In my last article, we looked at Church Growth and God-Honoring Vision.  Today, I want to pick up where we left off.

So, what then is the vision for FBC?  What do we pray about and seek God’s direction for in the next 10 years?

We seek to glorify God by building His church through preaching, teaching and exhorting the blood-bought devoted followers of Jesus Christ to passionately obey God’s Word in every area of their lives.  We must be consciously aware that we are always in the presence of Holy God.  Every thought, word, action, attitude, and motive is open before God and will be judged by Him.  Living like that will cause both spiritual and numerical growth and God’s church will be built according to His plan.

Faith’s 100 & Faith Baptist Mission (FBM)
Under God’s plan of the local church we believe God wants His church to impact even the remotest regions of the planet.  Faith Baptist Church attempts to follow that mandate through its Faith’s 100 Mission Program and Faith Baptist Mission.  Faith Baptist Church will continue to send missionaries 100% supported all over the world. We will also assist other churches in sending missionaries through FBM.  As FBM grows it will require a President, a financial administrator, an administrative assistant, and a mission secretary.  The Mission accepts the responsibility of teaching churches how to be a genuine sending agent of the Gospel.

Christian Education
Every set of parents has to make a choice before God of how their children are to receive an education.  Some parents choose to homeschool and some choose to send their children to a Christian school.  I believe Faith Baptist Church can assist both groups by providing a Christian school from Pre-K through 12th grade which will challenge every student to reach for their intellectual potential while developing Godly character.  I believe God will give us the ability to put together a school that has the potential of hundreds of full-time campus students and thousands of homeschoolers and on-line students.  I believe we can put together a school that will compete with secular schools academically, artistically, and athletically.  With a strong financial foundation we can offer this service to families at affordable tuition rates and fees while at the same time paying our teachers well.  In order for us to stay focused we will not open the school without a financial foundation of at least one million dollars.

Seminary
The deepest form of discipleship is being trained in the Word of God at the highest levels.  I believe Faith Baptist Church can create a seminary with the brightest minds and deepest thinkers as its lead professors.  This seminary will have two tracks which include both academics and practical living.  The seminary will offer both higher degrees and certificates so any adult can strengthen themselves in God’s Word.

Faith Village Tower
God has given us a property that will allow us to build an independent living facility for senior citizens.  We would offer a safe and beautiful place to live overlooking both Spirit Lake and Lake Sears.  The tower would offer seniors a church campus, Bible studies, fellowships, and a place to live out their retirement years.  They could continue to serve God and could create new friendships that in Christ will last forever.  The tower would be a non-profit organization under the ministry of Faith Baptist Church that would produce revenues for future ministries all over the world.

Faith Coffee Shop (FCS)
At the front of the campus on the corner of Crystal Beach Road and Highway 540 would be the Faith Coffee Shop.  It would offer quick and easy drive-through service.  FCS would serve the entire community, hire FBC people, and help fund Faith’s 100 for years to come.  You can drive through or come inside and read your Bible, a book, the paper, or visit with a friend.  It would also house a large conference room for private meeting.

What does all of this look like?  On the 23 acre site across Crystal Beach Road on Spirit Lake we would see four buildings:  a new church auditorium, Faith Village Tower, the high school and seminary building, and the coffee shop.  Around the whole property is a walking path which would take you by the lake and through a quiet garden where anyone can come and commune with God.

If you want to hear more about this vision and see what it may look like in the years ahead then come to a vision service on Sunday night, January 8, 2012.  Pray, believing that God can do the impossible.