Vision

• Sharing the Good News with unbelievers honors God, fulfills the Great Commission helps to gather in the harvest, and brings glory to Christ.
• God is the Lord of church growth and we need to join His vision, Colossians 1:15-18.
• Growing the church is God's business and He wants us to be faithful more than fruitful. Attendance alone does not impact effectiveness, but how we trust God to grow the church.
• We must submit to God's plan and not compare our ministry with the ministry of others.

Biblical Principles

1. Christ is the Lord of the Church and He has a vision for our church, Ephesians 1:22-23 and Acts 16.
2. Prayer is the necessary resource for the power of God and for our understanding God's direction. Joshua had a war plan, Joshua 5:13-15.
3. Planning (God's vision leads to prayerful planning). If God is not at work the best-laid plans will fail.
4. The central work of the church will always be to help people find Christ as savior and help them to grow to maturity.
5. Leadership development is the heart of the church, II Timothy 2:2.
6. It is important to understand the hearts and minds of the people in the targeted community. What kind of bridges help to open doors, I Corinthians 9:19-23.
7. The principle of reproduction is that the church needs to think about planting new churches. Churches give birth to churches, Acts 8:11.
8. Caring for physical and spiritual needs of members is essential.