Peace Church Vision 03.19.14MOVE

PrologueSome efforts to facilitate positive change in churches focus

exclusively on the spiritual renewal and revival of the congregation with intense periods of preaching, music, and the exposing and confessing of sin. The result of these revivals is usually a congregation that is on fire for God and filled with the Holy Spirit, but with no strategic steps in place to channel all of that spiritual energy. Churches will often see a temporary spike in attendance and participation, but because there was no strategic plan, the church eventually settles back to something close to the status quo before the revival.

Another way to facilitate positive change in churches is to focus exclusively on a strategic plan that, once implemented, is guaranteed to propel the church to the next level of ministry effectiveness and numerical success. The problem with these types of strategy focused efforts is that the people have not experienced change at the heart level. There is too much “we can do it” spirit, and not enough of the Holy Spirit. Similar to the churches that seek change through revival, churches that choose the strategic plan pathway will sometimes experience initial gains in some areas of ministry, but those gains are eventually canceled out by people who are left spiritually dry.

The name of the church revitalization tool that Peace Church is using is called, “Teach a Church to Fish,” by Ken Priddy. It is unique because it is a revitalization tool that combines spiritual renewal with strategic initiative. While no revitalization tool is perfect, Priddy is a recognized authority on church revitalization, holds two doctorates, and has vast church revitalization experience. If you want to know more about this tool, internet search the above title and author and look for the .pdf version among the search results. This should take you directly to the complete document. It might say, “Module 1: An Overview of Church Revitalization” in the search results.

Current Reality The first phase of healthy church revitalization is aligning

perception. This is an important first step because churches will often perceive themselves as much healthier and effective than they are in reality. It is not uncommon for churches to dismiss their lack of conversion growth by blaming outside factors or “the way the world is today.” Churches will point to the fact that they are a friendly church, as if that excuses their lack of effectiveness in bringing new people to Jesus Christ.

1

The most significant part of aligning perception is determining where a church falls along the bell-shaped church life cycle. All churches have a beginning (BIRTH), a period of INCLINE when ministry capacity of the church is increasing, a period of RECLINE when the ministry capacity of the church levels off and hits a plateau, and a period of DECLINE when the ministry capacity of the church is decreasing. Finally, the last stage of the church life cycle is DEATH when the lights are shut off for the last time and the doors are permanently closed.

The Peace Church leadership was provided with training and education regarding a normal church life cycle, then they were asked to prayerfully identify where Peace Church falls along that church life cycle.

RECLINE + INCLINE DECLINE

BIRTH DEATH

Figure 1 – Church Life Cycle

The consistory, staff, administrative team, vision team, and lay leaders had varying answers to where Peace Church was along the church life cycle, but the consensus after discussion placed us just beyond RECLINE. Peace Church’s position is represented by the mark along the church life cycle in figure 1.

Keep three things in mind. First, the high point of a church’s ministry capacity and effectiveness is a point in time located in the middle of RECLINE. This ultimate plateau point is when a church had the highest number of people in Sunday morning attendance, the biggest offerings, the largest staff, and the most conversion growth. Secondly, there is no going back. There is no backwards progression along a church life cycle. This means once you have passed the high plateau point, there is only one way a church can travel; forward and downward towards DECLINE and DEATH. Third, the only way to prevent further progression along the church life cycle and eventual DEATH is to start a new period of INCLINE.

2

The only way to start a new period of INCLINE is with a new vision that is radically committed to outreach and evangelism. Revitalization is missional regeneration through outreach and evangelism. A church must turn from an inward focus on its own members, to an outward focus on the unreached. This means turning to a mentality of aggressive outreach, gospel presentation, and a sacrificial church-wide priority on intentional discipleship.

It is much easier to start a new period of incline when a church wants to, instead of when a church is forced to. In other words, some revitalization is moderate and is easier to implement because a church initiates a new outward vision early on in the DECLINE period. Other revitalization efforts are severe and difficult to implement because a church is in an advanced stage of DECLINE. Sometimes revitalization is impossible because churches are too far into DECLINE. Peace Church is in a relatively good starting place for revitalization.

