Vision 2012

Southview Baptist Church

Vision 2012

Adopted 9/9/07

 

Introduction

A vision statement is our best understanding to date of where God is leading us. Godly vision is not invented, it is discovered. This process included a survey of church health in May 2006 to indicate our strengths and challenges followed by a series of meetings to focus first on personal renewal and then on corporate revitalization. Participants from the church family looked to our past, examined our present, and sought to discern GodŐs leading for our future to produce this document. The ReFocusing Team, August 2007

 

 

Vision

We will be known as a "go and love" church thriving on loving God and building loving relationships with others, transforming individuals through discipleship, and touching communities in outreach.

 

Biblical Purpose

Southview Baptist Church, growing in GodŐs life-changing love.

 

Values

á       Biblical Teaching

Psalm 119:10, GodŐs Word keeps us from sin.

Psalm 119:105, GodŐs Word shows us the way to live.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, GodŐs Word completely equips us.

á       Continual Prayer

         1 Thessalonians 5:17, We pray continually.

         Ephesians 6:18, We are alert and always keep on praying.

         James 5:16, We pray for each other.

á       Intentional Relationships

Matthew 22:37-40, We love God and others with everything we are.

John 13:34, We love one another.

         Hebrews 10:24-25, We care for and encourage one another.

á       Missional Outreach

         Matthew 28:18-20, We go and make disciples of all nations.

John 20:21, We are sent to the world as Christ was sent.

Acts 1:8, We are ChristŐs witnesses from Lincoln to the ends of the earth.

á       Inspirational Worship

John 4:23, We worship God in spirit and in truth.

         1 Peter 4:11, We praise God in all things.

Colossians 3:15-17, We worship God in everything we do.

á       Transformational Discipleship

Mark 8:34, We take up our cross daily and follow Christ.

John 13:35, We show we are disciples by loving others.

         Romans 12:2, We are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

 

Strategic Initiatives

These Strategic Initiatives reflect our values and each one will be the subject of an annual emphasis with a Task Force to shepherd the process of strategies and goals.

 

1. Life-changing Discipleship, 2008

 

• Discipleship plan: define and implement a simple discipleship process that emphasizes the role of Sunday School being intentional and accountable to our values & strategic initiatives.

• Active prayer ministry: design and implement a church-wide prayer strategy.
• Spiritual giftedness: survey and record the spiritual gifts of all members to assist in discovering and determining volunteer ministry positions.

• Biblical stewardship: pursue total-life stewardship of time, talents, treasures, and tithes. Encourage generosity, offerings and debt retirement.
• Mentoring and leadership: emphasize one-on-one or small group accountability relationships—particularly among men—through existing groups such as Sunday School, Bible Studies and ministries.

2. Building Loving Relationships, 2009

 

á       Foster Intentional Relationships within the church: through existing groups such as Sunday School, Bible Studies and ministries and encourage new relationships with intergenerational supper/dessert clubs, socials, and family fellowships.

á       Foster Intentional Relationships outside the church: develop friendships with neighbors, co-workers, VBS & AWANA parents, and community leaders that those apart from Christ might come to a saving relationship with him.

• Make loving others as God does a hallmark of Southview: exercise love in practical ways and let people tell stories of their progress.

 

3. Focused Deliberate Outreach, 2010

 

• Be an Acts 1:8 church: pursue partnerships and projects locally, regionally, nationally and internationally emphasizing outreach through every existing program, ministry, and relationship.
• Develop relationships to lead others to Christ based on interest-oriented activities. Examples are: sports; book clubs; scrap-booking; car clubs.

 

 

Mission Focus Groups

The people listed in the following groups are representative of those attending Southview and living in Lincoln.

 

á       Mission Focus 1—(We are presently reaching a majority of these types of people.) Young families with children, baby boomers, college educated, middle income, believers, conservative, gifted, talented, Caucasian, English speaking.

 

á      Mission Focus 2—(We are presently reaching some with the potential of reaching more.) Senior adults, divorced, blended families, single parents, college students, single never married, professionals, deaf and hard of hearing, English speaking minorities, nursing home residents, shut-ins, impoverished, and people with hurts, habits and hang-ups.

 

á       Mission Focus 3—(New approaches needed to reach these.) Native-Americans, non-English speaking minorities, homeless, addicts, impoverished, troubled youth.

 

 

Ministry Evaluation

• Everything we do should reflect our values and relate to our strategic initiatives.
• We will see measurable outcomes through a growing number of salvations and baptisms and increased participation in worship, all levels of discipleship, ministry service and missions activities.
• The Pastoral Staff, Ministry Leadership Team, and Strategic Initiative Task Forces will affirm, clarify and challenge each of our programs and ministries.
• The Refocusing Team will meet at least bi-annually to review progress throughout Vision 2012