Vision Part 3

Part three deals with the basic structure of the individual ministries of the church. We may not be able to staff all of them in the beginning but as we grow, they will develop.

Ministry Departments

Worship/Creative Arts

 The department will be lead by worship pastor and includes worship teams, sound and video techs, artists, performers, and other creative ministries.

Purpose:

1.  Lead the people into the throne room of God in worship

2.  Maintain an atmosphere of excellence in creative endeavors

3.  Add skills, performance, and other media to enhance the service and outreach efforts.

4.  Produce materials to promote the Gospel, the ministries of the church, and communicate beyond the walls of the church

Each section can have an individual leader accountable to the worship pastor. Eventually, the other creative arts can break off into their own departments accountable to the elders.

Within the worship department, the worship pastor will have total freedom to train, equip, and develop worship musicians and leaders. Musicians will be encouraged to bring original music for consideration for use in worship, concerts, or other musical opportunities as lead by the Holy Spirit. Creativity will be encouraged and excellence the standard. Each member of the worship team will be expected to practice and improve their skills by whatever means necessary to achieve their greatest potential.

For more, see Media Ministries.

Youth

Youth ministry will encourage development of teens in a Christ centered, engaging, and relevant environment. Music, humor, and cultural references will be used to share the Gospel, disciple teens, and prepare the next generation to carry the torch of Christ to the nations.

1.  Just as with the adult services, a casual atmosphere will be maintained. A real come-as-you-are attitude needs to be expressed by the leadership and participants.

2.  Cliques are to be discouraged. Changing things up in groups, encouraging the embracing of people who dress differently, listen to different music, or other cultural/racial differences.

3.  Events and trips will be subsidized for teens of limited financial means.

Just as with the worship department, the youth pastor and his team will have a great deal of freedom to set the tone for the department. Style, approach, and other factors are within the scope of authority as long as they are consistent with the overall vision, method, and mission of the church as a whole.

Children's

As with the youth, the children's ministry director/pastor will have a great deal of freedom to build a top notch program. The environment will be fun with a focus on building Biblical knowledge and a heart to serve God and others. Kids need to learn that the Biblical figures and their lives have lessons we can learn from today.

Other deparments and ministries are in consideration under the leadership of the Elders. These include counseling, Christ-centered addiction recovery, and concert ministries.

Small Group

Because of the challenges of effectively sheparding a growing congregation, small groups will be established as part of the culture from the beginning. This will serve several purposes within the church.

1.  Meet spiritual needs of individual members quickly

2.  Encourage discipleship

3.  Build relationships within the congregation

4.  Build an environment conducive to prayer

5.  Find and develop potential leaders and pastors and allow them to flow in their gifts.

Prayer

Prayer is central to the church. The ministry will be approached from three directions.

1.  Prayer for the people before/after service. Elders, prayer leaders, or others trusted in the role will be available in a designated area for prayer depending on the layout of the building.

2.  Intercession during service: Team members will be praying during all services of the church.

3.  Intercession outside of service. Individuals and groups will be encouraged to pray for the church, the un-churched, and leaders and workers within the congregation.

Vision Part 2

It's time for the second part of the vision. We're starting to get into the meat of the structure and style. There's a lot more to come.

Method

1.  Rock and blues music for worship

2.  Relaxed, friendly atmosphere

3.  Casual dress

4.  Promote and practice a family oriented experience

5.  Work with addictions, especially sexual

6.  Without compromising the Word, create a non-judgmental environment. People will be accepted regardless of past, appearance, and other characteristics but will be encouraged to change through Biblical teaching, counseling, and personal example

7.  People with strong testimonies of redemption will be encouraged to share them openly without censorship but focusing on God's grace and salvation

8.  Fellowship will be encouraged including but not limited to small groups

9.  Everyone will be encouraged to volunteer for some type of ministry but leadership will be after at least six months in congregation (see leadership/platform ministry requirements later)

Overall Leadership Style/Culture

Ministry directors will have a great deal of license in running their individual departments/ministries. As long as the activity fits into the overall mission, vision, and character of the church, they will have full authority to act. Directors are accountable to the elders and to the pastoral staff. A culture of freedom and creativity must be established if the church is to thrive.

Music

Within the stylistic needs of the congregation and creating an environment conducive to worship, the Worship Pastor has full reign to create teams, train and equip leaders, and produce original music.

Musician will be encouraged and perhaps required to improve as musicians and grow as worship leaders. All musicians are responsible to lead the congregation into worship, not just the worship pastor/leader. There is to be an emphasis on playing skillfully before the Lord (Psalm 33:3)

Musical style is Rock but can include elements of blues, classic rock, and other modern styles. If the occasion warrants, modern country (not southern gospel) can be played.

All music must honoring to God while remaining culturally relevant to the congregation and outreach targets.

Service

Service flow is as loose as time permits. Strong Biblical teaching, humor, and multimedia will be blended into a service that is unique, challenging, and draws people closer to Christ or into a new relationship. A balance of evangelistic teaching, instruction for growth, and calls to greater commitment will be blended so that everyone, no matter their level of maturity, can receive from the Lord in the service.

