The 2020 Vision Initiative!

First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana is prayerfully stepping into the future, knowing that God has a mission and vision for our congregation.

Our Purpose is to build the Kingdom of God. We draw our action from the direction Jesus Christ gave His disciples (Matthew 28:16-20). From this our mission is clear: To intentionally follow Jesus Christ by making disciples.

Who do we dream of being? That is what a vision statement is and this is the vision I have cast to the church leadership and now to you: Our Vision is to be a house of the Lord (a safe place), where people experience reconciliation with God through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then carry that reconciliation out into the world, one relationship at a time, through word and deed (this is the embodiment of 2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

What is the purpose behind the 2020 Vision Initiative: The 2020 Vision Initiative is to prepare us for our full availability and intended usage as ministers of reconciliation in the hands of God Almighty. Put simply, it is the foundation of the plan that will keep us focused on our vision so that we can fulfill our vision!

The inspiration of the 2020 Vision Initiative is found in 1 Chronicles 22:5 which reads, “David said, ‘My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.’ So David made extensive preparations before his death.”

From this verse and its surrounding context, I want to highlight 3 teaching points to cast the vision for who we are becoming as the First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana and how we are going to get there.

First, The 2020 Vision Initiative is God-focused!

The vision is powered by the Holy Spirit! We cannot endeavor to accomplish anything by our own spirit or power; therefore, this vision begins and ends with prayer. Without God we have no vision! Without the Holy Spirit we have no power! We must remain connected to God and constantly inquire of Him every step of the way!

The vision is to exalt Jesus Christ and proclaim the gospel of reconciliation! Our primary purpose is to worship God and to lead others to know the God who is worthy of all our worship; therefore, our vision is solely focused on increasing the Name above all names; the only Name by which anyone can be saved; the Name of Jesus Christ.

The vision is to advance the Kingdom of God! We are not in the business of church building! We, God’s children, are the Church and we are the tip of the spear in God’s mission to advance His Kingdom of Light against the kingdom of darkness. We will endeavor and persevere for the glory of God!

The vision is not about us! This vision is about making God famous as we embark to build a house of the LORD that will be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. If the vision ever becomes about us, our comfort, our personal preferences, our reputation, our success or impact, then we have lost sight of the vision.

The second teaching point, The 2020 Vision Initiative is multigenerational-dependent!

Simply stated: The vision unifies the generations! King David and his son Solomon (multiple generations) committed themselves to a vision that would take many years and much hard labor to complete. We must do the same!

A significant part of the 2020 Vision Initiative can be learned from this Bible story. How did the call of God unify the generations?

The vision was bigger than any one generation! The vision is God-sized! The vision requires preparation! King David was not allowed to build the house of God, so he had to do 2 primary things to prepare the next generation:

First, David (the older generations) had to Invest in the vision! He had to invest physical and financial resources into building the house of God! David invested his time, treasures, and talents into this one vision—to build a house for the LORD to be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations.

What does that mean for us at FBC?

Zero debt by 2020! No generation wants to leave the next generation with a debt! That goes against everything we believe as Christians and Americans!

This requires us to invest by ensuring the next generation can grow in the vision without carrying the burden of our debt.

For us, it also means Improvement every year! This requires us to invest in the people, programs, and facilities we have to give the next generation a launching point for expanding ministry and mission.

There was one more thing David had to do and that must become the focus for FBC to fulfill its mission and vision not just over the next 10 years, but into the next 100 years!

Train the next generation! David had to raise a “young and inexperienced” generation to fulfill the vision of God! David’s emphasis was not solely on gathering abundant material and financial resources, King David raised his son Solomon to assume leadership of God’s people ready and able to administer the kingdom, build the house of the LORD, and obey God’s commandments and teachings.

What does that mean for us at FBC? We need to teach today and send tomorrow!

Teach Today! The next generation needs to know what you know! This requires relational discipleship, modeling, and mentorship. We must develop all of our programs to intentionally cultivate a generation of Christ-followers who are being trained and equipped for the ministry of reconciliation to the nations. This is a whole body emphasis where everyone has a part to play!

Send Tomorrow! We dream of being a sending place into the Kingdom. We must create a structure and system that allows for the vision to grow and expand as each generation is trained and mobilized. We are growing mission-minded, Spirit-filled Christ-followers who see it as their call to train the next generation after them and in doing so answer the world-wide call of mission locally, regionally, and internationally.

The Third teaching point is: The 2020 Vision Initiative is future-focused!

The vision unites our purposes to a common time line! We will walk in unity because God has called us to a greater vision that requires all of us to come together.

The vision focuses our resources (time, treasures, and talents)! We will carry the burden together knowing that God’s vision is bigger than any one of us can aspire to on our own; this is only possible together.

The vision prevents us from being distracted! The vision requires that we must remain focused on the ministry of reconciliation in all things. Everything else is secondary and cannot distract us from God’s vision.

The vision provides hope for the future! We will not give into the despair or depression of our culture as God has given us a vision to shine brightly in a darkening world.

In conclusion, the 2020 Vision Initiative is not the end goal in itself, but it prepares us for further direction! Only God’s knows what He will do through us as His Church.

The purpose of the 2020 Vision Initiative is to get us there; to keep us focused on what must be done for FBC to accomplish its mission and vision!

We must remain focused on this imperative, trusting and knowing that more will be revealed along the way of these next 10 years. I anticipate a glorious celebration of what God has done by July 2020! I can only imagine what He will do in our midst and through our commitment to the ministry of reconciliation starting here in New Castle and moving out to the ends of the earth.

Are you ready to invest in the future? Can you see what God is doing in our midst?

Blessings,
Jerry

"Jesus Christ must become greater; I must become less." - John 3:30