A Mission to Fulfill

A Mission to Fulfill

Report from the Forward Vision Team

December 1, 2001

Introduction

As part of the decision to relocate, the church voted on August 26, 2001 to establish a Forward Vision Team. The team was directed to produce a ministry plan by December 1. The Forward Vision Team will then secure architectural services and begin work on a Master Site Plan for new facilities. The Master Site Plan is to be developed with the Ministry Plan in mind, as ministry, of course, will be the purpose of the building. The Forward Vision Team has been working on relocation along with the Ministry Plan, but the only the Ministry Plan is included in this report.

Since September 24, the Forward Vision Team has held 13 meetings, averaging more than two hours each. Our second meeting included reports from the Church Program and Building Plans sub-committee of the previous Building Committee, as required by the relocation motion. At that time, we received input from the Sunday School Director and Upward Basketball Commissioner. Glenn Akins was retained to aid in developing a ministry plan. With his help, we distributed questionnaires to the church. We utilized the Celebrate Your Church materials from the State Convention, particularly its evaluation instruments. We have looked at the summaries from discussion times in which the pastor drew input from church members on consecutive weeks in the mid-week services. We received reports from the Evangelism Ministry Team, the Prayer Ministry Team, and the Teaching Ministry Leadership Team. These teams evaluated their areas of the church’s work. In addition, team members have read books and listened to tapes. All of this information and input has greatly aided the Forward Vision Team in formulating this ministry plan.

This report will summarize strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and opportunities of First Baptist based upon the information received and reviewed by the Forward Vision Team. In these, we are seeking to describe our unique niche to advance the work of the Kingdom in our community. Recommendations are included at the end of this report.

Strengths to Celebrate and… to Build On

Numerical growth

Attendance in Sunday Morning Bible Study has increased 55% since 1995, from 154 to 239 people. In the 2000 and 2001 church year reports, the increase was just over 12% each year. In 1999 we had 286 people in Sunday School on high attendance day, in 2000 we had 343, and on October 28 of this year, we had 409.

Numerical growth has been experienced on Sunday and Wednesday nights as well. This has resulted from changes in these worship opportunities. Five years ago, on Wednesdays we had Senior Singers and a 5:30 Prayer Meeting. People who worked in

Montgomery were unable to attend midweek services. Now there are opportunities for children and youth, there is a second prayer service, and a supper that feeds sixty to seventy people per week.

Sunday Morning Bible Study

Sunday Morning Bible Study is a key component in our church’s ministry.

It gives structure for providing every age group with outreach and ministry. Several units have moved to ongoing “shepherd teachers” instead of rotating teachers; this has helped strengthen ministry and continuity in several classes. We have, in the last few years, created new units. Since new units grow faster than existing units, this has helped us to grow. Co-ed classes have helped promote growth by attracting those who prefer to attend with their spouses.

Spirit of excitement

Morale is high at First Baptist right now. People believe in what the church stands for and that the church is advancing.

Loving fellowship, caring for one another

The reason most commonly given for joining by new members was, “The atmosphere and members of the church.” Our members have a record of caring for one another in times of need such as sickness and death. The work of the Comfort Ministry Team and of the Homebound Ministry Team are two examples. An example on a happier note is seen in the young adult Sunday School classes taking meals to member families with newborns.

Unity and Stability

First Baptist has a history of getting along. It is a happy environment, free of the tension that comes with division. When ministers are called, a lengthy tenure is expected. The vote to relocate revealed the ability of our church family to discuss delicate subjects and yet retain our unity. There was a sense of “closing ranks” even before the vote tally was complete.

Emphasis on Children and Youth

New members listed the children and youth programs as one of their top three reasons for visiting and then joining First Baptist.

Spiritual Growth

There is a sense that spiritual growth is taking place among our members. The numerous home prayer groups and Bible studies are evidence of this. The vote to relocate demonstrated that the church is willing to consider appropriate strategies for advancing our mission; this was a significant step of faith.

Clear Mission Statement

Our mission statement can be recited by memory by a substantial majority of our members. It was cited by the State Board of Missions office as one of four examples of a purpose statement in the May 21, 2001 Church Policies training conference. It isn’t something we just say; we mean it.

Leadership role in the community

We are a vital part of the community and the community is an important part of our identity. One example is our church’s participation in the community Relay for Life. An example going the other direction is Upward Basketball, which we promote as a community ministry sponsored by First Baptist Church. Tallassee is a good place to live and to rear a family. This can lead to growth of the community and, thereby further growth of the church.

Weaknesses to Address

Meaningful Church Membership

We are not here merely to add members, but to make disciples. Thus, church membership should mean something more than attending church services. Members must become more involved in fulfilling the Great Commission and must be made more aware of what church membership means.

Conversion Growth

There are three ways in which a church grows: Biological growth is when church members have children. Transfer growth is when people move their membership from another church to ours. Conversion growth is when lost and unchurched people come to faith in Jesus Christ and come into the church. We have had outstanding growth these past several years in the first two categories, but have been weak in conversion growth.

