I. Foundation
What We’re Doing
“Our mission is to provide settings where people can experience life as God intended.”
The life God intended for us is guilt free, relationship rich and purpose filled. But for a lot of people that description does not match their experience. Why? Because they are disconnected. We create settings where people can connect to God, others and their world, knowing that fully connected Followers of Christ live a life better than they ever dreamed of.
What We’re Becoming
“Our vision is to be a catalyst for life transformation of the people, community and world around us.”
A fully connected church is the best reflection of the love and mission of Christ. We give ourselves, in love and sacrifice, to be a part of life transformation world wide.
Strategy:
1. Create environments that develop and nurture life’s three most important connections; 1) to God 2) to the Body of Christ 3) to the world, making fresh starts, great friends and real purpose possible to achieve
2. Create opportunities to love and serve our church, community and world
3. Equip and coach individuals to exercise personal spiritual influence for purpose of life transformation
4. Highlight and celebrate life transformation
Outcome:
Fully connected Christ Followers influencing life transformation in people and communities worldwide
II. Biblical Framework
1. “Fresh Starts” - Connected to God
(1-6) It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. - Ephesians 2: 1-6 (The Message)
God gives us a clear picture of the beginning place for our quest for worth, fulfillment and significance. His Son, Jesus Christ is the Gateway to all of those longings. Jesus is the Gateway to life as it was meant to be lived. It is only through a deep and abiding relationship with God, through Christ, that we are in position to have a healthy perspective of who we are and who we were created to be. Why? Because God is our source of wholeness, love, contentment, strength, joy and purpose. We will never be truly satisfied with ourselves or our lives until we see ourselves through God’s eyes.
“Fresh Start” Environments
1. Sunday morning worship
2. Devotion and prayer guides
3. Small groups
4. Discovery series
5. Giving opportunities
6. Community service projects
7. Retreats
2. “Great Friends” - Connected to other believers
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. - Acts 2: 42-47 NIV
People long for relationships. We want a place to belong, to fit in and to be known. But generally we settle for superficial relationships. God’s grand plan is for us to be in relationship with one another as we pursue an ever developing relationship with Him. Yes, I can know God personally but my understanding of Him is enhanced through a collective experience; it is enhanced through relationships. As we grow in relationship with God and through relationship with others we begin to look, act and love more like He does.
“Great Friends” Environments
1. Small groups
2. Strategic teams
3. Social events
4. Retreats
3. “Real Purpose” - Connected to the world
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. - John 17: 15-18 NIV
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it! - 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (The Message)
Most people settle for a cause when they really long for a purpose. Many people have an inward longing to make a significant difference in their world. We were created for spiritual influence, to leave an indelible impression on the people and places we encounter. To do so we must reflect Christ in the environment in which He has placed us with love and service.
“Real Purpose” Environments
1. Church-wide community service events
2. Strategic prayer
3. Strategic teams
4. Personal opportunities
5. Small groups
6. Short term mission trips
