Report from the Retreat

202/STEP UP Retreat Report

 

Vision Question: "If God placed a dream deep inside you and that dream became a reality, would the world become a better place?" - Erwin Raphael McManus Two Big Dates: 2020 in just 11 years + 1 month & Age 55 (AARP and Hometown Buffet next year)

 

FOCUS Groups that Reflect Our Values and Corporate Culture

The Young – and those with a young outlook on life.

The Poor – and those who are called to minister to the poor

The Broken – from all walks of life and levels of economic status. We are all broken.

The Dreamers – business, social, & spiritual entrepreneurs who see things that never were and say, "Why not?"

 

CORE Calling: The Great Commandment (Our Ethical Calling), The Great Commission (Our Doctrinal Calling), The Spirit Upon Us (Our Missional Calling).

 

On Friday night, we celebrated things we do well: welcoming of all ages and types of people, singing, openness to the broken, skate ministry, diversity, home like atmosphere, fellowship, squeezing dollars, sharing ministries, time flexibility, opportunities, potential, potlucks, VBS, being busy and active, sharing community resources.

 

We also listed areas for improvement: outreach, singing, youth and children's activities, training, reaching parents of kids involved, gardens and food ministries, personal evangelism, singles, community dinners, the physical plant.

 

We brainstormed some ideal ministries and outreaches through: quilting, book clubs, family fun nights, neighborhood watch, movie nights, Purpose Driven Life study, tutoring, recipe section on the web site.

 

We also passed on the mission statement, core values, and statement of beliefs.

 

1. A Mission Statement:
   To call people to life change and participation in God's Kingdom through the message of Good News in Jesus Christ
   

 

1. A Statement of Core Values:
   

• We value people: The Fellowship of Joy is a friendly and welcoming community of faith
  
• We value the Word of God: The Fellowship of Joy seeks to present Bible truths in a clear, practical, and interesting manner.
  
• We value human dignity and freedom as well as Biblical morality: The Fellowship of Joy is a church that is accepting and non-judgmental without compromising on crucial moral issues or spiritual truth.
  
• We value grace: The Fellowship of Joy is joyful and fun in its practice of spiritual growth and ministry in an atmosphere of grace.
  
• We value relationships: The Fellowship of Joy is a community where people find deep and fulfilling friendships.
  
• We value our heritage: The Fellowship of Joy at Baptist Temple is a Baptist church and is committed to the priesthood of the believer, the autonomy of the local church, and partnership with other churches in the cause of worldwide missions.
  
• We value the Mission of God in our own city and around the world: The Fellowship of Joy is "missional" and engaged in the life of the community as an agent of God's transformation with a spirit of excitement and action.
  

 

1. Deep Beliefs (Doctrinal Statement or Statement of Beliefs):
   

• We believe in the Triune God – Father Son, and Holy Spirit.
  
• We believe in the authority and reliability of the Bible.
  
• We believe that Jesus was miraculously conceived, lived a holy life, called men and women to repentance, died for our sins, arose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, sent the gift of the Holy Spirit to baptize and fill believers, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and is coming again to judge the living and the dead and reign forever.
  
• We believe that human beings were made in God's image, have fallen due to sin, need a Savior, and must individually receive the free gift of God's grace and mercy in Jesus Christ and make Him Lord of their lives in order to be saved and inherit eternal life.
  
• We believe that the kingdom of God is both present and future and is the reign of Jesus Christ in the lives of people, in the church, and in the world.
  
• We believe that the local church is an autonomous body of believers in Jesus Christ who gather to worship, serve, proclaim the Kingdom message, and fellowship with each other, that the two ordinances of the church are believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, and that every member of the body is a priest before God, called into covenant with the other members, and called and gifted for ministry. The leaders and equippers of the ministers are called pastors.
  
• We believe that Christians are called to live by biblical standards of morality and ethics and that it is the role of the local church to teach godly principles, aid in spiritual growth, and provide accountability relationships for its members.
  
• We believe that the local church and its members are part of a larger, universal body of believers comprising all who have ever followed Jesus and that it must cooperate with other Christians of like mind and purpose in the mission of God in the world.
  

 

1. Vision/Dream for 2020 – A Picture of the Future
   

 

We are a HUB for ministries that touch and transform our community.

Reaching our community for Christ through ministries such as counseling, addiction reclamation, food and nutrition ministries, children's ministries, job creation, and manufacturing.

 

We SEE the community (community development) – Support, Encourage, Equip

We support the people of our community in their own efforts to build community.

We encourage them through our involvement and through the gospel.

We equip them to build by partnering with them.

 

We GATHER as multiple congregations in one facility and in multiple locations to be the church.

We have 10 or more worship gatherings on site reaching diverse groups.

We plant congregations off site that remain a part of our church.

We gather from time to time as one body.

 

We SCATTER as we send our members into the entire world and remain connected to them.

We intentionally train send, and support our members in going out into the world on mission.

1. 
   
2. Goals
   
3. 
   

We did not finish this process. We did develop some goals for a couple of these areas for 2020 and several for the year 2010. It was felt that one of the goals that would be necessary to accomplish and finance our vision would be to increase the size of our base. This will require more work and another meeting or two.

 

• Increase our level of membership involvement/engagement in ministry to 100%.
  
  • Every member part of a ministry TEAM – even for solo ministries, people will gather a team for support, accountability, and prayer. This will also serve to involve every member in a small group since this team will engage in all the purposes of the local church. – Target: 2010
    
  • Method – Action Plans
    
    • Celebration – We must recognize each ministry, inside and outside the church and celebrate it.
      
    • Invitation – One person invites another to join in.
      
    • Equipping – We must develop a process for moving people from spectators to full participants in ministry.
      
  • By 2020, 100% of the members will continue to be engaged in ministry teams and people will be coming to BT/FOJ for the purpose of engaging.
    
• Develop a clear process of discipleship and ministry training by 2010.
  
• Increase our capacity.
  
  • By 2010 – an average attendance of 100 in all the worship gatherings sponsored by our church.
    
  • By 2020 – an average attendance of 2020 in all the worship gatherings sponsored by our church.
    
  • By 2010 – Increase our giving (stabilize) at $120,000 per year.