Village Baptist Church

Long Range Planning Committee
 
 


 
 

Final Report

1 November 2000

Table of Contents

Executive Summary *

I. Introduction *

2. The Process *

3. Who We Are *

 3.1. The Survey *

3.2. Question 1 – "… greatest appeal of Village …" *

3.3. Question 2 – "… three ideas, activities, attitudes are most important …" *

3.4. Question 3 – "… three best successes …" *

3.5. Question 4 – "… three greatest failures …" *

3.6. Question 5 – "… continue on our current path …" *

3.7. Question 6 – "… where would you like Village to be headed …" *

3.8. Question 7 – "… what would have to change …" *

3.9. Immediate LRPC Perceptions *

4. Our Core Values * 4.1. Core Value Workshop Data Analysis *

4.2. Our Core Values *

5. Our New Purpose *

6. The Six Arenas for Vision *

7. Implementing the Vision - Programs and Program Assignment *

 7.1. Program Recommendation *

7.2. Program Implementation and Follow-Through *

8. Conclusion *

Appendix A – Original Core Value Data Presentation a-*

Appendix B – Implementation Program Assignments by Commission b-*
 
 

MEMBERS OF THE LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE

Executive Summary

Near the end of 1998 Village Baptist Church established a Long Range Planning Committee to search for ways to refresh the ministry and operation of Village. More than a decade had passed since the last official church planning activity was completed. Our neighborhood and our congregation had undergone enormous changes since our last purpose statement. Following a plan suggested by Dr. Duncan McIntosh, the Committee underwent vision and growth training, and then embarked on a series of questionnaires, congregation surveys, workshops, and study activities. All of the activities were targeted first at understanding who we had been, and then searching for God’s purpose for us in the future. During the summer of 1999, a representative set of 42 members of the Village congregation were surveyed by Committee members with a brief questionnaire. The data from that questionnaire was analyzed by the Committee during the Fall of 1999, and a clear understanding of the core values and desires of Village began to emerge. The first official status report of the Committee was delivered to Village on 10 October 1999. Draft "statements of purpose" were generated, and the Committee began to identify a new vision for Village, from which specific priorities and resource allocations could be derived.

Then, Village Baptist Church burned on January 8, 2000.

The fire temporarily interrupted the work plan for the Committee. The Committee was reorganized to handle the immediate rebuilding needs of Village, and then conducted congregational workshops in March and April 2000, with progress reports to Village in May and July 2000. At the July 2000 business meeting, Village Baptist Church adopted a new Statement of Purpose:

We are joined in the fellowship of the Spirit, The new statement of purpose was used to generate six "arenas for vision" for Village, all of which were collected into a 9-point Vision Statement. Guided by the vision statement and arenas for vision, 15 specific existing programs were affirmed, and 25 "new direction" programs were identified for Village and assigned to current operating commissions and committees for implementation planning.

Introduction

In late winter of 1998, Village Baptist Church (VBC) established a Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) to search for ways to update the ministry and operation of our Church. The LRPC was originally set up because of three main reasons:

    1. It had been 16 years since the current Statement of Purpose had been adopted by VBC.
    2. Our neighborhood, our congregation, and our sense of how God wants us to serve had all changed since then.
    3. We had nearly repaid all of our mortgage loans. This achievement delivered an opportunity to direct newly available resources to whatever purposes we would be led by God to select.
Twelve members of the congregation were selected in a business meeting to form the LRPC. The LRPC immediately asked Dr. Duncan McIntosh (DC Baptist Convention Director of Church Health and Education) to help guide the Committee in its work. With the advice of Dr. McIntosh and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the LRPC began its work.

After 18 months of work, including a Committee reorganization and redirection after the fire at Village in January 2000, the LRPC has concluded its work. This report represents the final submission of the LRPC to Village. It includes all of the items already submitted to Village in business meetings and workshops (i.e., VBC Profile, Core Values, Statement of Purpose, Vision Statement, Arenas for Vision) as well as the program plan recommended by the LRPC to complete the implementation of the New Vision for Village.

Our Final Report is organized to present each of the major deliverables prepared as the result of the LRPC’s work. Section 2 outlines The Process followed by the LRPC. Section 3 describes Who We Are, primarily by reviewing the survey data and presenting immediate LRPC perceptions. Section 4 describes the resulting Profile and Core Values. Section 5 introduces our new Statement of Purpose. Section 6 proceeds to catalog the Six Arenas for Vision that were derived from our Purpose Statement. Section 7 lists the Implementation Programs recommended by the LRPC to fulfill the new vision for Village, and assigns each recommended program to an existing committee or commission for its consideration and detailed planning. In addition to recommendations targeted specifically at achieving our new vision, the LRPC has also included an additional process recommendation to help sustain a continuing evaluation of our efforts and our progress as we attempt to remain faithful to our new vision. Appendix A contains a single figure which shows the original collation and presentation style of the data collected during the Core Value workshop. Appendix B indexes the implementation programs by assigned commissions and/or committees.
 

The Process

LRPC members convened almost immediately after being selected for the Committee. As is the usual practice at Village, most of the early meetings involved "eating" as well as "meeting." Early consultations with Dr. McIntosh prepared the Committee spiritually, and introduced a training program for Committee members so that we could generate a set of objectives and processes that would keep us in the Spirit while still moving toward a renewed vision within a reasonable amount of time. Essential to the Committee process was a communication plan that would keep Village informed as the Committee moved through its activities.

The Committee generated a work plan for itself, generally following the outline suggested in Dr. McIntosh’s book Planning Growth in Your Church. The major steps of the original work plan are shown in Figure 2-1. The results of each step were briefed to Village in business meetings and workshops, and Village Voice summaries were published at major milestones (e.g., the adoption of a new Statement of Purpose).


Fig. 2-1



Who We Are

The LRPC first took a "look back" at Village before we moved to attempt a new vision for our Church. Our "look back" actually included some early probes that would help determine the current interests and (perceived) needs for Village. It was achieved primarily through a facilitated survey amongst selected members of the Village congregation. Forty-two members of Village were selected for an "in-person" interview by members of the LRPC. The interview population was analyzed by the LRPC to ensure representative participation based on age, gender, race, marital status, activity level within Village, membership status, frequency of attendance, and geography. The interview was conducted by following a questionnaire developed by the LRPC to elicit responses that helped us look back, look at today, and look forward in a logical way. Each member of the LRPC was trained to conduct the interview, and each member also responded to the questionnaire as a way of "practicing" not only the interview but also the analysis of the resulting responses.

The Survey

The LRPC survey consisted of seven questions.

Table 3-1 lists the questions (by category) that were used in the survey.
 
Table 3-1. Long Range Planning Committee Questionnaire
  • Who are we now? (Try to answer with specific examples) 
  1. What is the greatest appeal of Village to you?
What three ideas, activities, or attitudes do you think Village considers most important today? 
  1. What have been our three best successes? Why have they been successful?
What have been our three greatest failures? What have we learned from them? 
  • Anticipation of the future (Where are we going?) 
  1. If we continue on our current path, what will Village be in 5 to 10 years?
Where would you like Village to be headed? 
  • What to do…? 
  1. What (if anything) would have to change at Village to make our desires for our church come true?

The results of the survey were compiled and analyzed by a subcommittee of the LRPC to find trends or patterns among the answers even though the interviewers and respondents may have used different words or phrases. Individual members of the LRPC performed independent analysis to validate the conclusions of the subcommittee. The next seven subsections of this report present the "top" responses to each question. Responses that showed up in five or more survey forms were considered by the LRPC to be especially significant in understanding Village attitudes as a whole. The response phrases shown in the tables have been normalized to account for incidental differences in words as actually used by the respondents. Attached to each question response below is a thumbnail version of the briefing slide used by the LRPC to summarize the results and present them to Village. The "picture" of Village provided by this survey was used not only to help prepare a profile of "who we are", but also to guide the LRPC in preparing a new "vision" for Village and in identifying programs and activities that would implement the vision.
 

Question 1 – "… greatest appeal of Village …"

Normalized Response
Number
Feeling of family
16
Bruce’s preaching
15
Acceptance, openness
9
Small size
6
Music, especially choir
6

 
 
 
 
 

Question 2 – "… three ideas, activities, attitudes are most important …"

Normalized Response
Number
Missions and outreach
16
Accepting, open attitude
16
Activities for young people
10
Bible study, all types
6
Having 2 types of worship
5

Question 3 – "… three best successes …"

Normalized Response
Number
Pastor
14
Establishing 2 services
10
Youth programs
9
Music program
7
Vacation Bible School
6
Sunday School
5
Our building and its uses
5
Worship Dance Group
5
Missions Program
5

Question 4 – "… three greatest failures …"

Normalized Response
Number
Inadequate youth program
9
Lack of commitment and/or organization
8
Lack of advertising and outreach
7
Lack of growth
5
No known major failures
5

Question 5 – "… continue on our current path …"

Normalized Response
Number
About the same
16
Smaller/older
10
Growing
6

Question 6 – "… where would you like Village to be headed …"

Normalized Response
Number
Larger membership
19
Maintain core values
10
Stronger youth program
5
Larger facility/gym
5

Question 7 – "… what would have to change …"

Normalized Response
Number
More personal involvement
15
More advertising and outreach
7
Expanded youth programs
6

Immediate LRPC Perceptions

Immediately upon completion of the survey analysis, the LRPC developed some strong perceptions about how Village viewed itself, and about the beliefs and desires of Village members for the future. Curiously, some of the very items that had been identified by certain interview respondents as "successes" were also identified by other respondents as "failures". Nevertheless, there were strong common threads that were evident in all responses despite the occasional seeming contradiction. Figure 3-1 presents a "profile" of Village today, while Figure 3-2 lists (in no particular order) the immediate conclusions of the LRPC regarding Village desires for the future.

Fig. 3-1                                                                                         Fig. 3-2

Our Core Values

Although the questionnaires provided a great deal of insight into the attitudes, opinions, and desires of Village, more work was necessary to confirm our core values and set the foundation from which our new purpose and vision would come. In March 2000 and again in April 2000 "whole church" workshops were sponsored by the LRPC to search further into the feelings and ideas of Village. The March workshop focused on clarification of "core values". The April workshop introduced the "Your Dream for Village" perspective, focusing more on our desires for the future in all six of the arenas for vision. Once again, more exercises were used to identify and capture the "sense of the Spirit" within Village, and to extract those beliefs that formed the essence of our church discipleship with God.

Core Value Workshop Data Analysis

Much analysis was conducted on the data collected during the workshops, and many interpolations and interpretations were discussed within the LRPC. The Committee tabulated the data and generated a series of perspectives on the data in order to better understand not only the "sense of the responses" but also to determine the validity of the data capture itself.

The original workshop exercise required participants to rank (by priority) their own "core values". Basic sample values were supplied for the exercise, but each participant could list and rank additional values as well. The end result was a collection of core values ranked by each participant according to their own sense of priorities. This base data was collated and graphed by the LRPC. That initial base data collation is presented in Appendix A to this report. Although the original perspective identified a few strong trends, the base data collation by "priority placement" was not particularly helpful to the LRPC in moving beyond the most obvious conclusions. Nor did that presentation help to validate any interpretation of the data.

Therefore, the LRPC chose to re-orient the presentation perspective to show the data by "core value" (with all priorities distinguished) rather than "priority placement." Figures 4-1 and 4-2 present the results of the analysis performed on the data captured during the workshops using this more enlightening "core value" arrangement.

