STRATEGIC MINISTRY PLANNING or Intentional Ministry Planning/Praying

FOR THE FUTURE OF RIVERS OF JOY BAPIST CHURCH

2009-2O13

If visioning only focused on solving problems from the past, a compelling vision of the future will be hard to see.

THREE WORDS:

1. BELIEVE FAITH/TRUST2. DREAM HOPE/VISION3. IMAGINE ENVISION/VISUALIZE/SEE

When you are raising your children, you hope by your example that you impress your kids to live right and do it in the right way.

In the last year and a half (July - January 2010) or 1 ½ years at ROJBC as Pastor/Teacher you pray, wish, hope, work, to accomplish God’s purpose for His Church body of Believers.

You believe you are showing by example what you are trying to accomplish for the church. You are hoping by seeing the changes (that) the members are getting the idea of what we should look like as a church body.

You ask yourself are they getting the point of ministry. Do they see what you are trying to accomplish?

We spend a number of months at the beginning trying to set the pattern of ministry. The members must have a number of pa

Here is what I am seeing?

We can’t seem to get pass the past, or what went before, or the earlier period, or the patterns of the past.

We seem to say, “What we did before.”

There have been a number of major changes in ROJBC over the last 1 ½.

1. The approach to doing the work of the ministry of the church.2. The preaching/teaching style has changed from preaching to teaching. 3. The structure of the leadership has changed. Eldership.4. We have worked to adjust the financial challenges / needs of the church. 5.

STRATEGIC MINISTRY PLAN

Rivers of Joy Baptist Church 2008-13

Our Vision: To be a Bible-centered, family-oriented, growing church that exalts Jesus Christ

Our Mission Statement: Bible-centered—With the Bible serving as our blueprint, we emphasize:

1. Salvation by grace through faith in Christ2. Prayer as a valuable and important part of our lives3. Music that honors and pleases God4. Financial principles based on Biblical commands5. Service as the ministry of all6. Outreach as crucial in our ministry7. Discipleship enabling believers to grow spiritually8. Stewardship as the business of all9. Daily devotion as necessary for everyone10. Fellowship as a wonderful and uplifting result of participation11. Daily living marked by becoming more like the Savior

Family-oriented - We promote a closely-knit unified family atmosphere for all church members. We will continue to provide opportunities for Bible study, group activities, ministry and fellowship specifically geared for every age group.

Growing - We trust God to make us a growing church through community outreach, discipling believers and fostering continued spiritual growth.

Exalting Christ - We will continue to exalt Christ by worshiping Him through preaching the Word of God, prayer, God-honoring music, and faithful stewardship. We strive to proclaim His name in our community and around the world.

Our core values: II Timothy 3:15-17 summarizes what our church stands for… “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

These values, as reflected in the Proposed Initiatives presented on the following pages, include:

1. Exalting Him 2. Developing Disciples 3. Reaching Out 4. Training Leaders5. Educating Youth6. Providing Facilities

Exalting Him

Objective 1: Improve and expand the worship of Jesus Christ in the corporate meetings of ROJBCGoals:

1. Diligently maintain a Christ-centered atmosphere in the worship service2. Expand and improve our God-honoring music program3. Maintain preaching of the Word of God as the primary focus of worship services 4. Increase worship attendance by ______ over 5 years as God allows5. Continue to encourage Wednesday evening attendance 6. Establish systematic curriculum of preaching through the Bible 7. Expand pastoral staff as attendance/membership warrants8. Add personnel as appropriate:

Developing Disciples

Objective 2: Better equip church leadership through discipling and trainingGoals:

1. Define skill sets of ROJBC members 2. Provide training of church leadership 3. Provide discipleship training for current and potential deacons, trustees, deaconesses and other

qualified persons (equipping them to lead) 4. Provide training for greeters/ushers and nursery workers 5. Provide training for church secretary, and business manager.

Reaching Out

Objective 3: Improve and expand local and global missions ministry of ROJBCGoals:

1. Expand church budget for local and missions outreach by _____ per year 2. Increase ROJBC members’ awareness of opportunities and expand local outreach ministry 3. Carry out local leadership and ministry and missions conference each year 4. Schedule and provide annual training outreach/evangelism 5. Promote church family becoming better acquainted with each other.6. Expand our media ministry ministry 7. Visitation training program training.8. Continue to develop the church websites9. Train someone to work in the church media area of service10. Develop/maintain Public Relations process to communicate to community and within ROJBC11. Develop a means of communicating current political action information to church members

Training Leaders

Objective 4: Improve and expand Christian Education Ministries at DBCGoals:

1. Implement a Director of Christian Education position

2. Evaluate all Sunday Bible Class Fellowhsip and children’s church curricula for effectiveness

3. Improve and expand all CE departments

Providing Facilities

Objective 6: Improve our present facilities to meet current and future needs and ministriesGoals:

1. Working on making necessary repairs and updating the facilities for better use.2. Continue to educate members on Biblical giving and designated giving as well as the legal

aspects of bequests and wills3. Church vehicles and equipment on a regular basis4.

Implementation of this Plan: The Pastors/Elders/Deacons/Members need to worked together for to formulate, discuss and unanimously accept this proposal for growing spiritually and numerically in the years ahead.

We make these plans with full understanding that God may, in His love and faithfulness, delay, speed up, stop or add to any or all parts of the plans presented in this document.

To ensure faithfulness on our part in moving forward, we commit to annual follow-up meetings where we will evaluate progress toward goals, revise plans as needed, and formulate detailed development of plans for the following year.

We eagerly anticipate seeing all church members utilize their God-given talents and abilities to His glory as we strive together to serve Him faithfully and follow where He leads.

Christ’s command, our foundation: “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

What We BelieveChurch Covenant

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of the church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the entire ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor and the spreading of the gospel to all nations.We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to Biblically educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our behavior; to avoid all tattling, backbiting and excessive anger, to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drink and or illegal narcotics and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

We moreover agree that when we remove from this place we shall as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s work.