Goals and Strategies for Year 1!

So, I just had a sweet meeting with the ECEF guidance team! We talked business, of course. (YUCK!) But then I got to present some of the strategies and goals we are going to be using at Denton throughout the next year. (SWEET!!) I told them what we are going to try and accomplish, and goal dates to accomplish them. So here they are: (drum roll please):

Strategy:

• Develop, Communicate and Implement (DCI) Statement of Purpose

• DCI Mission Statement

• DCI Vision Statement

• DCI Core Values, Core Beliefs

• DCI Purposeful Name

• DCI Strategic, Purposeful Programming

• DCI Assimilation Process (from 1^st time visitor to regular attender)

• DCI Discipleship Process (from regular attender to fully devoted Christ follower)

• DCI Ministry Involvement Process (getting followers into service)

• DCI Compassion and Outreach Strategy

• DCI Marketing Strategy

• DCI Launch Day Strategy

Goals:

• Launch Day- October 4, 2009

• Purpose, Vision, Mission, Values, Beliefs and Name In Place by November 30

• Programming Reformatted to Match Above by December 31

• Assimilation, Discipleship and Ministry Involvement Processes In Place by January 31

• Compassion, Outreach, Marketing, and Launch Day Strategy In Place by March 31

• 10 % Growth per month prior to Launch Day (Starting with 35)

I will try to explain all our terms, and get you familiar with what I mean by all of it on the evening of Sept 28. SO BE THERE!!!!

We are in for a wild adventure serving Jesus and this community! Hang on to your seats!

God's Power

I have been studying from Acts 2 lately, and preached there this morning. One of the things I talked about was how the church was born with power.

Why don't we see the power of God anymore? This question has eaten at my soul for almost four years! I still remember when one of my professors asked us that in class. I have read through the book of Acts and have seen that people were attracted to the church because the church was full of boldness and power. Why don't we see it anymore?

This is the best answer I can come up with: Perhaps it is because we don't need God's power! Everything we try to do, every program we run, every idea we develop, WE can do in our own strength and wisdom and power! We don't need God's power to accomplish the things we are trying to do. We are strong enough on our own!

We need to dream bigger! We need to set goals higher! We need to set out to do things that can only happen if God's power is flowing through it!

Denton, hold on to your seats! We are not only going to to Dare to Dream big, we are going to dream HUGE! And we are going to try and do things that will most certainly fall on their face if God is not a part of it! But we know that we serve a God with whom "all things are possible" and who can "do more than we can even ask or imagine!" So, get ready for an adventure of faith, as we seek God's power and prescence to accomplish God's mission in our community!