Year One

We live in a fast-paced society that has roped the rear-view mirror from the windshield. Why is it that one of the most difficult things for us to do is simply be still and reflect on God’s goodness? We get so busy being the Martha that we fail to be like Mary and sit at Jesus’ feet.

After going through (nearly) the first half of the book of Acts, I would argue that it is flat-out unbiblical to live the Christian life without looking back to see what God has done. Today, I want to glue the rear-view mirror back on the windshield. I want us to corporately celebrate the works of God in the first year of the life of our church and praise Him for what He has done. Can we do that together?

Outline

I - Review God’s work in year one

II - Rally around a guiding passage

III - Recognize the vision for year two

I - Review God’s work in year one

Where we began

Grace Covenant Community Church was pruned to five core members who prayed for a revitalization.

Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone was praying for wisdom in how to plant their first church.

After a year of devoted prayer, and collaboration, and answering the call to serve, Ashe Alliance was born.

We began with 3 numbers in mind: 1, 4, & 7.

Mission Statement

The mission of Ashe Alliance is to establish and grow a Christ-centered, biblically grounded, and servant-hearted community of believers who become and multiply committed Christ followers.

4-Core Goals

Love for God

Love for the Church

Love for the Lost

Multiplication

7 Core Values

Biblical Authority

Engaging Worship

Intentional Discipleship

Gifted Service

Joyful Generosity

Relational Evangelism

Devoted Prayer

1, 4, & 7 was the platform from which we launched this church.

Church Family

Originally, there were 5 core members.

Before I began full-time as the pastor, a handful of others had joined.

The average church size in the United States is 70 people and 70% of churches are under 100 people. Just think about that for a moment. And, as churches grow, on average, 10% per year (though numbers will change with varying demographics and locale).

Today, we have a core of 114 people who call Ashe Alliance home.

75 (members & dependents)

39 (regular attenders)

That is over 2,000% growth!

Average Sunday attendance

Began with 66 in January of 2023

Increased to 2 services in March 2023

Peaked at 147 in the spring

Average 112 since we went to 2 services

Volunteers

Began with 5

21 Volunteer Leaders

31 Volunteers

52 total servants who create the foundation of our church (outside of the chief cornerstone, of course)

80/20 rule

We don’t have people who just come to church, we have people who are willing to be the church.

We have people who take on the nature of a servant in Luke 17:10, saying:

Luke 17:10 ESV

10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”

Ministries

Worship - 12 (2 leaders & 10 volunteers)

Encounter - 7 (2 leaders & 5 volunteers)

Children - 10 (3 leaders & 7 volunteers)

Youth - 4 (1 leader & 3 volunteers)

Events - 6 (1 leader & 5 volunteers)

Life Groups - 3 (3 leaders)

Men's Ministry - 2 (2 leaders)

Women's Ministry - 3 (3 leaders)

Prayer - 3 (2 leaders & 1 volunteer)

Finances - 2 (2 volunteers)

Missions

Local

Ashe Pregnancy Center

Ashe Really Cares

Keep Ashe Warm

Gideons

Benevolence – 2 families helped with meals, diapers, and home supplies

International

Samaritan’s Purse Int’l Relief

Samaritan’s Purse – OCC

Gideons

Missionaries Supported

Serge Japan Missions - The Sink Family

Remote Alaska Missions - The Pinnix Family

Elected Leaders

ELDERS

We began with 4 Elders from ABF

We Elected two from the AAC congregation

One ABF Elder retired

We now have 5 Elders

DEACONS

We started with 0.

We elected 4 men and 2 women who faithfully serve our church.

Growth

After 7 months, we multiplied into 2 services and before year one was complete, we signed a contract with an architect to map out a plan for the growth of our facilities.

You are a part of a move of God in Ashe county. He is establishing His church, and you get to be a foundational part of it!

It’s new. It’s exciting. It’s only the beginning!

