San Diego First Church of the Nazarene
Five-Year Plan 2014-2019:
Partners with God
Preface
The church universal and the local church belong to Jesus Christ. We are Christ’s bride, Christ’s body and Christ’s expression. San Diego First Church of the Nazarene is intended to be the expression of Christ in the places where our church people live and work. Our facilities are located in the community of Point Loma, and this document is an effort to express our best understanding of what it means to be the expression of Christ in this location over the next five years.
We are thankful to the saints who have gone before us, and the wonderful people who continue to worship with us. Through them the Lord has provided us with a hope and a future.
The History of San Diego First Church
In 1907, John W. Goodwin pitched a tent on 10th Street in San Diego (between Market and G streets) and held a three-week holiness revival. As a result, the First Church of the Nazarene in San Diego was organized formally on October 20, 1907. A building was erected at the site of the tent revival, and the church later moved to a location on 14th Street.
The church grew in strength and in numbers, and in 1911 a new 525-seat sanctuary was built. This was home for worship from 1911 until 1960. During this time, church ministries expanded and new churches were planted in the San Diego area.
In 1961, the church moved its worship services to a facility on Euclid Avenue. The people of the church provided much of the labor for building the new facility. For 20 years the church had an effective ministry in this location as dedicated lay persons, pastoral staff and board leaders sought God’s guidance for the church.
In 1973, Pasadena College moved to the Point Loma community of San Diego, and the need for a Nazarene church on the Point became apparent. As a result, the Point Loma Community Church of the Nazarene was formed in 1975. Six years later the decision was made to merge the church on Euclid Avenue with the church in Point Loma. The Euclid property was sold, and the combined congregation met in the university gymnasium on the campus until 1986, when the construction of a new sanctuary was completed on property contiguous to the campus. The church used the facilities and location to find new ways to minister to the community.
In 2000, the church embarked on an ambitious building project to create more space for education, fellowship, worship and recreation. The facilities were completed in April of 2002 and have expanded in dramatic ways the church’s opportunities to serve the community and be the expression of Christ.
The Lord has blessed San Diego First Church of the Nazarene. Its first century was filled with stories of God’s favor and grace. Intent on building upon this wonderful history and add another chapter to the story, we continue to pray for God’s guidance and the Holy Spirit’s empowerment. We have looked at our history and now prayerfully dream and plan ahead so that we might move courageously into our future.
The Current State of the Church
Many decisions and environmental circumstances have contributed to the present state in which we find ourselves. Understanding our current position enables us to make informed decisions, to have realistic expectations and to formulate bold plans for the Kingdom’s sake. What follows is a brief overview of our current state and indicators that can serve as a foundation for our future plans.
OUR CORE COMMITMENTS
· We are the body of Christ. Christ is the head of the body, and we are called to lift up Christ in all we proclaim through our Christian witness and in all we do in God’s name.
· We are part of the denomination called the Church of the Nazarene, and we support its doctrines and polity. We are Wesleyan and believe in holiness of heart and life. We also support the broader mission of the denomination through the payment of budgets that total approximately 15% of our total annual revenue.
OUR SETTING
· We have chosen to locate our worship facilities and offices in the Point Loma community, adjacent to the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU).
· PLNU is our neighbor, and we collaborate with the university in facilities and ministry opportunities. For example:
o We jointly own (50-50) the Brown Chapel worship facility.
o We lease from the university the land on which our buildings stand.
o The parking lots on this land are currently inadequate for our needs, so we are dependent upon additional campus parking areas on Sundays, Wednesdays and during other ministry events and services.
OUR SERVICE IN MINISTRIES
· We have a commitment to missions and compassionate ministries.
o We plan and participate in short-term mission trips and give to the Nazarene World Evangelism Fund, as well as Living Waters, Alabaster, Southern California district projects, Cocal Gracias, Heifer International and child sponsorships.
o Locally we participate in a unique emphasis called Re-Adventing Christmas, Caridad, the preparation of care kits for the homeless, Sleepless San Diego, Loaves and Fishes, Panera Bread delivery, Mama’s Kitchen, Southeast Church ministry activities and other service projects.
OUR FINANCIAL POSITION
· We currently carry $2.7 million in debt for church facilities and anticipate ongoing financial challenges in maintenance, renovation and replacement.
o The Worship Center (Brown Chapel) and offices were built in 1985-6.
o The newer buildings were dedicated in April 2002.
o The parsonage, nearby on Moana Street, was built in the early 1950’s.
· We have underwritten year-end budgetary shortfalls by drawing down on our cash reserves and assets, and adding to austerity measures already in place. Much of our shortfall has been addressed through the attrition of employees and the restructuring of our debt. More specifically we have used approximately 85% of the cash we hold for designated funds, and have added another $168,000 to our indebtedness.
· Our annual budget over the past three years (2011-14) has averaged $1,152,875; all assigned budgets and expenses have been met each year.
OUR VALUES
· We have a strong commitment to youth and children’s ministries, and have built a reputation for effective ministry programs in our community.
· Music is another priority in our church; we see it as a form of worship, an expression of love, an avenue of ministry, a vehicle for sharing our God-given talents, a tool for outreach and an opportunity for involvement.
· We offer two Sunday morning worship services featuring distinct worship styles. In addition, we have a strong commitment to maintaining a spirit of unity within our church through a shared purpose, common direction, regular unified services in the Worship Center and unifying events.
