A MISSIONAL VISION
Missional means that we believe we live on a mission field and that there is no difference in the lostness we find in the jungles of the Amazon and the lostness within a three mile radius our church. It means that our reason for existence as a church is to impact this lostnessaround us.
Missional means that we believe we live on a mission field and that there is no difference in the lostness we find in the jungles of the Amazon and the lostness within a three mile radius our church. It means that our reason for existence as a church is to impact this lostnessaround us.
Missional means that we have no purpose as a church other than God’s mission revealed through Scripture (MT 28:19) A missional vision is not simply a vision for our church and what it can become. It is a vision for lost people, what they can become; for our community, and the impact we can have upon it; for the Kingdom, and how we may serve God’s purposes and not our own.
Missional means that success will not primarily be measured by transfer growth or biological growth though we will celebrate other believers who want to join our church. Nor will it be measured through the acquisition of more members, monies, or ministries as a result of transfer growth or biological growth. Missional mean that success will be measured through “making disciples” of lost/un-churched people.
Matthew 28:19 provides the missional vision of the church. We are commanded to “make disciples”. This command provides the central thrust of the Great Commission and is the defining principle for why the church exists.
When Jesus said to “make disciples” he was commanding us to shape and form people into fully devoted followers of Jesus. This was a command not simply for salvation. A disciple is not just a believer. A disciple is a fully devoted follower of Christ who is seeking maturity in Christ and is actively serving God in the world. This is why he went on to say “…and teaching them to obey…”
This command to “make disciples” implies that we are to do this with people who are not currently disciples. Jesus has provided the church with the target group of people we are supposed to reach out to. We call these people unsaved or “un-churched.”
Based upon the command of Jesus in MT 28:19 the mission of Wakefield Baptist Church is:
“To make disciples of un-churched people in Wakefield and beyond”
This mission defines who we are, what we are supposed to be doing, and the people we are trying to reach. Everything we do as a church, all our programming and all our ministries, will seek to fulfill this mission. As members of WBC we will embrace this mission as individuals and as a church.
The 1st century church was a missional church. After Pentecost the disciples began to function like all churches should function. Acts 2:42-47 demonstrates this. There are four functions seen in this text which were embraced by the early church that helped them to carry out the mission of God. These functions are not ends in themselves. They are meant to serve as channels through which the mission of the church is accomplished.
Matthew 28:19 provides the missional vision of the church. We are commanded to “make disciples”. This command provides the central thrust of the Great Commission and is the defining principle for why the church exists.
When Jesus said to “make disciples” he was commanding us to shape and form people into fully devoted followers of Jesus. This was a command not simply for salvation. A disciple is not just a believer. A disciple is a fully devoted follower of Christ who is seeking maturity in Christ and is actively serving God in the world. This is why he went on to say “…and teaching them to obey…”
This command to “make disciples” implies that we are to do this with people who are not currently disciples. Jesus has provided the church with the target group of people we are supposed to reach out to. We call these people unsaved or “un-churched.”
Based upon the command of Jesus in MT 28:19 the mission of Wakefield Baptist Church is:
“To make disciples of un-churched people in Wakefield and beyond”
This mission defines who we are, what we are supposed to be doing, and the people we are trying to reach. Everything we do as a church, all our programming and all our ministries, will seek to fulfill this mission. As members of WBC we will embrace this mission as individuals and as a church.
The 1st century church was a missional church. After Pentecost the disciples began to function like all churches should function. Acts 2:42-47 demonstrates this. There are four functions seen in this text which were embraced by the early church that helped them to carry out the mission of God. These functions are not ends in themselves. They are meant to serve as channels through which the mission of the church is accomplished.
The 4 Functions of Wakefield Baptist Church
Worship – a spiritual relationship with God in which we express our wholehearted love and devotion to him – (beginning)
Ps 98:4-6 Isaiah 26:8 Jeremiah 9:24 Mt. 22:37
Worship is at the core of what it means to be a Christ-follower and is itself one of the purposes for which we were created. There is no relationship with God void of worship. This is the first step in understanding what it means to be a believer. Our worship services will be the place where we gather each week to corporately express our wholehearted love and devotion to Jesus by exalting His name with our prayers and praises. We will create a Sunday morning environment which will be exciting, uplifting, and encouraging in which believers can express their love and devotion to God with joy and authenticity, and where unbelievers can be confronted with the presence of God. It will be a relevant worship experience for a 21st century audience and a place where formerly un-churched and unsaved individuals can easily unite with God and other believers in relaxed, comfortable surroundings.
