In the last two posts I introduced you to our strategy for the next 5 years.
Here it is at its simplest:
In 2025 we will be taking the grace and truth of Jesus deeper into the heart of our church, and further into our community and beyond.
I want to begin to show you the nuts and bolts of how, and where, we will do this.
There are six aspirational themes that captured many of the ideas that have been raised over the last 18 months. Below you will find a summary of each of these themes and some very broad aims.
For each of these themes we have very concrete goals, tactics and measurements to help bring these aspirations to reality.
1. GOSPEL
We see a church that is rooted in and delights in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We see a church where the gospel is preached every week and every person is nurtured in the grace of the gospel and equipped to know, love and share the gospel.
We will commit to:
teaching the ‘whole counsel of God’ as revealed in the Scriptures
preaching the gospel every week
consistent standard of preaching that reflects our understanding of the grace and truth of Jesus
creating church services that give people a rich experience of the gospel
helping one another apply the gospel to our hearts
2. OUTREACH
We see a church that is a city on a hill and a church that takes seriously Jesus’ command to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’.
As a church we will:
explore new justice ministries and strengthen current ones
develop our ‘public face’—be known in the community and be a place people are drawn to
innovate/create new outreach opportunities, particularly opportunities that meet felt needs in the community
desire to grow numerically, primarily through conversion growth
understand where we are (i.e. a concern for contextualising the gospel)
plan and pray for outreach to be a central part of our church’s life and activity.
3. LEADERSHIP
We see a church that has diverse, self-sustaining leadership pathways. A place where people’s gifts are identified and encouraged for the good of the body.
We will aim to:
recruit, resource and release leaders who lead like Jesus
raise up leaders who reflect our church and our area
nurture and develop our leaders
develop new layers of leadership
have sustainable leadership pathways
4. COMMUNITY
We see a prayerful community that is dependent on God. We see a church community that is hospitable, warm, welcoming and always caring. A community that is richly diverse where women and men, young and old, and all cultures share rich fellowship.
We would like to see:
a diverse community made up of all ages and all backgrounds
a place where intergenerational discipleship is fostered
a commitment to establish systems of pastoral care that ensures everyone is known and loved and has a strong sense of belonging
small groups multiplied and equipped to shepherd and disciple one another
people enfolded into our church community through planning and prayer
5. GENEROSITY
We see a church birthed through the generosity of Jesus. We see a church that has richly benefited from the gospel generosity of others and desires to be a conduit of that blessing to others.
We desire to:
wholeheartedly serve our church community
think generously of one another and act generously toward one another
send staff and members to less resourced areas
send financial support to mission partners
send members into the harvest field.
6. STEWARDSHIP
We see a church that faithfully and fruitfully stewards its resources for the benefit of others. We see a church committed to developing our property, increasing its capacity for ministry and strengthening our systems of governance.
We would like to:
create inviting, welcoming, safe spaces for all people
take care of the property we have and improve it where possible to meet the demands of ministry
continue to value and deepen systems of administration (PC, wardens, safe ministry)
You’ve probably heard it said many times that ‘talk is cheap.’ And churches, it seems, are often prone to dreaming big and executing poorly. As mentioned above, these goals are very broad. The particular shape they take will be teased out in the coming weeks as we present concrete goals, tactics and measurements for each of these.