Figure 4-1 presents the base data as collected during the core value workshop, showing the priority ranking (1 = highest) given to each of ten focus areas. Three sets of terms were deemed equivalent (as shown in the inset) in order to simplify the presentation of the data. These three minor normalizations of the data as compared to the original survey responses affected only a handful of responses, and were faithful to the intent of the original response. All perspectives show that, without a doubt, the "Christ Centered" value is the highest priority value within Village.


Fig. 4-1

Moreover, Figure 4-1 also presents approximate "bell curve" shapes for workshop data along other core value priorities. This is an indicator of valid collection and analysis methods, and therefore reassured the LRPC that the core value analysis was zeroing in on the real nature of Village beliefs and attitudes.
 
 

Figure 4-2 presents the same data in a "stacked" fashion. This style of presentation helped the LRPC to understand the relative importance of the core values as expressed by Village members.


Fig. 4-2

Our Core Values

Out of the workshops and the data analysis the LRPC fashioned a list of the core values for Village, including a brief elaboration on the intent and coverage of each core value. This list is presented in Table 4-1.
 
 
Table 4-1. Village Baptist Church Core Values
Core Value
Elaboration
  • Christ-centered 
 Bible-based, personal
  • Service 
 To Village and to Missions, local and global
  • Challenge 
 Discipleship, learning, seeking God’s will, risking, sacrifice
  • Accepting 
 Openness, trusting, forgiveness, valuing each person
  • Caring 
 Encouragement, comfort, hope, communication, guidance, persistence
  • Celebration 
 Worship, joy, gratitude, hopefulness, humor, fellowship
  • Evangelism 
 Gentle, personal, urgent, boundary-less

Our New Purpose

The look backwards is now over. Having completed questionnaires, workshops, and data analysis, the LRPC entered a prayer covenant with the Lord to answer three main questions about a new purpose for Village.

    1. Why should Village continue to exist?
    2. What is God’s calling for Village?
    3. Who are we? We are more than what we do. What is our Christ identity and direction?
Out of all the data and prayers, Village adopted a new Statement of Purpose at its business meeting in May 2000. That new statement is shown in Figure 5-1.


Fig. 5-1

The Six Arenas for Vision

Six arenas for vision are suggested in Dr. McIntosh’s book Planning Growth in Your Church. The LRPC moved from a purpose statement to creating a new "vision" for Village by seeking direction in each of those six arenas as shown in Figure 6-1.


Fig. 6-1

As presented in Figure 6-2, each of the six arenas carries equal weight, and each contributes to our accomplishment of the Statement of Purpose that God has given to Village.


Fig. 6-2

Consistent with the plan for discovering God’s intentions for Village, the LRPC conducted a second workshop, the so-called "Our Dream for Village" workshop. In that workshop, the survey data, statement of purpose data, and the six arenas for vision were reviewed. Then, during the next 4 weeks, each member was offered the chance to "dream" a new dream for Village in each of the arenas. Those "dreams" were captured by the LRPC in "dream description" forms as shown in Figure 6-3, and combined with the other data already acquired in earlier exercises.


Fig. 6-3

The result of the "dream workshop" and the prayerful consideration of all data collected was the generation of individual "picture perspectives" for the future of Village – one for each of the six arenas for vision. Figure 6-4 shows the combined highlights of all of those six perspectives.


Fig. 6-4

Implementing the Vision - Programs and Program Assignment

Program Recommendation

The vision highlight picture painted in Figure 6-4 shows an exciting, dynamic, generous, caring, and Christ-centered Village. That vision is made possible not only by "praying it into place" but also by "working it into place." Behind the highlights of the new vision for Village lie 35 separate activity/program recommendations. Fifteen of those that have been identified are affirmations of programs/activities already in place. The remaining twenty are new directions for Village. Figure 7-1 profiles the kinds of programs/activities recommended for each arena for vision. In that Figure, those activities shown in boldface black are affirmed activities. Those shown in boldfaceitalic tealare recommended new directions.