Worship – a spiritual relationship with God in which we express our wholehearted love and devotion to him – (beginning)
Ps 98:4-6 Isaiah 26:8 Jeremiah 9:24 Mt. 22:37
Worship is at the core of what it means to be a Christ-follower and is itself one of the purposes for which we were created. There is no relationship with God void of worship. This is the first step in understanding what it means to be a believer. Our worship services will be the place where we gather each week to corporately express our wholehearted love and devotion to Jesus by exalting His name with our prayers and praises. We will create a Sunday morning environment which will be exciting, uplifting, and encouraging in which believers can express their love and devotion to God with joy and authenticity, and where unbelievers can be confronted with the presence of God. It will be a relevant worship experience for a 21st century audience and a place where formerly un-churched and unsaved individuals can easily unite with God and other believers in relaxed, comfortable surroundings.
This will be accomplished through:
- Embracing current worship styles
- A conversational, Christ centered approach to preaching which balances both expository and topical sermons series.
- Reflecting an understanding of modern technology (audio/visual)
- Appealing to a multi-generational audience
Connect – uniting in meaningful relationships with others – (belonging)
Romans 15:5 Phil 2:1-4 1 John 1:3,7 1 John 3:8
With people in society becoming more disconnected and isolated we believe people are looking for a place to connect with others through meaningful friendships. True community results in people experiencing the joy of sharing life together and ultimately having a stronger connection to God. We will be a place that loves all people regardless of background, race, beliefs, or demographics. We will handle conflict in a Biblical manner and will have an irenic spirit at all times. We will seek to connect new people to our church with a high degree of efficiency.
- Embracing current worship styles
- A conversational, Christ centered approach to preaching which balances both expository and topical sermons series.
- Reflecting an understanding of modern technology (audio/visual)
- Appealing to a multi-generational audience
Connect – uniting in meaningful relationships with others – (belonging)
Romans 15:5 Phil 2:1-4 1 John 1:3,7 1 John 3:8
With people in society becoming more disconnected and isolated we believe people are looking for a place to connect with others through meaningful friendships. True community results in people experiencing the joy of sharing life together and ultimately having a stronger connection to God. We will be a place that loves all people regardless of background, race, beliefs, or demographics. We will handle conflict in a Biblical manner and will have an irenic spirit at all times. We will seek to connect new people to our church with a high degree of efficiency.
This will be accomplished through:
- New Members Class
- Clearly defined membership procedures
- High expectations for all church members
- Emphasis upon Sunday morning Bible Study as the primary place to connect
- More church wide fellowships
- More Sunday School Fellowships
- Other, etc
- New Members Class
- Clearly defined membership procedures
- High expectations for all church members
- Emphasis upon Sunday morning Bible Study as the primary place to connect
- More church wide fellowships
- More Sunday School Fellowships
- Other, etc
Grow – changing into the image of Jesus through learning Biblical truth – (becoming)
Col 2:6-7 2 Peter 1:3-4 2 Cor 3:18 Gal 5:22
Spiritual formation for the believer is a lifestyle in which a person’s character is transformed into the image of Jesus so that they exude the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the source of this life change as God uses truth to conform our hearts, minds, desires, and actions into Christ-Likeness. We will have a specific process for growing people into fully devoted followers of Jesus so that we can mature and multiply disciples, and so that the formerly un-churched can learn what it means to fully obey Christ.
Col 2:6-7 2 Peter 1:3-4 2 Cor 3:18 Gal 5:22
Spiritual formation for the believer is a lifestyle in which a person’s character is transformed into the image of Jesus so that they exude the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the source of this life change as God uses truth to conform our hearts, minds, desires, and actions into Christ-Likeness. We will have a specific process for growing people into fully devoted followers of Jesus so that we can mature and multiply disciples, and so that the formerly un-churched can learn what it means to fully obey Christ.
This will be accomplished through:
- Beginning a class for New Believers in order to teach the fundamentals of walking with Christ and developing a relationship with Him (prayer basics, Bible study basics, etc.)