· We have a history of establishing new churches. We currently are supportive of a church in Ocean Beach and another in South Park.
These are some of the decisions that have helped to form us. They represent stories of God’s faithful provision and the efforts of the people of this church to be faithful stewards of all that has been entrusted into their care. Moreover, they provide the backdrop for future plans.
Challenges and Cautions
There are many factors that can derail the work of the church. Scripture provides many examples of churches that lost their vision or focus. The Book of Revelation describes the hard work and perseverance of the church in Ephesus. However, these early Believers are also described as having forsaken their first love, and they are called to repentance. We acknowledge some of the factors that could quickly derail plans or that might slowly erode the eternal significance of the work of the church. We have identified some important challenges and cautions:
· We must maintain, proclaim and embrace our mission “to lift up Christ.”
· We must encourage and practice the discipline (and privilege) of prayer, avoiding dependence on our own resources and talents. We must give our resources and talents to God and follow prayerfully the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
· Christian love must be the driving force of our ministry and worship.
· Scripture must continue to form our lives and define our purpose.
· We must strive for balance in our spiritual journey by giving attention to every aspect of the spiritual life.
· We must share the Good News of the Gospel with unbelievers and disciple those who have accepted Christ.
Failure in any of the areas above may lead to the obstacles listed in Appendix A (as identified by our church leaders). Any one of the problems could derail the plans we make for the future. However, we commit ourselves to being vigilant about these issues, confronting them when they become evident, and seeking God’s guidance in moving forward.
Our Mission : To Lift Up Christ
Mission: SDFC exists to lift up Christ
(So that all may know Christ and the transformational power of God’s grace, John 8:28, Isaiah 33:10)
We do this by following Christ’s example in preaching, teaching and healing.
(We believe that preaching is expressed in how we live, that teaching is another way to describe discipleship, and that healing is both being made whole in Christ and in being healing agents for others.)
We lift up Christ for all who participate in worship and church activities, for all our neighbors among whom we live and work, and for those around the globe with whom God has given us connections.
Vision
We will be a church that is guided by prayer, motivated by love, and formed by Scripture.
We are at our best when we live as God created us, uniquely gifted with particular talents and strengths - individually and collectively, and engaged in ministry as followers of Christ.
Strategic Objectives
· Strategic Objective #1: To be intentional about the culture that characterizes SDFC and the language by which we express our faith and values.
· Strategic Objective #2: To build on the best of our history, both the history of our local church and that of the universal church, by emphasizing a balanced spiritual life; growing in our personal relationship with God, engaged in fellowship with other believers, and honoring Christ by the way we live in a global society.
· Strategic Objective #3: To demonstrate stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to us, both in our teaching and in our daily lives.
Initiatives and Actions
As we look toward the year 2019 and the completion of this five-year plan, we want to identify where we are headed. We have attempted to summarize our history and current state; we know where we are beginning. With God’s help and guidance we want to be intentional in our focus and direction. Our plans are subject to God’s providence and design. We hold them loosely, but we hold them intentionally, having done our best to discern the direction that best aligns with our Mission: to lift up Christ. Consequently, we have outlined initiatives and related actions to fulfill those plans.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #1: To be intentional about the culture that characterizes SDFC and the language by which we express our faith and values.
Initiatives
A. Ensure that membership orientation reflects our values and common language.
Action:
· Revise curriculum used in membership classes.
· Review membership curriculum annually.
B. Weave our mission statement and enduring principles into preaching, teaching, literature and various media.
Action: Embed common terminology in worship services, events, literature and mediated communications, small groups and conversations on a weekly basis, including: our mission and vision statements, theology of salvation, the ritual of baptism, calls to Christian holiness, missions planning and activities, manifesting our community as a sent and sending church, intergenerational programming, admonitions to and programs for spiritual growth, discipleship activities, small study groups, prayer, taking the journey of faith together, recognition of God’s agenda, speaking on behalf of those who have no voice and an appreciation of various faith traditions.
C. Demonstrate commitment to consistent and meaningful communication, particularly of the Good News, both within the church body and throughout our community.
Action: Conduct assessments of technology needs and opportunities.
Action: Use current technology and social media to expand communication capabilities.
Action: Communicate with our neighbors in the Point Loma area.
Action: Produce a pictorial directory and designate one month out of the calendar year (e.g., October) as “Facebook Picture Month.”
Action: Improve training for expanded teams in sound and media ministry, including training in the use of Brown Worship Center equipment.
Action: Clarify for the church community why we provide separate worship styles and schedule unified services.
D. Offer classes that help in identifying strengths and giftedness, and provide coaching on a consistent basis.
Action: Identify strengths coaches and provide strengths classes
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #2: To build on the best of our history, both the history of our local church and that of the universal church, by emphasizing a balanced spiritual life; growing in our personal relationship with God, engaged in fellowship with other believers, and honoring Christ by the way we live in a global society.
Initiatives
A. Lift up Christ through worship.
Action
· Include worship components that reflect our faith traditions.
· Include worship components that contribute to spiritual growth and add to our appreciation of other traditions.
· Increase participation in unified worship services and in events that enhance our unity in Christ
· Improve worship design for unified services.
B. Remain committed to the salvation of those who do not know Christ and to the discipleship of those who do.