Fig. 7-1

As highlighted in Figure 7-1, the LRPC has affirmed existing programs and has identified new programs for each of the six arenas for vision. Table 7-1 provides the complete inventory of the programs recommended by the LRPC to implement our new vision. Following the same color and style legend used in Figure 7-1 (i.e., boldface black for affirmed programs, boldface italic teal for new programs), each program is identified by a title/phrase and linked to a "vision arena". Moreover, in preparation for final implementation planning and program execution, each program has been assigned to a commission, council, or committee for follow-through actions and regular progress reporting to Village. In some cases, more than one commission, council, or committee is identified for a program assignment. In those cases, the first organization identified has been selected to be the lead organization, with the others selected to be supporting organizations. The lead organization will have the initial responsibility and accountability for the Program Implementation and Follow-Through actions of Section 7-2. Appendix B provides a cross-reference of program assignments by commission.
 
 
Table 7-1. Recommended Programs and Commission Assignments
Arena
Program Identification
Program Assignment
Evangelism
  • Expanding financial commitment to institutional missionary support programs (e.g., Baptist Alliance, SBC, Here’s Life, …) 
 Missions Stewardship and Finance
  • Regular "Lay renewal" opportunities 
 Education Deacons
  • Specific missionary identification and support in the local area 
 Missions
  • VBC "spirit rallies" and revival events 
 Worship and Music Outreach
  • Establish "family-centered" evangelism focus 
 Deacons Education Outreach
  • Target additional racial and ethnic diversity for the Village congregation 
 Outreach
  • Neighborhood/community "invited" visitation follow-up for all visitors 
 Outreach Deacons

 
Table 7-1. Recommended Programs and Commission Assignments
Arena
Program Identification
Program Assignment
Care
  • Comprehensive "flock" ministry program, including personal visitation (contact) on regular and threshold basis 
 Deacons
  • "Crisis care" capability; e.g., family emergency, illness & hospitalization support team, emergency housing & food, substance abuse program support 
 Deacons Outreach WIA
  • Mouse "agents" to help spot and report good stuff 
 Village Voice
  • More "joy" events 
 Fellowship and Recreation
Worship
  • 2 Sunday sessions with contrasting styles (contemporary and traditional) 
 Worship and Music
  • 1 other day/evening (non-Sunday) worship time 
 Worship and Music
  • Free-flow, flexible worship opportunities 
 Worship and Music
  • Worship circumstances to support the disabled and the homebound 
 Outreach Worship and Music WIA
  • Worship elements included in all church life events 
 Church Council Worship and Music
  • Additional special worship events highlighting music, dance, and drama 
 Worship and Music

 
Table 7-1. Recommended Programs and Commission Assignments
Arena
Program Identification
Program Assignment
Education
  • Basic Christian background training for all ages; 
  • (New member classes) 
 Education
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • Outreach 
  • Sunday School "Christian Life-training" for teenagers and adults; Sunday School class events outside of Sunday morning 
 Education Outreach
  • Family Bible Studies outside of Sunday School; Christian "Family Life" training  
 Education
  • Enlarged VBS program 
 Education Outreach
  • Formal training (technique and subject matter) for Sunday School teachers 
 Education
  • Lay training for visitation and evangelism 
 Outreach Deacons
  • A "resource" center to help teachers and commission personnel improve their performance 
 Education Church Council
  • Music training program for all ages; choirs, musical units, and dance units 
 Worship and Music
Service
  • Facility use by worthy community needs; e.g., family counseling center, community service organizations 
 Property and Space
  • Teen lounge and recreation center; youth learning center 
 Property and Space Education Outreach
  • Emergency housing and feeding program 
 Missions Outreach