Churches in INCLINE, RECLINE, and DECLINE have certain characteristics as shown below in Figure 2. For a complete description of each characteristic, please see the attached definitions in the appendix. Full permission to copy and distribute this material was obtained from Ken Priddy.

Figure 2 – Church Life Cycle CharacteristicsThis figure has been reprinted with full permission from Ken Priddy.

As the church leadership and vision team considered Peace Church, we saw characteristics of a RECLINE church such as transfer growth and congregational-focused, but we also saw evidence of some DECLINE characteristics beginning to surface such as past-oriented and incumbent leadership. Although arguments could be made as to

3

Outreach – Connecting with people through community needs and interest.

Evangelism – Connecting people with the gospel of

INCLINE RECLINE DECLINE

Future-Oriented Present-Oriented Past-OrientedVision-Driven Program-Driven Structure-DrivenCommunity-Focused Congregational-Focused Core-FocusedInnovative Routine ComplacentHigh-Risk Faith Low-Risk Faith No Risk FaithFaith Decisions Resource Decisions IndecisionServe by Gifts Serve by Slot Serve by Default$ = Investor $ = Provider $ = PreserverNew Leadership Established Leadership Incumbent LeadershipConversion Growth Transfer Growth No Growth

exactly where we fall along the church lifecycle, no one could legitimately claim that we were in INCLINE or that we were in RECLINE with our highest attendance, most money coming in, largest staff, etc. The unbiased current reality is that Peace Church is in the early stages of DECLINE. However, as stated before, the early stage of DECLINE is a relatively strong position to begin a new INCLINE with a new outward focused vision.

FoundationsThe Peace Church vision rests solidly on biblical foundations.

We recognize and give thanks that God has revealed some essential non-negotiable foundations that all of his churches must build upon. These foundations can be called the “Greats.”

The Great Promise: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:13-18

Jesus promises to build his church on the ancient confession, “Jesus is Lord,” or as Peter professes in Matthew 16:13-18, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We take great encouragement from knowing that Jesus has promised us to build his church. He will do the heavy lifting. The Holy Spirit regenerates and reveals. Our role is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit by living faithful lives that are aligned with and obedient to Scripture. Peace Church will continually strive to hold fast to God’s revealed truth in word, thought, and deed. We want Jesus to build this church.

The Great Commandment: But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it:” You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two

4

commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:34-40

We love God and display that love by being a faithful people and a faithful church. We love others and display that love by reaching out and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.

The Great Commission: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:16-20

Peace Church will continually maintain an outward focus and a commitment to “Go” by making contact with unbelievers outside of our church. We will proclaim the gospel and as God brings new believers into the church, we will move them along a discipleship pathway.

The Great Witness: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8

Peace Church will faithfully witness to the person and work of Jesus Christ to unbelievers and to one another. We will have first-hand stories to tell of people moving from unbelief to repentance and belief in Jesus Christ.

The Great Mission: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10.

God has a vision for his church to seek and save the lost. Peace Church will decide permanently that placing the needs and interests of the unbelievers in our communities comes before the needs and interests of the congregation. Matthew 9:12b states, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” We will give up our right to be offended.

Peace Church will cultivate the four healthy habits of effective churches:

Praying with power

5

Each member of the vision team has benefited from having their own prayer teams who have dedicated themselves to praying for the vision and for the vision team. Is there any reason we would want to stop praying for the vision once the vision team is dissolved? A Peace Church Prayer Team will be formed consisting of active members of Peace Church who will dedicate themselves to praying exclusively for the vision of Peace Church, the leadership of Peace Church, the ministries of Peace Church and for reaching unbelievers with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Personal prayer concerns will be prayed for in discipleship groups or in other settings, but the Peace Church Prayer Team will dedicate themselves to praying for the above specific areas.

Building on Bible basics It seems almost incredible, but believing that the Bible is true as written is no longer a safe assumption in churches anymore. Peace Church will continue to believe that the Bible is true and that it is God’s complete and sufficient revelation to us. We will continue to look to Scripture as the only rule for faith and practice and we will continue to use and teach sound hermeneutical methods when interpreting the Bible. The Gospel will occupy the central place in our church and false teaching will be called out for what it is.

