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Mission Design Plan
for
First United Methodist Church
(This plan was adopted in April 2005 as a five year plan.)
What is the church?
"The body of Christ," Paul says. "The communion of saints," suggests the ancient creed. "Open to people of all ages, nations, and races," are the words from the Baptismal Covenant. "The area through which disciple-making occurs," according to The Book of Discipline, 2004.
The church universal includes all who follow Jesus into the presence of God from every time and place. First United Methodist Church is part of the church universal revealed in Independence, Kansas. Human beings are social creatures. We do not know the fullness of our purpose apart from community. This congregation is a community
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in which we grow in relationship to God through Jesus Christ;
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in which we proclaim the good news of God's love for the world, revealed in Jesus Christ;
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through which we love the people of the world as God loves them.
Plan for Ministry
The core values, those values critical to the work of the church, as named most often by the congregation in the study done by the Mission Design Team, are faith, education, mission, caring, and inclusion. These values have been upheld in the plan for ministry proposed below. The plan holds as the three primary goals the following:
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strengthening worship;
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a deeper, more intelligent understanding of the Christian faith and the Bible;
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increased opportunities for individuals to grow as followers of Jesus.
In order to accomplish these three objectives, we propose focusing on five specific ministry areas: worship and preaching, education, youth ministry, missions and outreach, and pastoral care.
It is the hope of the Mission Design Team that the congregation will embrace the plan for strengthening ministry and that all committees, councils, ministry areas, groups and individuals will use this plan as the guide for their ministries. It is our prayer that by giving the "extra horsepower" to these focus areas, our church will hold a common vision for ministry that will move it in a unified way to a stronger place of growth and witness. This plan for ministry will be our guide for the next three to five years, as determined by accomplishment of the goals and by ongoing evaluation.
It is the belief of the Mission Design Team that, after this careful and intentional work to strengthen our ministry, our church will be in a unique position to accomplish the next challenge on our journey in and toward the Kingdom of God.
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Prayer changes things!