Five Year Vision Plan

"Write the vision and make it plain…”Habakkuk 2:2

On June 12, 2016, Pastor Donnie J. Capps, Senior Pastor cast a 5-year vision for Christian Life Assembly.

On that day, he said, “Now, let me tell you my dream for Christian Life Assembly. ‘I want to see people who have no relationship with Christ come to church and discover the joy of knowing Him.” They may not look like us, dress like us, smell like us, sing like us or talk like us but every person who walks through the doors of Christian Life represents a soul for whom Christ died. I want to see them how He sees them!” Ps. Donnie J. Capps

SPECIFIC GOALS TO ACCOMPLISH THE VISION
These goals are in direct relation to our mission, vision, ministry plan and core values of CLA. These goals are strategically to be met within 5 years of time.

1. GROW THE CHURCH

from 150-170 to 300 people in regular attendance on a Sunday morning. We believe that God wants us to reach out to an ever increasing percentage of the unchurched of the Willimantic/Windham region with the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Our Plan

• A heavy focus on biblical preaching and teaching of God’s Word.
• Increased emphasis on relational evangelism training for everyone. i. Increased emphasis on preaching/teaching on relational evangelism. ii. Relational evangelism courses. iii. Testimonies of relational successes.
• Provide 6-8 all church outreaches annually focusing on the Willimantic region (i.e. Easter, father’s day, mother’s day, summer programs, Thanksgiving, Christmas, invite campaigns, feeding the poor, getting involved in the community, etc…)
• Teaching and modeling the “open chair principle” within all small groups (ministries of the church).
• A fully embraced commitment to building relationships with unchurched people outside the family of God that goes across racial and social-economic boundaries.
• Home Missions: Develop relationships with outside organizations in the Willimantic/Windham region that love their community and partner with those organizations by providing them hands extended into the community such as: Schools, shelters, food pantries, etc…
• Provide an additional Sunday morning worship service and go to 9 AM & 11 AM services when we reach the 80/90% rule of church growth.
• Become 100% debt free within 5 years so we can be financially free to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. DEVELOP THE CHURCH

and move our congregation of Christ followers toward community, spiritual maturity, and full participation within the life of the church.

Our Plan

A. Community • Develop and train small group leaders to lead: i. Connect Groups (Fellowship & Recreational) ii. GROW Groups (Classes & Training) iii. REACH Groups (Reaching Out) iv. SERVE Groups (Using Our Gifts to Serve)
• Develop a leadership development program that gives a clear leadership path in becoming a leader at CLA.
• Develop and train leaders to raise up an “Apprentice(s).”
• Develop deacons (men & women) to take upon leadership roles in the church and to maintain those roles as long as they are biblically qualified.
• Develop and train children and youth leaders and workers in providing effective and relevant ministry to young families.
• Develop and train an “First Impressions” ministry that consists of greeters, ushers, parking team, next step desk, medical response team, and networking team.
• Develop a strong follow-up program for guests and visitors of CLA.
• Develop a top quality website (www.willimanticchurch.org) that effectively communicates who we are as a church and helps the unchurched and believers alike to connect to the life of the church.
• Develop and provide effective communication to the congregation that will help promote community and involvement.
• Develop and provide effective ministry to the Spanish population of Willimantic such as: i. Simulcast translation of services into Spanish ii. Spanish classes and training iii. Spanish small groups
Provide excellent care and stewardship to our current facilities and seek ways to provide new facilities that will accommodate community development in our church family.
B. Spiritual Maturity
Develop and train a worship ministry that leads the congregation in authentic worship with an increased focus on response time/altar call ministry to the preaching of the Word.
Development of GROW Groups “Classes & Training” that will provide: a. Leadership Path Classes: i. Membership ii. Spiritual Foundations iii. Spiritual Gifts Class iv. Small Group Leadership v. Relational Evangelism vi. Deacons Training
b. Biblical & Practical Classes i. Bible classes ii. Men’s classes iii. Women’s classes iv. Leadership classes v. Parenting vi. Married vii. Etc…
• Lead the congregation in prayer by:
i. Corporate prayer and fasting times ii. Focused prayer & anointing times during worship services iii. Prayer focus in ALL small groups (ministries of the church). iv. Lead and encourage accountability in personal prayer times.
• Lead the congregation in Bible reading by: i. Having open Bibles and good note taking during services and classes. ii. Lead and encourage focused Bible reading and personal devotional times.
C. Full Participation (100%)
• Encourage those are regular attendees to become active “members” within the body of CLA.
• To see full participation within the membership of CLA using their passions and spiritual gifts.
• To see full participation within the membership of CLA giving faithfully in the full tithe (10% of income).
• To see full participation within the body of CLA (members and regular attendees) in the giving of special offerings such as:
i. MH2 (My House Too) 90% of income of 1 week’s pay given on the 1st Sunday of October to help provide debt reduction towards current church mortgage. ii. Vision Fund-special offerings that goes toward the renovations and building upgrades of our present facility.

3. IMPACT THE WORLD.

God wants us as a church to invest a balanced percentage of our lives, our knowledge, and our resources with those in our region, our nation, and in our world.

Our Plan

• Leading the church in generous giving to foreign missions that will go to support missionaries and missions’ projects.
• Strategically positioning our church financially to where we can give a tithe of tithe to missions.
• Leading the church in an annual mission emphasis that culminates with faith commitments to missions that goes on top of the tithe of the tithe.
• Leading the church in mission trips (home & foreign) that focus on a few missions’ projects within the next five years.
• Establish deep relationships with the missionaries on the ground in helping accomplish their mission and vision.
• Support 40 missionaries in missionary giving in the amount of $125.00 per month.

June 12, 2016 Vision Sunday from Christian Life Assembly on Vimeo.