Raising the bar of commitment Every member of Peace Church will be asked sign a covenant renewal. This covenant renewal will call them to personally affirm their commitment to Jesus Christ and his word. It will also call people to a high level of commitment and responsibility at Peace Church. There is no such thing as an “inactive member.”

Reaching the lostIt is our privilege to proclaim the gospel, the good news, of Jesus Christ to people who have never repented and believed. We refuse to be a church that ignores or makes excuses for not sharing the gospel with people. Each one of us is called to communicate the gospel in real words to real people.

Peace Church will continue to exhibit all of the characteristics of a church moving through incline with a new vision.

Peace Church will be future-oriented (in our speech, thinking, and in what we write, display, and value). Whatever we hang on our walls and put on the cover of our printed materials reflects what is important to us. Is the past important, or our future? Churches in DECLINE celebrate, hold on to, and memorialize the

6

past. Churches in INCLINE are future oriented and embrace the challenges and opportunities that the future holds.

Peace Church will be vision–driven. This means that the session does not perennially ask the question, What should we do this year? Instead, we will allow the vision to inform our decision making and directional choices over a season of ministry consisting of years. We should continually ask, Does our ministry align with the vision? What do we need to do in order to realign what we are doing with the vision?

Peace Church will be community focused instead of congregational focused. That means, for example, that the look and feel of the sanctuary is not determined by what the congregation would like best, but by what will be the most effective in reaching and connecting with new people that do not currently attend. It means our personal preferences do not really matter at all. One way of thinking about this concept of being outward and community focused is to think of three circles. Each circle is a place to make decisions. The three circles are:

When it comes to things about church that are commanded in Scripture, we make decisions out of the “Christ And His Word – Truth” circle. So the answer to the question, Should we read the Bible during a worship service? falls within this decision making circle. Yes, we should read the Bible during worship, even if it offends someone attending for the first time and drives them away. However, the answer to the question, Should we have pews or chairs in the sanctuary? falls within the, “First Corinthians 9:19-23” circle. The Bible does not command us to use pews or chairs, so this decision is based on the principle of becoming all things to all people in order to save some, for the sake of the gospel. We should use whatever will be less of an obstacle for people who are not believers in Jesus. Those of us who grew up in a church with pews do not think twice about them. In fact, we might even prefer pews over chairs. But, to someone who has not “grown up in the church” pews probably seem foreign. There are not many public gathering places that have pew seating. Finally, all of us as church members and leaders will completely give up our right to assert personal preference when it comes to non-Scriptural decisions because we have made the joyful and

7

Christ And His Word – Truth

First Corinthians 9:19-23

My Personal Preference

purposeful decision to put God first, others second, and ourselves last. That is what it means to be outward focused.

Peace Church will be innovative. This means when faced with a challenge, we do not have to look back at what has been done before, nor do we have to look around to see what others are doing before moving ahead. Instead it means that we are confident enough to attempt new strategies and new methods.

Peace Church will demonstrate high-risk faith, and faith-based decisions. Implementing innovative strategies and methods means they have not been tried before. It also means there is no guarantee they will be successful. Sometimes the possibility of failure makes churches nervous and fearful about moving forward. However, if we have prayed about a decision and believe God is opening the door to an opportunity, we will step out in faith even when there is a degree of risk and the possibility of failure.

Peace Church will place people in ministry according to Scripture and giftedness. This means we affirm that God has gifted people in a variety of ways. We also affirm that all spiritual gifts are to be exercised according to the guidelines provided to the Church in Scripture.

Peace Church will view finances as an investor as opposed to a preserver. This means the finances that God has entrusted us with are to be used for kingdom purposes. The goal is to bring new people to Jesus Christ, not to increase a savings account or to build a “just in case the furnace breaks” fund.

Peace Church will actively develop and value new leadership. New leadership is healthy and new leadership is biblical. Discipleship is the complete process of taking someone from unbeliever to a spiritually mature leader in Christ’s Church. Unfortunately, leaders do not simply appear, they have to be intentionally developed over time. Peace Church will be intentional about identifying and developing leaders. Serving in any type of leadership position is a great responsibility. Part of raising the bar means we will need to have leaders that are properly trained and tested. Leaders will need to possess a higher amount of readiness than simply being an active member that comes to church.

