Guiding Principles

Yesterday, Jessica and I had a rather in-depth discussion over dinner at Dairy Queen. We discussed the direction we'd like to see the mission go, and the things necessary for the mission to have an impact on the city of Brownwood. Over the course of the conversation, I identified five possible guiding principles for Grace Pointe. They are:

• Everyone deserves to hear the Gospel (see Romans 1:14).
• Every member proclaims the Gospel.
• Every church sends missionaries.
• Every member supports the church's ministry.
• Every household in Brownwood gets evangelized.

Jessica also identified some core practices, such as Service, Witnessing, Application and Teaching (or Training)... to form the acronymn, SWAT. She is developing a program for the ladies auxiliary, and I think SWAT will be the core values there.

All that being said, we will be canvassing north Brownwood neighborhoods this week, and have two major outreach events approaching.

1. National Back to Church Sunday on Sept. 13.
2. Brownwood Reunion Weekend Sept. 18-20.

I've been told that Grace Pointe MBM is off to a great start... but I don't feel like we've really gotten started. I am amazed at how far the mission has come in the past year, and I anxiously anticipate how amazed I'll be this time next year.

Report Card

Time to evaluate how well we are sticking to our core values:

The Bible
A+
We are doing everything in accordance with scripture. Furthermore, opportunities at Market Place have enabled me to teach more doctrine.

People
B
We are still working with our neighbors, plus some individuals we have met through our apartment ministries. End the end, our success is determined by our ability to reach people, so this continues to be a focus for us. On the other hand, I wish we were working with, and reaching, more people.

Discipleship
B
We are still bringing our neighbors along, plus we are foraging relationships with people in the apartment complexes and teaching a lot of solid doctrine to the group at Market Place. There is a lot of one-on-one interaction.


Outreach
C
While apartment ministries have continued, much of our effort this month has been to work with those with whom we have been able to forge relationships. We need another great outreach event. Plans are in the works, details are forthcoming.


Community
n/a
Little community service is taking place in Brownwood, though I am accomplishing some community service work in nearby Coleman. Jessica is making some things happen which I am excited about. There is no church right now in which to foster community. This grade will show up and get better as the work progresses.

Missions
n/a
No church = no missions program.

New Mission: Brownwood value

I was studying my values and vision/mission statements and I noticed that there was an element missing. (Admittedly, I was told of this earlier this year, but I wasn't really listening, Thanks David!)

So, the new value is Missions.

Missions - Because the purpose of Christ's church is to spread the Gospel, the resources of the churches started by Mission: Brownwood will be used to send out missionaries, plant sister churches, and by doing so take the Gospel to those who have not received it.

Mission values report card

Last November, I identified the following core values for Mission: Brownwood.

The Bible - God's Word. It is through the Bible that we get to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is through studying the Bible that our faith is increased. (Romans 10:17). The Bible, being God's Word, thus becomes all sufficient as the basis for our beliefs and practices.

People - Jesus did not say, "Go ye therefore and build a multi-million dollar organization." He said, "Go ye therefore and teach..." God's focus is on people. Therefore, Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church is a people-focused church. Our goal is to introduce you to Christ, let you get to know Him, accept Him, trust Him and follow Him. Then, our role is to help you become all you can be in Christ.

Discipleship - Many religious organizations focus on the numbers. "How many can we get in our services this week?" At Grace Pointe, our focus is on the individuals. We desire to bring people along side of us and follow the Lord together. Those being discipled will then, in turn, disciple others. This involves a strong teaching and Bible study ministry. This also involves personal interaction. If you have ever wanted a friend you can count on and share all of your struggles with, we at Grace Pointe want to be that friend. We also want to help you know Jesus better.

Outreach - Because the Lord commissioned His churches to go, teach all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and teach them whatsoever things Christ commanded us... it is our prayer that Grace Pointe be a church focused on reaching the unreached people of Brownwood, Texas. It is also our prayer to be a strong supporter of missionaries, both around the world and at home.

Community - Grace Pointe seeks to have a strong community within the church, and hopes to be actively involved in the community outside the church, impacting as many lives as possible.

How are we doing?

Bible - Our Bible studies remain expository, well illustrated and consistent in the face of struggling attendance statistics. Grade: B+ (due to low attendance)

People - Despite my recent trends toward renting or purchasing buildings, I have not lost my focus on the people I have been ministering to. Grade: B+

Discipleship - Spiritual progress is slow but steady with those I am ministering to. Grade: C

Outreach - Evangelism is tough due to the large numbers of religiously lost people. A major VBS event next month should help us reach the unchurched. Grade: B+

Community - We're getting into the community little by little, through the VBS, joining Tae Bo classes and a health club, being hospitable neighbors and finding work. We are also enrolling our kids in various activities. Grade: C.

The low marks are due mainly to the early phase of this work. Few missionaries are going to evangelical giants, major community players with large numbers of people being discipled and discipling others in the first 1 1/2 to 2 months. I'm not satisfied with our progress here so far, but we are still ahead of schedule. My goal for having a core group assembled and organization is not until June of next year.

Mission: Brownwood, formula

Here's an inside look at the planning stages of Mission: Brownwood.

The name of the new work will be Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church. The name "Grace Pointe" is a shortened version of "Point of Grace" which emphasizes our desire to bring people to the point where they realize God's grace and accept Christ as their Savior.

Vision statement- Our vision is to start a community-minded, people focused church with emphasis on evangelism and discipleship.

Mission Statement- People focused, community minded, Gospel driven.

Core values-

The Bible - God's Word. It is through the Bible that we get to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is through studying the Bible that our faith is increased. (Romans 10:17). The Bible, being God's Word, thus becomes all sufficient as the basis for our beliefs, practices and Spiritual growth.

People - Jesus did not say, "Go ye therefore and build a multi-million dollar organization." He said, "Go ye therefore and teach..." God's focus is on people. Therefore, Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church is a people-focused church. Our goal is to introduce you to Christ, let you get to know Him, accept Him, trust Him and follow Him. Then, our role is to help you become all you can be in Christ.

Discipleship - Many religious organizations focus on the numbers? "How many can we get in our services this week?" At Grace Pointe, our focus is on the individuals. We desire to bring people along side of us and follow the Lord together. Those being discipled will then, in turn, disciple others. This involves a strong teaching and Bible study ministry. This also involves personal interaction. If you have ever wanted a friend you can count on and share all of your struggles with, we at Grace Pointe want to be that friend. We also want to help you know Jesus better.

Outreach - Because the Lord commissioned His churches to go, teach all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and teach them whatsoever things Christ commanded us... it is our prayer that Grace Pointe be a church focused on reaching the unreached people of Brownwood, Texas. It is also our prayer to be a strong supporter of missionaries, both around the world and at home.

Community - Grace Pointe seeks to have a strong community within the church, and hopes to be actively involved in the community outside the church, impacting as many lives as possible.


I've launched a blog for the new work, Grace Pointe MBC, which is mostly dormant now, but will be used in conjunction with the teaching ministry once the new church is launched. I would also like to use tools such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube to connect with the younger generation.

I have also been informed of a really cool Web hosting service that has easy Web design software/templates that is available at a nominal charge.