BR-KC Ministry Teams - Next Meeting Thursday,
July 22, 10 a.m @Baptist Mission Center
Future Meetings: September 9, October 14, November 11, December 9
Gospel Outreach
Resourcing Churches
Assisting Community Transformation
Church Planting
Equipping Leaders
These are the five objectives of VISION 2020, the Association’s strategic ministry plan for the coming decade. Our purpose is to help our member churches reach the lost and develop disciples by encouraging and assisting them in these five areas. Our vision statement for this effort says,
“We envision a network of healthy Baptist churches partnering together to transform lives and communities through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at home, in North America and around the world.”
This is an exciting new direction for associational ministry, and you can play a key role in our missions effort. A Ministry Team will be formed to oversee the goals and work of the Association in each objective. These teams will be made up of volunteers who have a heart desire for local missions and want to work with people from sister churches to share the Good News of Christ with the lost in our communities.
How can you “plug in” and be a part of local missions?
Read through the descriptions of each Ministry Team’s assignment and pray about which one best suits your skills and desires. Use the response form at the bottom of this page, or e-mail Lisa McMechan and tell her which team you would like to join, and give her your contact information (name, address, phone and e-mail). Lisa will send you a schedule of the team meetings and e-mail you a reminder before each meeting. You can also join by completing the form at the bottom of this page and clicking "Submit."
Read through the FAQs that follow, and if you have any other questions, call Dr. Hammer or Loren Hutchinson at 795-1822.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. How often will the teams meet?
2. Who will lead the teams?
3. How long can I serve on a team?
4. Can I be on more than one team?
5. How can I get off a team once I start working with one?
6. Exactly what will the teams do?
7. Will team members be expected to do all of the work called for in the goals and action plans?
8. Can I invite others to join my team?
9. How much is budgeted for the work of each team?
1. How often will the teams meet?
The teams will meet once each month from January - May of 2010. After that, each team will determine their meeting schedule based on their goals and work load. The starting schedule for 2010 is as follows:
January 21, 11:30 am, New Haven Baptist Church, Raytown, MO
February 11, 11:00 am, Mission Center
March 11, 11:00 am, Mission Center
April 15, 11:30 am, TBA following the Executive Board Meeting
May 13, 11:00 am, Mission Center
A leader and co-leader has been enlisted for each team by Dr. Hammer. Each year, Dr. Hammer will visit with the team leaders to see if they wish to continue. If a leader asks to step down from the position, Dr. Hammer and the association staff will enlist a replacement in consultation with the team.
3. How long can I serve on a team?
Membership on a team is fluid. You can join for any length of time that suits your schedule. You can even come sit in on an individual meeting give input to their work, or to see what the team is like and what work they are doing before deciding if you want to join the team. We hope that you will make a personal commitment to become a regular active member, participating in each meeting of the team, but your level of involvement is strictly up to you.
4. Can I be on more than one team?
Yes. You can be a part of as many teams as you wish.
5. How can I get off a team once I start working with one?
Simply notify the team leader that you will no longer be able to be involved.
6. Exactly what will the teams do?
A Master Ministry Plan has been developed by the Association with specific goals and action plans for each of the five objectives. The Ministry Teams will function as administrators to see that each goal is addressed. They will determine the best way to accomplish the action plans and will recruit the volunteers needed for the work. The Association staff will be at their disposal for consultation and assistance, but the team will have the responsibility of carrying out the goals of the Master Ministry Plan.
Each year, each Ministry Team will be asked to give input to the Association’s budget process. As new ministry needs are identified by the team and new goals are set, the team will be expected to help develop a budget that will enable them to accomplish their goals. That budget request will be submitted to the Finance Committee of the Association who will in turn submit the entire budget to the Executive Board for recommendation to the messengers at the Annual Meeting of the Association.
7. Will team members be expected to do all of the work called for in the goals and action plans?
No. The teams will enlist the volunteers needed to carry out the action plans.
8. Can I invite others to join my team?
Absolutely! We encourage you to enlist anyone who you feel has a heart desire for local missions and would be a good addition to the team.
9. How much is budgeted for the work of each team?
The 2010 budget carries the following amounts for each objective area:
Gospel Outreach $35,305
Resourcing Churches 16,100
Assisting Community Transformation 3,900
Church Planting 18,000
Equipping Leaders 7,300
Most of these funds are already earmarked for specific projects, but the Association has some discretionary funds that can be applied to the work of a team if needed.
The Teams
Gospel Outreach
This team is tasked with the goal of encouraging every church in the Association to be intentionally sharing the Gospel locally, nationally and internationally by the year 2020. They will develop a Covenant of Prayer that every church will be encouraged to sign. This covenant will focus on prayer for personal, corporate and association involvement in spreading the Gospel.
The team will also provide evangelism training for any church that requests it. They will assist our campus missionaries with outreach to college students. They will work to partner churches that have a history of involvement in mission outreach with churches that have not yet been personally involved in local, national or international mission projects.
They will encourage churches in different regions of the Association to work together to reach the lost in their region through cooperative evangelism projects and events.
They will identify both a North American and an international unengaged, unreached people group for the Association to “adopt” and target for evangelism.
Resourcing Churches
This team is tasked with developing Resource Groups (volunteers with specific ministry expertise) who will serve as consultants and hands-on help for churches needing assistance in various areas of ministry (i.e. VBS, Youth, Sunday School, etc.).
They will also work to develop partnerships between churches who can help meet each other’s needs through sharing materials and personnel. They will create a database of persons with special expertise that are willing to share their knowledge and talents with other churches.
Assisting Community Transformation
The ACT Ministry Team will work to improve conditions in communities where there are identifiable needs. This will involve ministry to our public schools through the Adopt-a-School program, creating leadership networks for the purpose of training churches in how to become involved in their communities, provide programming that will address community issues such as health, violence, homelessness, pregnancy prevention, etc.)
They will help to mobilize Baptists to address those government issues that touch on church ministry to the communities. Lastly, they will work on improving lines of communications between employers looking for workers and people needing work, creating a “pool” of people seeking employment and communicating their availability to potential employers.
Church Planting
This team will help our churches to start at least 30 new churches by 2020. They will address financial needs involved in starting a church as well as identifying, assessing and coaching potential Church Planters. This team will have one of the most challenging tasks, placing qualified church planters with established congregations who will be willing to help start a new work.
Equipping Leaders
The Equipping Leaders Team will assist churches in assessing leadership training needs and develop networks of leaders to address those needs. They will work to encourage mentoring partnerships among ministers (pastor to pastor, youth minister to youth minister, etc.), and they will seek to establish small peer groups throughout the Association by regions for the purpose of dialogue, encouragement and prayer.
Click here to download an eight page pdf about the Ministry Teams suitable for distribution in your church.
You can download the complete Master Ministry Plan by clicking here.
There is a place for you to partner with others in our Association to reach more people and help one another! God will enable us to do more together to transform lives and communities for His glory. We look forward to hearing from you and pursuing VISION 2020 together with you. Complete the form below and click the Submit button, or call 795-1822 to join your team.