Peace Church will grow by conversion. Transfer growth is fine, but when we receive people who transfer in we are not adding any numbers to the kingdom of God. We want first hand stories to tell about new people repenting and believing in Jesus Christ. Nothing

8

compares to watching God change people’s hearts as they hear the life giving message of the gospel.

Peace Church will reflect the characteristics of the NT model churches in Acts 2 and Ephesians 4.1 Peace Church will be devoted to the teaching of Scripture; we will experience deep fellowship in discipleship groups; we will rightly administer the sacraments and place a high priority on prayer. Peace Church will be unified as we confess and believe the truth of the gospel and God’s word. Peace Church will be diversified as it is filled with people serving and fulfilling a variety of functions and callings within the body, we will be maturing through intentional discipleship and leadership development, and we will be growing as the Lord adds to our number.

Vision Target

When answering the question of whether or not a church should focus on a particular group of people when discerning and developing a vision, Priddy states, “The truth is reaching everybody is not the point of reference for most churches. Rather, reaching nobody is closer to reality. I’m asking that you reach somebody, hardly exclusive but actually an expansion on the reaching of nobody that is the case for most American churches. Your church is not called or equipped to reach everyone, but you are called and equipped to reach someone.” The concept of intentionally reaching someone necessitates the identification of a vision target.

The idea of “movement” inspired the vision team in the early stages of its formation. Three separate providential incidents involving movement and identification of a target group were revealed at the first meeting. After continued prayer and discernment the group identified by the vision team as the M-Pact Group, or target group, was:

1 Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Ephesians 4:11-16 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

9

Unbelieving Start-up Families in our Geographic Target Area

Unbelieving means people who are not currently repenting and believing in Jesus Christ. “Start-up” families includes just married couples to families with elementary school age children. Our geographic area is defined by the following landmarks:

North boundary - 191st StreetWest boundary - Schoolhouse Road

South boundary - Monee-Manhattan RoadEast boundary - Harlem Avenue

Ministry Setting

Think of the ministry setting as a container for ministry. The biblical foundations such as the proclamation of Scripture and sharing the gospel with others go inside the container. The ministry setting, or container, includes the spiritually neutral aspects of how we “do church.” Many of these spiritually neutral aspects of a church can be leveraged to compliment a vision or specific goals. The ministry setting includes physical elements of the church building itself (location, size, construction, layout, seating, carpet colors, etc.), but it also includes some philosophical elements of how we “do church” such as music style, liturgy, attitudes, or unspoken rules and assumptions. Most, if not all, of the ministry setting aspects are chosen. They may have been chosen a long time ago and never challenged, but at some point a person or a group of people made a decision about how to “do church.” A new vision must question whether or not each of the particular chosen aspects of a church’s ministry setting will continue to support the new vision or not.

The ministry setting for Peace Church’s vision is our current facility. It is in good condition and in a good location to accomplish our vision. However, the following improvements to our building and grounds will allow Peace Church to effectively reach, assimilate, and move people in our target group through a discipleship pathway from unbelievers to Christ-like leaders in the kingdom of God:

Exteriora) The entrance with the most glass that opens to the existing

fellowship hall area becomes the new front/main entrance. b) Provide a covered walkway for the new entrance.

10

c) New entrance and approach from Rt. 45 that directs incoming traffic to the new front/main entrance.d) Re-pave the parking lot.

Front entrance areaa) Create obvious entry points to children’s area and sanctuaryb) Provide a cry room or cry area outside of sanctuary with live audio/video of the worship servicec) Offer improved coffee service (free for guests, $1.00 for

members)d) Remodel and improve the entry/narthex/library/fellowship

area for reception of new people.

Overall buildinga) Create a multifunction basement that is primarily for the

youth, but not dedicated youth space so that it can be utilized by the rest of the church.b) Create a centralized children’s area in church if possible.c) Implement a secure nursery check-in and pick-up system.d) Select décor and wall hangings, booths and displays that will

support the vision.2

e) Remodel and update bathrooms.