Philosophy of Leadership

As we were working through one of the evaluation questionnaires, one question concerned our feelings toward our church’s philosophy of leadership. We decided that though we might have an unofficial philosophy, we do not have an articulated philosophy of leadership. This touches on several areas: worker training, deacon training, the role of deacons, and what it is that we value in our church leaders, generally.

Exclusion/Inclusion

Sometimes, we are a little more clannish than we realize. This seems to be an unintended result of people growing up together and knowing each other. This is probably no more true of us than any other town our size. One respondent to the new member questionnaire described it this way, “When people who are not in the loop [i.e. people who moved here from somewhere else] mention a prayer request, they are not commented on, but if a Tallassee native mentions someone they know, people ask questions about what hospital and how they are doing.” As more people move into Tallassee from other places, this will become more and more important to address.

Missions Support

Many of our members have used the phrase, missions-minded, to describe our church. First Baptist has a good record in supporting the Cooperative Program. We support the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions and the Annie Armstrong Offering for Missions in North America. We have had groups go on mission trips the last two summers. However, the enthusiasm in the church for Relay for Life far surpassed that for the Annie Armstrong Offering. When information about international missions is distributed in a bulletin insert, a good number of the inserts are tossed aside (by adults) only to clutter a table; it would seem that a missions minded church would be more interested in learning about world evangelization. Few of us could tell of a Southern Baptist missionary for whom we are praying by name. Missions support means more than attending a meeting.

Opportunities to Pursue

Ministry Teams and Every Member Ministry

Our research has shown us that, in the past, we as a church had been weaker than we should have been in Every Member Ministry (that is, involving every member possible in some form of service to Christ through the church). With Ministry and Service Teams now being formed in the church, we have an opportunity to mobilize all our membership for more effective Christian service. The teams that have been formed to this point have shown great enthusiasm. The key to long-term results will be our membership keeping this enthusiasm and generating more, so that all of our members will work at this approach.

During the interim period, without a youth minister and a music minister, church members have “stepped up to the plate” and taken initiative to keep things going. This has been a significant step forward in every member ministry.

Home Bible Studies and Prayer Groups

There are numerous such groups in which many of our members are involved. We should enhance the communication we have with these groups to make our prayer and evangelism more effective.

Young families with children

Folks like us make a church like ours…

And a church like ours attracts folks like us

We can use this principle to reach more people. This is not to say that we would exclude anyone, but that our best opportunities for growth are in “playing to our strength”. Our strength, right now, is in reaching young families with children.

Families we have been reaching are predominantly twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings, who are married with children. They were attracted to First Baptist because of the preschool and childrens activities. They knew someone who was attending here and visited because of them. They liked the co-ed Sunday School class. The multiple worship service times was a selling point for them.

In Sunday School, the two groups where the new members are concentrated are in the Young Married Department and in the Pairs and Spares. Among the new member questionnaire respondents there is a gap between those 43 and 59. It was decided that this was because we reach who we are; there has been something of a gap in those age groups in our Sunday School for some time.

Limitations to be Acknowledged

First Baptist is not reflective of the overall population in the Tallassee area

Approximately 79% of our member families earn over $34,000 per year; 60% earn over $50,000. 66% of our members have attended at least some college. This does not reflect (to the same degree) the community at large. Even now, there are plenty of people whom we will find to be reachable. And it is our conclusion that more people of backgrounds similar to ours are on the way. The growth in western Elmore County and in eastern Autuaga County has been composed of such people. We must take all of this into account as we plan.

Our infrastructure will have to be expanded to support future growth

Church infrastructure includes professional ministerial staff, paid support staff, volunteer workers, the number of units, and supplies – as well as space. Growth will require all of these.

A Strategy to Reach the Tallassee Area

Evangelism on two tracks

We need to think about evangelism on two tracks: (1) reaching people like ourselves and (2) finding ways to impact our community with the gospel to reach people unlike ourselves.

Lifestyle evangelism

We have tried the FAITH evangelism program and do not believe that confrontational approaches will work in our church. We have had success with members bringing their friends into the church. A lifestyle evangelism approach is indicated. The Team Task Directive of the Evangelism Ministry Team spells out an approach to winning the lost that we feel will work for us, and which we affirm.

To effectively reach people in our community who are from somewhat different backgrounds than most First Baptist members, Evangelism and Benevolence must work hand in hand. Events and programs will have to be designed with this strategy in mind.

Strategy Statement

In light of the above findings, the Forward Vision Team has developed and recommends the following “Strategy Statement”:

We will provide positive experiences to expose Tallassee area families to the Gospel, give them opportunities to explore the Christian message, to receive God’s grace, and to become devoted disciples.

Positive Experiences

Most people have a “How I got burned at church” story. Many unbelievers need an experience that exposes them to the gospel in a positive way. Imagine a lost person taking part in a fishing tournament and then hearing a world-class fisherman telling some of the secrets of the sport and giving his testimony.

Exploring the Christian Message

Some people want to “kick the tires” and get an idea of what being a Christian is about and what it would be like. They want to think it over. The church should offer classes and programs to aid those facing such a decision.

Six Point Strategy to Reach the Greater Tallassee Area: