2001 Strategic Planning Report
Values
Friedens Evangelical Church, committed to that which is important to God, chooses to value:
- Our history of God's rich blessings to and through this congregation.
- The Bible as the ultimate authority for our faith and practice.
- Eternal salvation by grace through a personal faith in Jesus Christ.
- Authentic Christian relationship and fellowship.
- Every member using his/her spiritual gifts in ministry.
- Ministry by and for people in all life's stages.
- Our standing in the community as a respected and valued ministry to believers and non- believers alike.
- Cooperation with other Christians ministries.
- The integrity of the stewardship of our finances and facilities.
- Using our resources to reach the world with the Gospel.
- The support, nurture and respect of our pastoral and lay leadership.
- The ongoing pursuit of God's leading for this church.
Vision
Friedens Evangelical Church is a dynamic ministry of spiritually mature believers impacting the greater Port Washington area and surrounding communities through our commitment to:
- Dependency on prayer.
- Spiritually meaningful worship.
- Excellence in providing meaningful ministries to people of all ages.
- Being purposefully intergenerational.
- Building and equipping believers for ministry and leadership.
- Church growth by developing new believers in Jesus Christ.
- Cooperation with other Christian ministries.
- A warm friendly environment.
Purpose
Provide a traditional, caring community of biblical faith to encourage entry or re-entry into the fellowship of Christ's church.
Mission
The mission of Friedens Evangelical Church is to: Seek out and welcome all in need of spiritual direction, reconcile lives to God, and build and equip devoted disciples to serve Christ Jesus.
Goals & Implementation Strategies
1. Seek Out
Goal
Using a variety of strategies, expose every household in Port Washington, Saukville, Fredonia, and Belgium to information about the ministries of Friedens.
Strategies
- Survey present attendees, especially those who have come in the past 5 years, regarding their decision to try Friedens.
- Conduct a phone survey of 150-200 homes in our target area to determine familiarity with or knowledge of Friedens' identity and ministries (include name, denomination, location).
- Establish a volunteer ministry of promotion, directed by one or more to initiate press releases, posters, and other resources useful in an effort to attract new attendees and provide information.
- Provide classes or seminars that equip believers to develop relationships with non- attendees in an effort to introduce them to the gospel and the ministries of the church.
- Develop and implement regular worship and preaching themes that motivate and encourage individuals to reach out to those in need of spiritual direction.
- Re-organize the Evangelism Committee into an Evangelism Task Force that facilitates the implementation of these strategies and possible new strategies.
2. Welcome
Goal
We will, with each visitor, initiate personal contact, initiate introductions to other attendees and initiate opportunities for involvement in the church's ministries.
Strategies
- Impress upon each attender, especially members, their responsibility for helping accomplish the goal.
- Train and schedule greeters whose task is to identify and provide assistance and welcome to visitors.
- Provide easy-to-find printed materials about the church's ministries.
- All printed bulletin information, inserts, posters, newsletters, etc., should be written with the first-time visitor in mind.
- Develop and promote after-worship fellowship time as an opportunity to meet, greet, and interact. Include such things as fresh coffee, adult snacks, tables, music, etc.
- Recruit and train volunteers to make home visits to new attendees when the opportunities are present.
- Have cards or welcome information available in the pews for visitors.
- Provide periodic groups or other opportunities for newcomers to become acquainted with the church staff and ministries.
- Evaluate present ministries for visitor-friendly policies and practices.
- Evaluate building layout and signage for visitor-accessibility.
3. Reconcile
Goal
To document the reconciliation of at least 40 lives to God through profession of faith in Christ Jesus.
Strategies
- Train and equip all ministry teams to be able to lead children and adults to decisions of reconciliation with God and document the same.
- Use the context of adult studies and small groups to lead persons to reconciliation, documenting the same.
- Sermons which emphasize God's desire to bring into reconciliation those separated by sin and/or unbelief.
- Periodic invitations for immediate response to reconciliation through profession of faith in Christ Jesus.
- Develop a system for documentation of children, youth, and adults who are reconciled by faith in Christ Jesus.
- Develop visible display to promote the goals of reconciliation, the Biblical mandate, and progress to date.
- Celebrate the faith decisions of those reconciled to God through faith in Christ Jesus and encourage testimonies.
- Plan and promote baptism services for believers.
- Offer groups or classes targeting those re-entering the Church, or those simply interested in the faith.
- Plan and promote guest evangelists.
- Equip believers to lead others into reconciliation.
- Provide tracts for anyone who is in need of reconciliation.
- Have standing announcements in the bulletins and newsletters encouraging reconciliation and providing opportunity.
4. Build and Equip
Goal
To help a majority of the church's believers, inclusive of all age groups, to mature in their faith, becoming equipped to be effective disciples.
Strategies
- Provide a variety of quality Christian education opportunities for all age groups which teach Bible truths and foundations for Christian living and service.
- Develop small groups, mentonng relationships, and other opportunities which provide for accountability, prayer, and care.
- Promote and utilize outside sponsored seminars, retreats, and guest speakers.
- Investigate and pursue church-sponsored retreats intended to build and equip.
- Evaluate our present ministries to discover unmet needs (age groups, singles, seniors, etc.) and develop appropriate new ministries.
5. Serve
Goal
To connect believers to meaningful ministry with the church and outside the church that engages their spiritual gifts and passions.
Strategies
- Regular positive pulpit promotion emphasizing that the Christian's proper motivation for service is growth in Christ and bringing glory to God.
- Utilize a spiritual gifts assessment and a ministry team to solicit responses from at least 60 believers in the church in order to identify spiritual gifts and passions.
- Develop and present a sermon series that addresses the whole mission statement and is timed to highlight and promote the spiritual gifts assessments.
- Identify ministry needs in the church.
- Promote involvement in community needs, both faith-based and secular.
- Hold a "ministry team fair" to promote ministry opportunities as well as provide information for those who could benefit from the ministry.
- Give results of spiritual gifts assessments to ministry team leaders for personal contact with responders.
- Give results of spiritual gifts assessments to the individual responder for his/her information and to inform them of appropriate possible ministry opportunities.
- Every ministry team will have a goal of attracting and developing believers to join them in service.
- Pursue periodic evaluation and feedback concerning a person's ministry.
- Pursue intentional and appropriate encouragement of those in ministry.
- Restructure existing church committees and organizations into ministry teams and develop new ministry teams as needed to facilitate the accomplishment of the church's goals and strategies.
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454 N. Milwaukee Street, Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-2471