Sanctuarya) Purchase and install a new A/V system.b) Clean up and improve the front stage with new screens, black

curtains, lighting, etc.c) Apply dark tint to all the windows.d) Purchase and install new overhead lights to replace the

primary light fixtures.e) Purchase and install new carpet.f) Purchase and install new multi-function seating to replace the

pews.g) Create a new entrance to sanctuary that opens to the new

main entrance.

2 Recommend commissioning Angel Contreras or other gifted artist from Peace Church to create sanctuary artwork that points us to Christ, Gospel, Truth. The “Christ” artwork should be front and center, the “Gospel” and “Truth” artwork on each of the side walls of the sanctuary.

11

h) Create a highly visible meeting place in the sanctuary for new people to connect with a Peace Church member and assimilate into the church/host group.

i) Create a “gospel area” in the narthex or fellowship hall where members can take guests to hear the gospel, and where members of Peace Church can hear the gospel presented or present the gospel themselves to others.

Worship servicea) Increase the use of video during the worship service.b) One primary guitarist and vocalist leading the worship team.c) Relational preaching style that maintains commitment to expositional teaching.d) Create an orderly progression through the worship servicee) Establish an obvious contact point in the sanctuary that

allows people to move from being a guest to someone who is connected to at least one person in the church.

f) Feature a weekly Bible verse or main point that is shared with the congregation and the children participating in age appropriate biblical instruction outside of the worship service.

Philosophicala) Communicate the message that children are welcome and belong in the worship service.b) Make the decision to be an outward focused church.c) Refer to ourselves as the church. The Bible calls the NT

people of God the Church. Christ gave himself up and died for the Church. As good as family is, the Church is something better and greater.

d) Use the term “guest” to refer to new people attending the worship service (as

opposed to visitors). Visitor communicates the idea that someone is here that

does not normally belong here, and that they will not be here the next week because they are just visiting.

e) All things are done according to Christ and his word; indifferent things yield to a 1

12

Corinthians 9:19-23 mentality that becomes all things to all people for the sake of the gospel so that new people will be saved. Nothing will be done out of personal

preference. f) Congregational care is carried out in D-groups by the congregation. People may call, and are expected to call themselves, upon the elders when needed (James 5:14). We want to avoid the scenario in which a member sees a need, then brings it to someone else’s attention and asks them to fill it. Congregational care is performed by the congregation.g) Peace Church will believe and follow the Bible in thought and practice. h) Peace Church leaders will joyfully embrace biblical truth and biblical practice.i) The bar of commitment and expectation at all levels of church leadership will be raised. j) Everyone and everything aligns with the vision rather than isolated ministries with disconnected goals and/or ministry possessiveness. We will all be on the same team with the same vision.

StrategyThe following ministries are needed to support and accomplish

the vision:

Peace Church Preschool Children’s ministry Youth ministry Women’s ministry Men’s ministry Discipleship groups

Each one of these ministries will develop three contact strategies. A contact strategy is a strategy that allows the people in that ministry to come into contact with our target group and unbelievers in our geographic area. Contact strategies will accomplish outreach (connecting with people through community needs and interests) and evangelism (connecting people with the gospel of Jesus Christ).

13

Stopping Good MinistryMinistries of Peace Church that have existed or exist now, but

are not on the above list will be dissolved. Part of what it means to have an intentional vision is to align all of a church’s resources behind that vision. Sometimes it means having to choose between “better” and “best.” Not long ago, Bruce Smith from Wycliffe Translators shared a story of how he had to tell missionaries that were in the field to stop what they were doing and relocate to a different site. The missionaries were not doing anything “bad” and they may not have been ineffective at what they were doing. The point was that any organization has limited resources, and the best way to utilize those resources is to apply them to the greatest need. Peace Church needs to bring all of its resources to bear on our vision. If we simply want to add something else to what we are doing, then our limited resources will just be stretched further. The vision is not an add-on, it is a directional choice that overrides and supersedes anything we have been doing in the past or are currently doing now. Making a deliberate choice to pursue the vision means we will have to stop doing some good things (good ministry), in order to fully answer the call to pursue the vision God has given us.

