Start Something New, A New Vision for FBI

In just a few weeks we will begin what is really the first year of a new millineum. The year 2001 brings with it the hope of a new beginning, a fresh start, and a new vision. That’s the thinking and the feelings of our best leaders here at First Baptist Icard. We are looking forward to what God is going to do next year, or the next 5 years, or the next 10 years. We believe God has something new and wonderful in store for us here at FBI.

That will be the theme of next year’s budget emphasis which you will receive this week. We will come together on December 31, on Sunday morning to discuss and then pass our new ministry budget for 2001. It is a new vision. A new vision we want every member to understand and to embrace.

“A New Vision,” was also the theme of the prophet Isaiah during the 8thCentury B.C. Preaching a word of hope and restoration to the captive nation of Judah in the foreign and butcherous nation of Babylon, Isaiah stresses the importance of forgetting the past and focusing upon the future.

“A New Vision” is more than just a theme for our 2001 Church Ministry Budget, it is a theme for life! For some of you, the need in your life, your marriage, your home, your job, is “forget the former things, focus on the future.” And for the church, the message is the same. Look at verse 18 “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. I am about to do a new thing,” God’s word says. A New Vision.

It’s amazing how many times God talks about doing something new. The bible uses the word new 131 times. The Hebrew word for new in its simplest form means “fresh.” I like what the word of God says in Revelation 21:5,

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (KJV)

I also like the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 which says, For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

What does our future hold? May I say to you that I only see bright and better things yet to come. I believe God’s promises. The best is yet ahead.

So what is our New Vision for 2001? Well it begins with a new vision for ministry here at FBI.

I. A NEW VISION IN MINISTRY

A New Vision in the church will almost always create life and enthusiasm. FBI has not been shy when it comes to seeing visions of what God was willing to do through an obedient and willing people. (i.e. In 1999-2000, The Celebrate Jesus 2000 Crusade where we dared to share a vision of 500 salvations—God did it! Our first two Judgement Houses where we dared dream of 200 souls saved at the first one. What did God do? 211 souls were saved! This year we asked God for a tithe of souls from those who came. What happened, 1616 came with 175 salvations! That’s more than 10%! We dared to envision a Tent set on our Promised Land where hundreds of people would come each night to hear the Gospel proclaimed. What happened? Another 64 souls saved! A Jacuzzi for Jesus and all of that in the midst of cold and rainy spring storms. And that doesn’t scratch the surface.

Remember what God did for Israel? Look at verses 15 – 19 again. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. 16 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. 17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

18 “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

What is our New Vision for Ministry at FBI?

A New Vision for Laity-lead Ministry.

Fill in the blank if you’ve heard this before. “At FBI, we believe every member is a minister.” I see that continuing as we move into the real new millennium. The staff are the administers while the members are the ministers. You get to do all the fun stuff!

A New Vision for Team-based Ministry. We no longer have committees so how does the work get done? The answer is through Ministry Teams. The difference between a committee and a Team-based approach to ministry is that committees meet and decide what someone else needs to do while Ministry Teams decide what needs to be done and then they do it!

Some churches carry on ministry as if they’re still ministering to the 50’s generation. Many churches are three to four generations behind the rest of the world. Here’s a news flash for you. God is not restricted to any set paradigm or pattern.

A New Vision for Future Staff Ministry positions. These areas will include the following ministry areas: Administration, Music, Preschool and Children. Let me deal with each of these in reverse order.

