SIDEBAR: A Small Church’s Big Goals

At Valley Chapel, a 75-member congregation in Green Valley, Illinois, each major department used the church’s vision to form several short-term goals and one long-term goal. Here is what they developed.

OUR MINISTRY VISION: In order to create a bridge for sharing the gospel, Valley Chapel will seek to be God’s family to the families of our community. We will design our ministries to strengthen healthy families and will seek to be an instrument of healing for hurting families by helping them to become functional.

To that end, we envision expanding our ministries to include a family ministry center, which will provide Christ-centered educational, counseling, and recreational resources for our area.

MINISTRY VISION GOALS

Board of Elders

Goal 1 (Short Term): We will develop a strategy designed to retire the church’s current property debt by the year 2000.

Goal 2 (Short Term): We will examine the effectiveness of our church’s current program and will look for creative options that will enable us to expand our ministry staff and facilities.

Goal 3 (Long Term): We will expand our current facility by adding a gymnasium and classroom addition by the year 2000.

Awana Program

Goal 1 (Short Term): We will increase the effectiveness of our program by making certain that all directors, leaders, and workers will have completed the appropriate training course.

Goal 2 (Short Term): We will foster more unity and enthusiasm among Awana leaders and workers by meeting together for planning, training, prayer, and celebration.

Goal 3 (Long Term): We will attempt to capture the interest of the unchurched parents of Awana club members by sponsoring a series of seminars or special events dealing with parenting and family issues.

Missiona Committee

Goal 1 (Short Term): We will encourage the congregation so that at least 10 percent of our church will be praying for world missions as a family.

Goal 2 (Short Term): We will make certain that every missionary whom Valley Chapel currently supports receives three letters and two packages from families in our church per year.

Goal 3 (Long Term): We will help to prepare our church’s members to minister in cross-culture settings by developing a sister church relationship with a culturally diverse congregation and by working with them on an outreach project.

Sunday School

Goal 1 (Short Term): We will encourage our youth to participate in service’s projects within our church family and community. Students will write letters to Valley Chapel’s college students and senior citizens.

Goal 2 (Short Term): We will continue to increase opportunities for Christian fellowship for our students and evangelistic activities for the children of our community by sponsoring a minimum of three activities per year.

Goal 3 (Short Term): We will continue to provide training opportunities for Sunday school teachers and other ministry workers by planning and scheduling a minimum of three training sessions for teachers addressing their current needs.

Goal 4 (Short Term): We will recognize and reward opportunities for Sunday school teachers and other ministry workers by planning and scheduling a minimum of three training sessions for teachers addressing their current needs.

Goal 5 (Long Term): We will become more accessible to the community by developing a transportation strategy that will enable us to increase Sunday school attendance, culminating in the purchase of a vehicles by the year 2000.