurture communities online and in real time.
• Train and coach "home-grown" pastoral leadership for ministry expansion and church planting.

Unique Values

• We value the holiness of the ordinary.
• We value the uniqueness of every person in the image of God.
• We value spontaneity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• We value the poor and wounded and seek to provide a place for them at the table.
• We value the interaction of many cultures and peoples in a fellowship of grace and acceptance where our differences are honored and our oneness is celebrated.
• We value joy, laughter, and human warmth.
• We value the insights God gives to each member of the Body individually and in groups as we gather around the scriptures and seek God together.

Core Beliefs

• We are Baptists in faith and practice and those beliefs that are historically common to Baptists are ours as well.
• We confess Jesus Christ as Lord, who is the second Person of the Holy Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for our sins of His own volition, was raised from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and is coming again in glory to reign forever and ever.
• We believe in the message of salvation by grace through faith, regeneration by the power of the Holy Spirit, and sanctification as we become more Christlike in the step by step process of holiness.
• We believe that salvation is accompanied by turning from a life of sin to one of following Jesus Christ and is demonstrated through believer's baptism by immersion and celebrated regularly through the Lord's Supper.
• We believe that church membership is a willing covenant relationship between members of the Body of Christ in a local place.
• We believe that the Bible is our authority in matters of faith, that Jesus Christ is the interpreter of the scriptures, and that every believer in Christ is competent to consult the Bible as a priest to God and to others.
• We believe that the local church is autonomous and under the direct Lordship of Jesus Christ who calls His under-shepherds to provide leadership and care for its members as they care for each other and reach out to a world in need with His gospel of grace.
• We believe that the core message of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and that God's Kingdom is the reign of love, grace, and peace through Jesus Christ.