Prayer will be central. Teams/pastors will pray together before service. Intercessors will be praying throughout the service for the word, the hearts of the congregation, and for the Lord's will to be done. After service, leaders and seasoned Christians will be available to pray with individuals needing prayer. Positioning will be determined by the layout of the facility in which services are being held.

Nothing in the service is more important that the leadings of the Holy Spirit. Obedience to His desires and intentions outweigh anything else in the service. Worship, prayer, preaching, and other parts of the service can be lengthened or shortened as necessary according to the Lord's desires.

 Basic Leadership Structure

Leadership is divided into Elders and Deacons. The senior pastor is the chair of the elder board but is also accountable to it as well.

The Elders are responsible for the spiritual development of the congregation. Each member is to meet all the qualifications in I Tim and be involved in the work of the ministry. Members of the pastoral staff may be elders but a majority of the elders must not be staff. All ministries involved in the spiritual development and growth of the congregation along with evangelism and related ministries are accountable to the elders.

Deacons are responsible for the physical needs of the congregation and the financial well-being of the congregation. Just as with the elders, they must meet all the requirements of leadership in I Tim and be involved in the work of the ministry. The church administrator/administrative pastor chairs the committee. If none, then the committee will elect a leader until the church grows to the point that a church administrator has been hired/appointed. The church treasurer is a member of this committee and can chair in the absence of an administrator.

Ministry directors lead their individual ministries within the guidelines of the Elders or Deacons depending on the type of ministry.

The church board consists of the combined elder and deacon boards. The church counsel adds ministry directors. Each will handle matters beyond the scope of the main leadership boards. This includes hiring or removal of a member of the staff, purchase of real estate, approval of annual budget, determination of salaries, or other large financial decisions.

Additional requirements for leadership, specific roles, and other leadership matters will be addressed in the final version of the church constitution.

The Vision, Part 1

As part of the effort to make the vision for Freedom Church more pubic, we're posting the outline in its entirety. Over the next several days, we'll be adding the rest. Here's part 1.

Mission

Our mission is to reach people normally unreachable by the mainstream and traditional churches and provide them with a genuine and Christ-centered experience leading them to a saving relationship with Jesus. Our focus is to be used by God to build His kingdom understanding that we are just tools and it is the Lord who does the work.

Target

1.  Unchurched blue-collar workers

      2.   Bikers

3.  Young adults

4.  Sex workers including performers

5.  Rejected/fringe cultures incl. emo, goth, and other marginal groups

Motto

In Christ, But Out of The Box.

Meaning: All too often, traditional Christian religion has created boxes that we as believers are often forced into either by the church or from outside. These boxes put limitations on our perception of God and what He will do and how He will do it. The truth is, we serve a God without limitations. If we are to fulfill the Great Commission, we must get outside the boxes we find ourselves in and discover the fullness of God and the love He demonstrated through His Son.

Sometimes, that means breaking some manmade rules or ignoring conventions. Non-traditional musical style, relaxed dress code, and, above all, being willing to go where the unchurched are rather than waiting for them to come to us are central to the mission. What it doesn’t mean, however, is compromising on one letter of the Word of God. The box may be a cage but the Gospel breaks all boundaries. To truly be in Christ means to be out of the box.

Beliefs

We believe:

  In the Holy Trinity.

  That Jesus Christ came to Earth, died on the cross, and rose on the third day.

  That the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the final and only authority for doctrine, morality, and truth.

  That faith in Jesus is only means to enter Heaven and to a fulfilled life on Earth. Salvation is by grace and that through faith not works.

  In the essential doctrines of salvation by grace, water baptism, and repentance.

  In the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

  In the gifts of the Spirit manifest whenever the Gospel is preached.

  In the sinful nature of man.

  In prayer as the essential means of communication with the Lord and as a source of strength and guidance.

  That corporate and personal worship are essential in the lives of all followers of Christ.

  That Jesus will return to Earth in triumph to judge the living and the dead.

  That Satan is a real being and is the enemy of all mankind, but is a defeated foe.

  In the priesthood of all believers.

  That the Body of Christ has many members each with a different function and purpose.

  That there is only one church of Jesus Christ.

  That the primary mission of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission.

  That the local church is the hope of the world.

In truth, there are more. This is not intended to be a complete doctrinal statement but the basics of the church’s beliefs.

Overall Philosophy

The church will be built upon the four pillars of Prayer, The Word, Worship, and Community. Further writings will elaborate on these four areas, how they interact, and how they connect. The basics are:

1.  The Word: Meditating upon the Word, teaching it, and working in conjunction with the Holy Spirit to live it out are the core of the church and the lives of individual believers.

2.  Prayer: Personal and corporate prayer are foundational to the health of any ministry or follower of Christ. It is central to allowing the Lord to speak to us as much as we share our lives with Him

3.  Worship: Corporate worship is one aspect that does need to be a focus but also understanding that believers need to live everyday as an act of worship.

4.  Community: Biblical unity is essential amongst followers of Christ regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, and any other worldly divisions that separate us in the flesh.