The New Hope Baptist Church (Organized 1947) Strategic Planning Committee

Appointed in January 2010

1) Sharon Norwood, Chairperson2) David Grigsby, Co-Chairperson3) Ebony Holmes, Secretary4) Kelvin Deloch, Member5) Lelia Graham, Member6) Jane Robinson, Member7) Jean Allen, Honorary Member8) Melvin Hudson, Honorary Member9) Toby Stewart, Honorary Member

*Met over 50x in 1 ½ years *Agreed on devotion, consensus, and face to face meetings

Strategic Church Planning Model

1) We selected Florida Baptist Convention Strategic Model

2) Our Mission Statement (Who We Are and What We Do): Discipleship, Fellowship, Evangelism, Ministry, and Worship) played a factor

The Mission of NHBC: New Hope Baptist Church is family of baptized believers who worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth, teach the saved to reach the lost, while ministering to the needs of others and encouraging one another through acts of love and

living in obedience to God’s Word.

Purpose Driven Church (Acts 2:41-47)

Warmer thru fellowship (Heb 10:25)

Deeper thru discipleship (II Tim 2:15)

Stronger thru worship (John 4:20)

Broader thru ministry (Mat 25:35-36)

Larger thru evangelism (Acts 1:8)

We Narrowed Down Pastoral Vision

1) Spiritual growth and maturity of members with evidence of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit

2) Denying oneself daily and carrying Cross

3) Tithing and liberal offerings to support ministry and to expand facilities

4) Regular attendance at Worship, Prayer Meeting, Bible Study, and Church School

5) Consistent witnessing to the lost

Pastoral Vision

6) Discipleship thru Christian education

7) Support of foreign missions/discipleship

8) Seeking first after God's kingdom and His righteousness to be blessed

9) Consistency for ministry members to attend and render their gifts and talents

10) Lively, timely, Biblically-based worship

Pastoral Vision

11) Balanced selections in the music ministry to meet all occasions

12) Emphasis on ministry with minimal programs, anniversaries, and annual days

13) Reproducing ourselves in image of Christ

14) Adherence to sound doctrine in the Christian Baptist tradition

15) Adherence to holistic interpretation of the Bible with scriptural integrity

We Developed a Vision (Where We Are Going)

New Hope Baptist Church, under the guidance of a Spirit-led leader, envisions a spiritually mature, family-oriented, multi-generational church whose foundation is Jesus, equipped and empowered to share the Gospel through the Word of God and through acts of service, utilizing facilities that will impact today's society.

13 Goals of New Hope Baptist Church(Fellowship, Worship, Evangelism, Discipleship, and Ministry)

(Short~less than 1 yr, Medium~1-3 yrs, Long~3-5 yrs, and Ongoing)

1) Spiritually maturity & growth thru Biblical study

2) Committed tithing & liberal giving

3) Engaged multi-generational mega family of baptized Believers

4) Expansion of services & activities to the community

5) To train &empower individuals to become effective leaders

13 Goals

6) Improve existing ministries and add new ministries as needed

7) Increase retention of members

8) Increase congregational participation in local, state, regional, and national Christian education opportunities

9) Increase congregational participation in practical evangelistic opportunities

13 Goals

10) Develop a proactive & comprehensive safety plan

11) Restructure the worship experience for children & youth

12) Develop a pastoral succession plan

13) Expand & upgrade both facilities and technology

Journey To Final Document

1) Presented key documents and monitoring protocols to Pastor Cyrus and then to ministry leaders2) Six NHBC teams visited area churches to interview and tour facilities3) Each team returned and discussed findings in focus groups4) New Hope members were surveyed

Church Visitations:Our Purpose

*To conduct qualitative research of other area growing and progressive congregations to compare and contrast what we are currently doing and to have models for what we may be able to do in New Hope style within between 2011-2016 NOTE: We are not trying to mimic nor bash what we are doing or even not doing! *Sent letters and questionnaires to guide visit and thank you letters afterwards

Visitation Teams(Members & Times Were Flexible)

Living Faith, Jefferson Baptist, New Gideon, Rose Hill, First United Methodist, and Healing Place

*Some churches were asked but they rejected, ignored, or beat around the bush with the request to allow us to attend. As everyone knows, Pastor Smith became ill earlier this year.