Launch Team

Each of the contact strategies will be developed by the individual ministry leaders and the launch team. Ministry heads, or chairs, have a lot of responsibility and will need to go through an intentional selection and training process before being eligible to lead. The launch team is responsible for taking the vision that was discerned and articulated by the vision team, and implementing it and making sure it is carried out. They will also be responsible for developing ongoing methods of accountability for the church and the church’s ministries to ensure ministry effectiveness and results. The launch team will consist of one or two people from the vision team as well as several elders, deacons, and lay ministry leaders.

Church Wide Evangelism TrainingInstead of having each ministry develop and train people in

different evangelism models, the whole church will be provided with evangelism training that is simple and consistent. Of course, people are encouraged to share the gospel in any way they can, but the whole church will all be familiar with one method that will be repeated several times. The advantage of consistent church-wide evangelism training is that it will hopefully decrease confusion

14

between ministries and among members, and it will give us a common reference point with a common evangelistic vocabulary.

The gospel training method that Peace Church will use could be called “Three Story” evangelism. In the course of getting to know a new person, it is quite common that each person eventually shares their “story” of who they are, where they are from, where they worked or went to school, and generally how they got to where they are today. The Peace Church member will listen to the story of the person they are getting to know (1), eventually the Peace Church member will share their story (2). Finally, the Peace Church member will share God’s story, the gospel, if it has not already come up during the course of sharing their own story (3). One helpful way to remember the key points of the gospel is to walk through the word “story.”

S – Sin. We all have a sin problem before a holy God. Nobody is perfect.

T – True righteousness. Only Jesus lived the perfect life and is righteous.

O – Once and for all sacrifice. Jesus paid the penalty for sin on the cross.

R – Repentance and belief is the proper response to the gospel.Y – You. Christ offers his perfect righteousness and forgiveness

of sin to you personally. What is your response?

Leadership DevelopmentEach ministry will have at least three different leadership

development strategies. These will be developed by the individual ministry leaders in conjunction with the vision guidelines and the elder board. Remember, leaders do not naturally appear in churches; they must be intentionally identified and developed over time. Matthew 25:21 states, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.’” Before someone can be placed in leadership positions, they must demonstrate faithfulness as well as the four “C’s”, which are Commitment (to Jesus Christ and his word, also to the Church), Character, Competency, and for higher levels of leadership within Christ’s Church, people need to be Called both internally and externally.

We understand that once a person has repented and believed in Jesus Christ, movement is required. We are commanded to grow up and to be built up in Christ. We are commanded to move forward in our spiritual growth and development. Intentional discipleship must

15

be the norm.3 All leaders must first pass through the discipleship pathway.

Discipleship GroupsPeace Church life-on-life discipleship will take place within

discipleship groups, or MOVE Groups (M-Groups). As with all things in a church, leadership is key. Whichever way the leader goes, so goes the group. All of this means that with the new vision, we are going to implement some improvements to the M-Group ministry. First, in addition to M-Group leaders being active members of Peace Church, they will also be required to participate in leadership development training and show evidence of the first three “C’s” (Commitment, Character, Competency). If we are going to entrust biblical teaching to someone, we have the responsibility to ensure those teachers are committed to Jesus Christ and his word as well as have a demonstrated history of godly Christ-like living. They also need to have a minimum level of competency and skill to teach from God’s word.

Moreover, the M-Groups are the place where living out the Bible becomes real through interactive discussion and shared experiences from the other people in the group. The Bible is applied to everyday topics such as marriage, parenting, and integrity at work. There is no substitute for fruitful Bible study and discussion among believers. We will need committed, Christ-like character, and competent teachers to bring people through the discipleship process.

M-Groups are also where congregational care takes place. Instead of expecting one or two people to meet the congregational care needs of an entire congregation, each M-Group will act as the frontline for congregational care. Does someone have a prayer concern that they would like to share? Take it to your M-Group for prayer. Does someone have a family crisis or major event like a death in the family or a new baby? Take it to your M-Group for care. M-Groups are the place where people are encouraged to build into each other’s lives and interact in highly personal ways. It is simply unrealistic, and strategically crippling, to expect an entire church to pause and 3 For a visual model of leadership development and progression, as well as the overall discipleship pathway, please see the appendix.

