Vision Statement of First Baptist
Church, St. Clair
The writer of Proverbs wrote, "Where there is no vision,
the people perish (are unrestrained)" (29:18). At First Baptist
Church, it is our desire that you share the vision God has given
us. We have worked hard at defining our vision so that it is clear,
challenging, and concise. It is our desire that you clearly see
the future of our ministry - what it can be and what it must be.
But most important, we want you to capture the concept of our
vision so that it will capture you and provide a foundation for
your personal ministry with us.
As a foundation for all that God is showing us
about His will for First Baptist Church is the understanding that
God is calling us to value people, to lead them to personal faith
in Jesus Christ, and to lead them to walk with Him in every aspect
of their lives.
Therefore, we will seek to...
WORSHIP
...provide experiences of worship that embraces both the joy and
holiness of being in the presence of God and our desire to draw
close to Him. We will provide a variety of worship experiences
to accommodate the different worship needs of our community, yet
will lead the lost to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior and will
lead the saved to grow in their relationship with Him.
PRAYER
...make prayer the cornerstone of all we do as a church. We seek
to be known as a "House of Prayer." No decision will
be made except that it is bathed in prayer and every effort made
to discern the will of God. Prayer will hold a primary place in
our worship experiences, be foundational in all our planning,
activities, and ministries. Sensing the importance of prayer in
life, we sense God leading us to establish an intercessory prayer
ministry with a focus on the needs of people in our community.
BIBLE STUDY
...involve both believers and the lost in relevant, life-changing
Bible study which applies God's Word to daily life experiences.
Bible study will include a dynamic and exciting Sunday morning
program of small groups with an aim of discovering, reaching,
teaching, and caring for people of every age group and life situation
that God equips us to address. These small groups will be the
focal point for the development of fellowship, friendships, and
community within the church. They will also serve as a primary
point at which new members will be assimilated into the Christian
family.
We will also be diligent in establishing weekday Bible studies
and open to other methods that might be used in engaging the lost
and unchurched in a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. We
further believe God is leading us to have an average of 300 in
Sunday School by A.D. 2005 and 500 in Sunday School by A.D. 2010.
DISCIPLESHIP
...have a solid discipleship plan that enables new and present
believers to discover, develop, and exercise their God-given gifts
of service. We will seek to call out, equip, and guide people
into effective leadership for the various ministries God lays
before us.
In addition we sense God leading us to specifically address the
developmental needs of families in our church and the community.
We will address areas such as a Christian approach to strengthening
marriages, parenting, single parenting, divorce recovery, grief
recovery, among others.
MINISTRY
...lead believers to embrace an eagerness to live a servant lifestyle,
both inside the church and in our community and world. We believe
that God calls every believer to be a servant-minister. Through
ministry God opens many doors for us to share the Gospel in our
secular world.
The Lord has laid several areas of specific focus on our hearts.
First, we will use every available means to love and care for
our senior adults. Second, we will provide a facility and ministry
to strengthen family relationships; to develop Christian friends;
to provide opportunity for clean, wholesome Christian family activity;
and provide an opportunity for nonbelievers to find Christ and
learn to follow Him!
In addition, we believe God has called us to be a resource center
where every Christian can be developed to his or her full potential
for ministry, and where the hurting, the depressed, the frustrated
or the confused can find love, acceptance, help, hope, forgiveness,
guidance, encouragement, and when needed, salvation.
MISSION INVOLVEMENT
...go beyond our church to carry the love of God and His salvation
to others. We believe God is calling us to send out dozens, perhaps
even hundreds, of missionaries into the world on short-term and
long-term projects. We at First Baptist Church are to encourage
God's empowerment on every member for a personal exercise of mission
service in our world. This will take place as we devote ourselves
to mission education, and more important, to calling and equipping
believers to specific mission service opportunities.