Preschool Ministry – If you’ve attended any time at all here you soon learn that this is a growing area of ministry challenge. There is much room for improvement when it comes to the ministry we offer our youngest attenders and their parents! And yet every church growth consultant in America will tell you that for a church to grow by reaching the baby boomer and buster generations we must provide quality childcare and excellence in ministry to preschoolers. One of the ways we will do this is by hiring a part-time staff person who fills the role of Preschool Minister with total oversight of all preschool ministries. This person will act as supervisor over every Ministry Team working with preschoolers from the Nursery to the Preschool Department in SS, etc. Children’s Minister/Worship Leader – Another part-time position this time focusing on administrating our Children’s Sunday morning worship program, will give our church one of the strongest children’s ministry programs anywhere. This staff person will work along with Jeff Brown our Student Minister. Music Ministry Assistant – We also see the need to increase the quality and quanity of our music ministry by giving to Bob Ramsey our Music Minister a part-time assistant. This person will be assigned two major areas of responsibility in 2001: Supervising our ever-growing and complex Audio and Video Ministry. (i.e., a new sound board this year helping us to improve the quality of our sound as well as increase the special features available in today’s technologically advanced computerized music; the purchase of a video camera to send a video feed to the nursery for our volunteers, and recording of our services, is possible, continued training of our volunteers and increased accountability for those who serve us here is needed), second, the development of an Instrumental Praise Band. This challenging project will include the promotion of, the enlistment of, the development of, training, rehearsal, and coordination of a Praise Band that adds to the quality of our worship and praise here at FBI. A Pastor’s Ministry Assistant – We envision this to be a 12 – 15 hour per week office staff person with primarily clerical duties dedicated to assisting the Pastor to fulfill his role of chief administrator of our church.

All of these new ministry positions should be filled and functioning by late spring of 2001.

Our New Vision does not stop here.

II. A NEW VISION IN MISSIONS

Whereas ministry is something we do primarily within and to the local body of believers, the church, missions is meeting needs of those who are not yet a part of the church, locally, nationally or internationally.

For the most part, our missions strategy up until the past few years has been to teach missions, promote missions support, and to pray for missions. Although that is a good strategy, it is not the best. Unfortunately, most members, develop a lazy, lethargic, attitude about missions when done this way. Some even feel missions is for someone else. It’s what others do. I’ll give and I’ll pray so others can go. But the ideaology behind doing missions has been changing over the years.

Although we remain a strong supporter of the Cooperative Program of the SBC, just as we have given evidence of today with the reception of what we hope will be a Lottie Moon offering for Intenational Missions of $18,000, and we will continue to pay our tithe as a church to the CP, we now have a New Vision for Missions here at FBI.

Here it is: “Every Member is a Missionary!” God wants you. You can still pray for missionaries and you can still give to missions, but you can also go!

Illustration of our intentional strategy of changing youth ministry 10 years ago with Mike Phillips. We now have youth who have been on 7 or more mission trips!

But that has not been the story for adults. Very few of the adults of this church have ever been on a mission trip of any kind. That’s what we want to change. The New Vision for Missions sees the adult and the youth of this church personally engaging the lives of the lost in the nations around us. We see the members of our church going to the cities and the countries of this nation and any nation God sets before us. Let me name just a few.

· Ghana, West Africa – 3 trips beginning next February 22, August 2001

and Feb./March 2002

· Tampa, Florida – SuperBowl InZone with Epic Adventures end of January

· Eastern Europe – the Colligiate Student Ministry, Romania, Kahzastan, Russia by Spring of 2002

· Seoul, Korea – 2004 Summer Oylimpics (long range)

· Our own backdoor here in Icard, Connelly Springs, and Hildebran

Just as we believe in supporting our Southern Baptist Missionaries through the CP

and special missions offerings such as Lottie Moon, so we believe a part of the New Vision for Missions will be offering support and assistance to those who hear God calling them to be on mission with our church to reach the nations for Christ.

Our 2001 New Vision Budget provides the initial support for such missions campaigns by the members of our church.

III. A NEW VISION FOR YOUR LIFE

1. A new quiet time

2. A new scripture memory plan, a new plan for personal stewardship and giving

3. A new vision for personal spiritual growth

4. A new disciple making small group

5. A new commitment to church attendance

6. A new commitment to share your faith or be a part of a future mission team and trip.

The good news is that our 2001 New Vision Budget provides the opportunity for you and every member of your family to experience God in an even deeper and meaningful way in the coming new year.

We have a new vision at FBI. God is already bringing it into focus. “Can you see it?”

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