16

PEACE CHURCH M-GROUPS

Prior to New Vision With New VisionLeader training encouraged Leader training required

Varied materials Approved curriculum

Part of member care Frontline of member care

Consisted of members and Consists of members onlynon-members

provide that sort of intense personal care to each individual. Of course, this in no way means that anyone has to refrain from providing care to someone just because they are not in the same M-Group. Anyone is free to provide care to anyone else if a need is placed in their path.

In addition, if a member would like prayer from the elders, they are encouraged to personally contact their elder and request a visit according to James 5:14, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him.” We want to avoid the country parson or chaplaincy model of congregational care in which a member becomes aware of someone needing some type of care, prayer or visitation, and instead of meeting that need themselves, they pass it on to a pastor, elder or other church member. This is represented by the thinking, I’m not going to do it, but I think you should go meet their need.

In the past, D-Groups were open to anyone. It did not matter if you were a follower of Jesus or not. Having open groups for people who do not know Jesus to come and hear the gospel is a good thing, but discipleship groups are for discipling people and moving them along a discipleship pathway. Discipleship groups are the place where committed followers of Jesus Christ walk with each other and invest in one another and grow in the Lord together. It is not right to bring someone through a discipleship pathway who has not repented and believed in Jesus. That would be foolish. In fact, it would be an exceptionally frustrating experience for the teacher, the group members and the unbeliever themselves! Imagine attempting to correct someone with Scripture, when that person has not bent their knee to Jesus Christ and does not see any need to obey the Bible.

Discipleship groups, or MOVE groups, are for discipling committed followers of Jesus Christ, so participation will be limited to committed followers of Jesus Christ. But remember, under the vision, each ministry has the responsibility of coming up with three contact strategies. So, unbelievers who would like to participate in a small group, but have not committed to Jesus Christ and being his disciple may join a TAG (Talk About God) group. In that way, TAG groups would be an example of one of the discipleship group ministry’s outreach strategies. A TAG group is a place where Peace Church members come into contact with unbelievers and present the gospel. There is no limit to how many unbelieving friends, neighbors, co-workers a Peace Church member may invite to a TAG group.

Secondly, since discipleship also requires traditional teaching, an intentional discipleship curriculum will be developed to take people from new belief to spiritually mature believer. The classes will be called MOVE classes and the curriculum may take 1 to 1.5 years to cover, but by the end of the curriculum every person who has gone through the discipleship process will have been taught Bible basics

17

and essential doctrine. For example, we want everyone to understand how to read and interpret the Bible (and also how to avoid some of the “how not to read and interpret the Bible” pitfalls). We want everyone to know how to get the main point, or “big idea” of a passage. We want everyone to know what baptism means and what communion means. We want everyone to have a few apologetic tools in their tool belt so they are prepared to give an answer to some of the more common objections to Christianity. We want everyone to know why evangelism and reaching new people is commanded and where to find it in the Bible. We want people to know and understand the gospel.

Instead of each ministry of Peace Church developing their own discipleship pathway, each ministry will point and direct their adult participants to M-Groups and to MOVE classes to move along a common discipleship pathway. Both the youth ministry and children’s ministry will have discipleship pathways that are tailored to meet the unique developmental needs of their students.

StructureThe session, deacon board, mission board, and ministry chairs

will support the vision by continually asking the question, “What does the vision need from us in order for it to be successful?”

You may have noticed that the mission board and the food pantry were not listed among the ministries that will continue under the vision. That’s because the food pantry is part of diaconate care, and not an optional ministry. Likewise, the mission board is part of the church ministry container. Both the food pantry and the mission board will continue because they fall within the, “Christ and his Word – Truth” circle. Deacons and diaconate care are biblical, and the church wants to be faithful in “tithing” 10% of our offerings to reaching unreached people groups with the gospel. Our missional giving plays an important role as the Church universal strives to fulfill the Great Commission.