II - Rally around a guiding passage

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Living Stones

Verses 4-8 illustrate the church as a living temple who form God’s house on a foundational stone

Built to be a spiritual house (illusion to the OT Temple)

Jesus is the cornerstone of this new temple

Who we are

Exodus 19:5–6 ESV

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

We are called to take part in a second Exodus, led by a better prophet. Moses led God’s people out of the slavery and bondage of Egypt to a promised land where they would represent God on earth. Jesus leads us out of the slavery and darkness of sin into the light of His kingdom where we represent God to the nations.

What was once applied to Israel is now applied to the Church. We are not a replacement. We are the fulfillment of the New Covenant.

A Chosen Race. No one is here by chance. From eternity past, God saw you and said, “You are mine.” You are here, because God has chosen you to be here! And you are His people - a group where skin color and country of origin carries no penalty or benefit. Once you enter into His kingdom, you are united and identified in Christ.

A Royal Priesthood. Priests intercede for the people as spokesmen for God. Similarly, we speak God’s truth to others (the gospel). They also offered sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. Jesus is that atoning sacrifice so we no longer offer blood sacrifices, but rather, we offer up our own lives as living sacrifices. Not ones that are slaughtered on the alter, but ones that deny self and daily submit to His authority.

A Holy Nation. Jesus said He came to bring the Kingdom. He is the King and we are the subjects of that Kingdom, wondrously justified, sanctified, and glorified as purified representatives. Because there are no physical borders to this kingdom, we are in it wherever we are and it can be made known through our moral conduct. We are a nation - a kingdom that is not of this world - and the kingdom is made known by its holy citizens. It is heralded through the good news and represented by how we live.

His Possession. We were bought with a price that is inconceivable to our carnal minds. Our lives are not to be spent on our own selfish pursuits. He bought us and gets the ultimate say in how are lives are to be lived.

God’s People. Though once we were not, now we are. Not only are we the citizens and subjects in Christ’s Kingdom, but we are also His children… family… heirs.

What we do

Proclaimers. We get the great privilege to declare His excellencies (praises, virtues, divine power) who called us from darkness to light.

Receivers. We were once alienated from God, but now we are His people. We were also once far away from His mercy (compassion, concern, receiving what we do not deserve), but now we have received mercy.

As we learn to be God’s people, we spread His fame

III - Recognize the vision for year two

Now that we have reflected on what God has done in the past, let’s align with what He wants to do through us in the future.

ABS to DDM

As we Abide, Behold, and Seek and so be filled… We Therefore Go to Declare, Disciple, and Multiply.

ABS

This focuses our efforts on our own personal relationship with Christ. How can we help others if we are empty? It is out of our overflow that we bless others. Think about how the airlines instruct adults to put the oxygen mask on themselves first before helping their child. If the adult doesn’t get the oxygen first, they could pass out and be useless to their children.

We Abide - John 15:1-17

We Behold - 2 Cor. 3:12-18

We Seek - Matthew 7:7-8

and so be filled with the Spirit - early church

so that...

DDM

We therefore go and impact others; inside and outside of the church

Matthew 28:18-20

Therefore Go - before the command was the assurance of Jesus’ ultimate authority

Declare

Disciple

Multiply

Initiatives

Filter through the mission statement, core values and 4-core goals, then categorize them in DDM.

Declare

3-circles evangelism training

Targeted outreach (Hispanic, law enforcement, single moms, etc…)

Onramps from school systems

Life Groups

Disciple

Discipleship groups

PT Mentorship

Life Groups

Multiply

Volunteer Trainings

Weekender

Missions – intentional growth in local and int’l support

Life Groups

Conclusion

We started year one with three numbers: 1, 4, & 7 and God has richly blessed the work of our hands.

In year two, let’s move forward with the mission of 1 Peter 2:9-10, focusing our efforts to ABS and so be filled, so that we therefore go and DDM.