*Flexible Visitation Protocols were developed on Dress, Website Visiting, Praying, Pre-Conference Activities, Interviewing & Touring, and Exit Conference as we represented God, New Hope, and Pastor Cyrus

Main Highlights From Visits

1) Other churches view NHBC highly, complemented the visit & our organization itself, and let all of us who visited know NHBC is ahead of most

2) Other churches have similar challenges and successes ex. new member retention, facility expansion, finances, & participation

3) Common threads: excellence, break from some traditions, retention issues, building/expansion campaigns & marketing, continuous planning, attention to the “small things,” giving by members, cell/connect groups, emphasis on kids & youth

New Hope Survey Results(Attitude Towards Growth, Ministry &

Worship Analysis)

1. Responders want growth (new members, acceptance, want change, improved relationships, willing to give more, want more participation in the business side, want disagreements handled Biblically, favor spiritual activities and ministries, and want to be discipled through Biblical study opportunities). NOTE: Help of Media & Website Ministry

List of Our New Hope Ministriesand/or Committees

1) Adult Usher 8) Nursery 2) Children’s 9) Music3) Mission 10) Married Couples4) Finance 11) Singles5) Deacon 12) Men’s6) Deaconess 13) Sisterhood7) Children’s Church 14) Scholarship

List of New Hope Baptist Church Ministries and/or Committees

15) Greeter’s 16) Witnessing & Evangelism17) Health & Wellness18) Prison19) Church School & New Member20) Culinary21) Newsletter22) Pastor Support & Armor Bearer

List of New Hope Baptist Church Ministries and/or Committees

22) Christian Education (COPP)23) Safety (new)24) Media25) Prayer Service26) Ministerial Protocol27) General Church28) Youth (Angels of Glory & Hope, Boys &

Girls Scouts, Puppet, Drill, Drama, etc)

Ministry Analysis

2) With Ministry Analysis, the responses varied from ministry to ministry, but some ministries were rated, including by our young people, as not as effective as they should be and having too many ministries is undesirable. NOTE: The SPC met with each ministry to give advantages, disadvantages, recommendations, and survey results

3) New Ministry ideas: HIV/AIDS, Tutoring/Literacy, College Student, Food, Seasoned Citizen, Housing/Legal/Financial/Unemployment/Career/Parenting Counseling, Safety, & New Member Mentoring

Our Worship Experience

Rated High; Devotional, Giving, Fellowship, Spoken Word, Invitational, Intercessory Prayer, Lord’s Supper, and Closing

Highest is Sermon (67% outstanding) & Lowest, at the time, was Announcement Period that has since then been streamlined

Ministry Handbooks

Pastoral & Presidential Letters, Mission & Vision, Measurable Objectives of Ministry, Baptist Articles of Faith & Covenant, Structure of Ministry, Officer & Committee Duties, Meeting Agenda Sample, Calendar, Sample Budget & Recording, Policies & Procedures, History of New Hope and/or Ministry, and Tribute to Deceased Ministry Members

Why: To have each ministry leader to meet with his/her ministry leaders and/or the ministry members to give or enhance the ministry’s organization, structure, guidelines, direction, accountability, leadership succession, doctrine, and finances

Ministry Recommendations and General Church Recommendations

• Each ministry head and select ministry leaders, met one on one with the SPC to discuss the good, the areas needed for improvement, and solutions

• This information, put in writing, should have been shared by now or will soon be shared with ministry NOTE: Select parts of the entire Strategic Plan will go on web

• Please consult six page handout for Goals and Solutions To Promote Church Growth!

Exodus 18:1-4

Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.  2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

 

Exodus 18:5-8

5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

 7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them.

Exodus 18:9-12

9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

Exodus 18:13-16

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

 15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

Exodus 18:17-21

17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.

Exodus 18:22-23

22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

Exodus 18:24-27

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country

Ministry Presidents’ Ministry (MPM) aka Jethro’s Council

• Using pastoral vision, mission & vision, 13 goals, surveys, visits, and recommendations, the Jethro’s Council (Exodus 18) will meet one hour monthly to update Pastor Cyrus/designee on recommendation implementation and it will be held accountable

• As bad as we want positive change and improvement, let us resist the temptation to use man's timing as opposed to God's timing