The mission board will receive 10%, a tithe, of our offerings to distribute to missionaries and ministries who are on the frontlines of reaching new people with the gospel in spoken and written form. In keeping with the principle of effectively giving more support to fewer ministries, Peace Church will need to discontinue our support to some missionaries and ministries we currently support through attrition on an annual basis. Individual ministry chairs will be responsible for deciding which local outreach ministries, if any, they want to partner with and support. Moreover, the bar will be raised in regards to which missionaries and ministries receive support from Peace Church. The missions and ministries we support will have to demonstrate fidelity to sound doctrine.

Both the food pantry and mission board, like the session and the deacon board, will continually ask the question, What does the vision

18

need from us in order for it to be successful? In order to improve communication between the mission board and the session, the mission board will be given structural guidelines that are similar to the session and deacon board. The mission board will consist of a chair and four to seven members. At least one of the members will need to be an installed session member. Mission board members will serve three year terms, and then be ineligible for one year, the same as elders and deacons. Remembering that DECLINE churches can continue for years with incumbent leadership, these guidelines will ensure increased communication with the session and a healthy movement of new people within the mission board. Because mission board members are part of the Peace Church leadership and make directional stewardship choices, they will need to go through the same intentional selection and leadership development process before being eligible to serve.

All leaders and people in positions of responsibility (ministry chairs, elders, deacons, staff, M-Group leaders, mission board members, youth leaders) will need final elder approval before serving.

ConclusionPeace Church needs to move. A helpful way to remember the

importance of movement is to look at examples from the world God created. When water does not move, it becomes stagnant and begins to develop a foul odor. Stagnant water is a breeding ground for disease. When plants and animals stop moving, it usually means they are dead. When a church does not move spiritually and practically in obedience to Scripture it also becomes stagnant and, some would say, begins to develop a foul spiritual odor. It turns inward and begins to celebrate and memorialize the past. It begins to place an emphasis on what its own members like, and avoids what its own members do not like or what makes them feel uncomfortable. It views the physical building and facilities as “good enough for us.” In paralyzing fear, it begins to tighten its grip on remaining finances. Churches that are not moving become a breeding ground for the debilitating disease called “Being Offendeditis”.

When water is moving it is called “living” and is constantly refreshed and oxygenated. It stays clear and clean. It is life giving. When plants and animals move, it means they are alive. When a church moves spiritually and practically in obedience to Scripture it can

19

be legitimately be called a living church of Jesus Christ. It focuses on future goals, turns outward, and places an emphasis on reaching new people. It continually looks for ways to improve facilities that will complement the vision. A moving church views finances as God’s provision to be utilized today in order to reap a harvest tomorrow. A church that moves in obedience to Christ and his word is continually being refreshed by God’s truth. A moving church stays doctrinally pure and morally clean.

Peace Church Must Move

Peace Church must move from the initial stages of decline to a fresh incline characterized by a robust understanding, proclamation, and practice of the gospel and an outward focus that makes others a priority. We must move from sitting inside the “My Personal Preferences” circle to walking forward and accepting the call to outreach and evangelism. The vision will demand that each of us operate out of the “Christ and his Word” circle, and when indifferent topics arise we will always yield to the “1 Cor 9:19-23” circle and allow the need to reach new people to be placed above our own needs and preferences.

Peace Church must move committed, solid-character, competent leaders into key positions within the church so that they in turn can faithfully move members through an intentional discipleship process.

Peace Church must move the ministry setting and structure so they are aligned with the vision of reaching our target group and new people for Jesus Christ.

Peace Church members must move from any sort of individual spiritual apathy and complacency to lifelong discipleship, growth, and spiritual movement.

The vision must communicate the message that it is not acceptable to remain unmoving and stagnant. Jesus never said, “Stay and make disciples if they happen to come to you.” As followers of Jesus Christ, we are commanded to, “Go and make disciples.” This means we cannot remain still. We must move out into our community and neighborhoods and make contact with unbelievers. We must actually proclaim the gospel to other people with our own mouths and trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to regenerate people and bring them to repentance and belief in Jesus Christ.

20