- Enhancing and expanding our current classes with Sunday Morning Bible study being the primary arm with which we mature believers.
- Beginning new Sunday Morning Classes
- Preparing for a dual Sunday Morning Bible Study format possibly beginning by Fall 2008
- Offering various opportunities for Ministry Training in order to help people develop their ministry skills in: evangelism, leadership, teaching, spiritual gifts, missions, teaching, counseling, etc. and then providing opportunities for them to put them into practice.
- A church wide Sunday morning bi-annual emphasis thru worship and Bible study in order to address a variety of topics and issues related to the Christian life.
- Other, etc.
Serve – developing into fully devoted followers of Jesus – (being)
Mt. 20:25-28 MT 28:19 Acts 1:8 1 Cor 12
A fully devoted follower of Jesus will exhibit spiritual maturity through active participation in evangelism, missions, and church ministry involvement.
Our goal is for every member of WBC to:
1) Find their personal ministry and serve in the church on a weekly basis
2) Actively share their faith through verbally presenting their testimony and/or the Gospel message to un-believers
3) Participate and support mission endeavors throughout the world.
This is the pinnacle of what it means to be a Christ-follower and spiritual maturity cannot be attained without involvement in God’s mission to reach un-believers. We will be intentional about reaching people who are un-churched, not leaving it to chance, knowing that we have a personal responsibility to work for God. As soon as possible, we will teach and train new believers to serve Christ in this way.
- Beginning a class for New Believers in order to teach the fundamentals of walking with Christ and developing a relationship with Him (prayer basics, Bible study basics, etc.)
- Enhancing and expanding our current classes with Sunday Morning Bible study being the primary arm with which we mature believers.
- Beginning new Sunday Morning Classes
- Preparing for a dual Sunday Morning Bible Study format possibly beginning by Fall 2008
- Offering various opportunities for Ministry Training in order to help people develop their ministry skills in: evangelism, leadership, teaching, spiritual gifts, missions, teaching, counseling, etc. and then providing opportunities for them to put them into practice.
- A church wide Sunday morning bi-annual emphasis thru worship and Bible study in order to address a variety of topics and issues related to the Christian life.
- Other, etc.
Serve – developing into fully devoted followers of Jesus – (being)
Mt. 20:25-28 MT 28:19 Acts 1:8 1 Cor 12
A fully devoted follower of Jesus will exhibit spiritual maturity through active participation in evangelism, missions, and church ministry involvement.
Our goal is for every member of WBC to:
1) Find their personal ministry and serve in the church on a weekly basis
2) Actively share their faith through verbally presenting their testimony and/or the Gospel message to un-believers
3) Participate and support mission endeavors throughout the world.
This is the pinnacle of what it means to be a Christ-follower and spiritual maturity cannot be attained without involvement in God’s mission to reach un-believers. We will be intentional about reaching people who are un-churched, not leaving it to chance, knowing that we have a personal responsibility to work for God. As soon as possible, we will teach and train new believers to serve Christ in this way.
This will be accomplished through…
- Leadership Development – training people in discovering their personal ministry and training them in personal evangelism and other key areas of ministry involvement.
- Training people in relationship evangelism and servant evangelism
- Providing opportunities for people to serve God through various programs and events such as Sunday Evening Visitation.
- Developing a comprehensive approach to missions using Acts 1:8 as a model
- Begin new outreach ministries meant to win people in our community to Christ such as: Upward Flag Football, Good News Clubs, Weekday Preschool, Community Groups, Fall Festival, etc.
- Initiating Servant Evangelism projects such as: new homeowner packets, free golf tees, school supplies to needy children, Single Moms oil change, etc
- Leadership Development – training people in discovering their personal ministry and training them in personal evangelism and other key areas of ministry involvement.
- Training people in relationship evangelism and servant evangelism
- Providing opportunities for people to serve God through various programs and events such as Sunday Evening Visitation.
- Developing a comprehensive approach to missions using Acts 1:8 as a model
- Begin new outreach ministries meant to win people in our community to Christ such as: Upward Flag Football, Good News Clubs, Weekday Preschool, Community Groups, Fall Festival, etc.
- Initiating Servant Evangelism projects such as: new homeowner packets, free golf tees, school supplies to needy children, Single Moms oil change, etc
