Mission Statement
We are called to "Reach Our Community For Christ, One Heart At a Time".
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Core Values
This mission is more fully articulated in our "Core Values".
| Value |
Task |
Objective |
Target |
Method
(partial list) |
Worship |
exalt god |
draw close to god |
crowd
(all who come) |
personal devotions; corporate worship;
small groups; worship events |
Fellowship |
encourage believers |
draw close to each other |
congregation
(regular attend) |
strengthen existing relationships through planned fellowships; small groups; accountable relationships and care ministry |
Outreach |
evangelize the lost |
reach out to others |
community
(ray county) |
our primary focus is families with children and teens; our secondary focus is active participation in world missions |
Discipleship |
edify new & old believers
|
promote maturity and membership |
crowd and committed
(willing to grow) |
we encourage maturity by clearly preaching and teaching the bible and by intentionally leading people into a whole-hearted devotion to god (holiness) |
Service |
equip the body |
join w/ god in meeting needs |
core
(ready to work) |
we must interpret the needs of our local community and develop strategies to meet those needs |
In short, we believe that there are five primary characteristics that must be
nurtured if a person is to grow spiritually strong.
1. Worship: God created us in such a way that we can share in personal relationship with him. Through Worship, we enter more purposefully / consciously into that relationship.
2. Fellowship: God also created us so that we are "stronger together". As we nurture close relationship with one another, we will more directly experience God's blessing and we will be better able to share his love with others.
3. Outreach: God loves lost and hurting people and expects us to share his concern for the lost. It is our privilege and responsibility as Christians to make God known to those who do not know him.
4. Discipleship: God calls us to a "holy life". Unfortunately, growing in God doesn't happen automatically -it requires a purposeful and consistent effort on our part. Those who truly wish to be "disciples" of Christ must "prepare themselves for action" so that they may respond to the needs around them.
5. Service: The Bible tells us that "faith without deeds is dead". We best show our love for God by loving (and serving) one another.
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Vision Statement
The Richmond Church of the Nazarene was originally established as an "Outpost of Holiness".
Our "job" is to share God's love with this community and to call people to a
devoted spiritual life. As our mission statement puts it, we are to "Reach Our Community For Christ,
One Heart At a Time". Practically speaking, this is how we intend to fulfill our purpose…
"Richmond Randy"
Our research has shown that the typical person in Richmond is…
a 38-year-old Caucasian man with a working wife and three children. He commutes
45 minutes to work in a production or transportation type of job. He graduated
from college, but is not likely to have a college degree. He lives in a
single-family house (which he owns) and has a yearly income of approximately
$58,000. He thinks that he's "moral", but is not likely to attend church.
Randy's music interests include country and classic rock. In his spare
time, he likes to hunt / fish and watch sporting events (often events
in which his kids are participating). He is concerned
with the education of his children and forms most of his social
interactions around the extra-curricular / recreational activities of his family.
Our Focus As a Church
We also concluded that our church has been most effective in reaching
"Unchurched Families with Children Under the age of 18". These will not be
the only people to whom we minister. However, the majority of our program
will need to focus on the unique needs / characteristics of these people.
Some of these needs / characteristics include…
* Busy schedule (difficulty making it to traditional worship times???)
* Blended families
* Heavy debt / limited finances
* Concern with children-related issues like childcare, education, safety, etc.
* Looking for a place to belong (genuine relationships)
* Openly wonder if the church is relevant / able to meet their needs.
How We Will Meet These Needs
We are committed to a balanced growth of ministry as reflected in our core values.
The following represent a consensus of "priorities" that we will work toward
in the coming months.
Fall 2003
* Discipleship: We need to know God more deeply so that we may serve him more faithfully. Discipleship will be "taught" during Sunday worship in the weeks to come. It will be modeled in our small groups / Sunday school times.
* Education / Leadership Training: we need to "get on the same page" as a congregation. We will continue our evaluation process and we will set goals that we can move toward together.
* Service Projects: We want be "doers" of the Word and not "hearers" only. God has called us to humbly meet the needs of the people around us.
* Care Ministry: Godly love is not an accident. We need to aggressively care for one another. This includes more consistent Fellowship -simply meeting together and knowing each other.
* Youth Pastor: God is giving us a wonderful ministry to children and teens. It is the right thing to prepare the way for our leaders so they may more effectively serve God in these areas. Because of this, we will have a "Youth Walk" Sunday at the end of October where we will pledge our support for a youth pastor salary.
2004
* Church Van: We have a growing need for transportation as we minister to young people who's parents don't' attend church.
* Outreach / Evangelism Plan: Easter will be our next "Outreach Emphasis". We want to make sure we're ready to minister to the people God will entrust to our care.
* Increasing Fellowship: A special emphasis will be placed on the expansion of our Small Group Ministry.
* Improved Equipment: Special attention will be given projection equipment & playground equipment.
* Expanded Education: This will require additional Sunday school, mid-week and small group teachers / leaders.
2005-2007
* Development of a drama team
* Expansion of facility or relocation to a larger facility
* An increase in membership participation
* Multiple worship services
* Participation in a work and witness trip
If you have read this far in our "ministry plan", we would simply ask for
your prayers as we try to take hold of this Godly vision. Our goal is not to
"build a big church". It is to make God known in as powerful a way as
possible. If you have any further question about the ministry of this
church, please contact pastor Eric
or visit with us sometime soon.
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