 
Table 7-1. Recommended Programs and Commission Assignments
Arena
Program Identification
Program Assignment
Administration
  • Visible, easily approachable administrative organization and program support team 
 Church Council
  • **Annual church survey of progress toward meeting the goals of our purpose and vision statements** 
 Church Council
  • Youth minister 
 Church Council Personnel
  • Enhanced communications program for members and the community  
  • Traditional print and advertising methods 
  • "e-church" electronic service for outreach/advertising, email notifications, e-bulletins 
 Church Council Outreach Village Voice
  • Larger, more flexible sanctuary, choir loft, and fellowship hall 
 Building Committee
  • Larger, more well equipped office facilities; volunteer support staff 
 Building Committee Property and Space

Program Implementation and Follow-Through

In addition to recommending programs that will support the new vision for Village, the LRPC has also prepared a recommended process for the subsequent planning, implementation, and reporting that each program will require. Our process consists of three main stages:

    1. The assigned lead commission (committee, council, organization) prepares a phased implementation plan for the program in consultation with all supporting organizations; the plan includes initial budgetary needs for "first steps" in beginning to support the program.
    2. Implementation plans are submitted to the Church Council and the Stewardship and Finance commission; decisions are made on the relative priority of each program, and the desire (and ability) of Village to support the "first-step" portions of each program as laid out by the assigned lead Commission.
    3. Every Commission, whether assigned a "new vision" program as a lead Commission or not, reports to Village annually regarding the alignment of their activities to the statement of purpose and new vision, and the progress that has been made toward their achievement. (Note: This third stage is reflected in the "**" program recommendation under the "Administrative" arena of Table 7-1.) This will help keep Village activities and investments aligned with the new vision, until such time as the vision itself needs to be refreshed.
Conclusion

No matter how carefully we survey, how conscientiously we organize, how thoughtfully we plan, and even how diligently we implement, our activities will be of no consequence if we forget to keep on seeking God’s purpose for Village. The LRPC offers this Plan to Village believing that it is in line with God’s will for our Church. We are told by God to study and to work, but also to

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord is God!

It is he that made us, and we are his;

We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

And his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him, bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

His steadfast love endures forever,

And his faithfulness to all generations."

 (Psalm 100)

Appendix A – Original Core Value Data Presentation

As described in Section 4-1 of this report, the initial collation, analysis, and presentation of data gathered at the first workshop (dealing with core values) was done by "priority placement" rather than by "core value". The original collation and presentation style is shown here in Figure A-1.


Fig. A-1

Appendix B – Implementation Program Assignments by Commission

Each of the programs listed in Table 7-1 has been cross-referenced in Table B-1 to the commission or committee or council to which it has been recommended for assignment. The same font-based identification pattern introduced in Section 7 is also used in Table B-1. For ease of referral, each program has also been assigned a code according to its placement within one of the six arenas for vision, and the order in which it appears in Table 7-1. Under this coding scheme

V=Evangelism

C=Care

W=Worship

E=Education

S=Service

A=Administration

 For example, program "A-3" would refer to the third program listed under administration in Table 7-1, namely "Youth minister." Likewise, program "V-1" would refer to the first program listed under Evangelism in Table 7-1, namely "Expanding financial commitment to institutional …". Full program titles are shown in Table B-1 as well as the reference codes.
 
 
Table B-1. Program Assignments by Commission
Commission
Lead Assignment(s)
Supporting Assignment(s)
Building Committee
  • [A-5] Larger, more flexible sanctuary, choir loft, and fellowship hall  
  • [A-6] Larger, more well equipped office facilities; volunteer support staff 
  
Church Council
  • [W-5] Worship elements included in all church life events  
  • [A-1] Visible, easily approachable administrative organization and program support team  
  • [A-2] **Annual church survey of progress toward meeting the goals of our purpose and vision statements**  
  • [A-3] Youth minister  
  • [A-4] Enhanced communications program for members and the community  
  • [A-4a] Traditional print and advertising methods  
  • [A-4b] "e-church" electronic service for outreach/advertising, email notifications, e-bulletins 
 [E-8] A "resource" center to help teachers and commission personnel improve their performance
Deacons
  • [V-5] Establish "family-centered" evangelism focus  
  • [C-1] Comprehensive "flock" ministry program, including personal visitation (contact) on a regular and threshold basis  
  • [C-2] "Crisis care" capability; e.g., family emergency, illness & hospitalization support team, emergency housing & food, substance abuse program support 
 [V-2] Regular "Lay renewal" opportunities  [V-7] Neighborhood/community "invited" visitation follow-up for all visitors [E-7] Lay training for visitation and evangelism
Education
  • [V-2] Regular "Lay renewal" opportunities  
  • [E-1] Basic Christian background training for all ages  
  • [E-3] Sunday School "Christian Life-training" for teenagers and adults; Sunday School class events outside of Sunday morning  
  • [E-4] Family Bible studies outside of Sunday School; Christian "Family Life" training  
  • [E-5] Enlarged VBS program  
  • [E-6] Formal training (technique and subject matter) for Sunday School teachers  
  • [E-8] A "resource" center to help teachers and commission personnel improve their performance 
 [V-5] Establish "family-centered" evangelism focus [S-2] Teen lounge and recreation center; youth learning center
Fellowship and Recreation
  • [C-4] More "joy" events 
  
Missions
  • [V-1] Expanding financial commitment to institutional missionary support programs (e.g., Baptist Alliance, SBC, Here’s Life, …)  
  • [V-3] Specific missionary identification and support in the local area  
  • [S-3] Emergency housing and feeding program 
  
Outreach
  • [V-6] Target additional racial and ethnic diversity for the Village congregation  
  • [V-7] Neighborhood/community "invited" visitation follow-up for all visitors  
  • [W-4] Worship circumstances to support the disabled and the homebound  
  • [E-2] (New member classes) Note: This item is considered properly a part of item [E-1] in order to cover Christian background training for all ages.  
  • [E-7] Lay training for visitation and evangelism 
 [V-4] VBC "spirit rallies" and revival events  [V-5] Establish "family-centered" evangelism focus [C-2] "Crisis care" capability; e.g., family emergency, illness & hospitalization support team, emergency housing & food, substance abuse program support [E-3] Sunday School "Christian Life-training" for teenagers and adults; Sunday School class events outside of Sunday morning [E-5] Enlarged VBS program [S-2] Teen lounge and recreation center; youth learning center [S-3] Emergency housing and feeding program[A-4] Enhanced communications program for members and the community [A-4a] Traditional print and advertising methods [A-4b] "e-church" electronic service for outreach/advertising, email notifications, e-bulletins
Stewardship and Finance  
  • [V-1] Expanding financial commitment to institutional missionary support programs (e.g., Baptist Alliance, SBC, Here’s Life, …) 
Personnel Committee  
  • [A-3] Youth minister 
Property and Space
  • [S-1] Facility use by worthy community needs; e.g., family counseling center, community service organizations  
  • [S-2] Teen lounge and recreation center; youth learning center 
 [A-6] Larger, more well equipped office facilities; volunteer support staff
Women In Action (WIA)  
  • [C-2] "Crisis care" capability; e.g., family emergency, illness & hospitalization support team, emergency housing & food, substance abuse program support  
  • [W-4] Worship circumstances to support the disabled and the homebound 
Worship and Music
  • [V-4] VBC "spirit rallies" and revival events  
  • [W-1] 2 Sunday sessions with contrasting styles (contemporary and traditional)  
  • [W-2] 1 other day/evening (non-Sunday) worship time  
  • [W-3] Free-flow, flexible worship opportunities  
  • [W-6] Additional special worship events highlighting music, dance, and drama  
  • [E-9] Music training program for all ages; choirs, musical units, and dance units 
 [W-4] Worship circumstances to support the disabled and the homebound [W-5] Worship elements included in all church life events
Village Voice
  • [C-3] Mouse "agents" to help sport and report good stuff 
 [A-4] Enhanced communications program for members and the community [A-4a] Traditional print and advertising methods [A-4b] "e-church" electronic service for outreach/advertising, email notifications, e-bulletins

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