Ministry Development Plan
Vision and Mission
Our ultimate goal is to create churches who plant churches that plant churches. (Life-giving)
The first step to this goal is to create a healthy church culture of empowering leaders who empower more leaders. (Healthy people do healthy things.)
Common Purpose
The Grove exists to reach people with the life-giving message of Jesus Christ that they may experience and live The Best Life Possible.
We consider reaching people one of our greatest responsibilities. Our weekend services serve people at all stages in their spiritual journey but are primarily geared toward the seekers and unchurched.
Core Values (quality standards)
Healthy Relationships
Health- growing, reproducing, contributing, altruistic, life.
Highly Relational- model, pursue, care
Life-giving
Life- generous, enjoyable, relevant, fun,
Authentic- open, honest, transparent, genuine, real
Intentional- mission centric, leadership development, mentorship, multiplication
Passionate about all the above (we care deeply)
Components to Developing a Healthy Church
Quality Characteristics of a Life-giving Church
We believe a healthy church has 8 Life-giving Characteristics:
We will measure our progress and evaluate our health by these 8 Quality Characteristics.
Development Plan
1. Strategic Weekend Services
Sunday morning services is the largest entry point for people to The Grove. We want people to have such an enjoyable experience that they return, even better if they return with friends. The more times a person experiences God’s presence and teachings the more likely life change will take place. Our job is to sow and water seeds, God’s job is growth people and The Grove. Wise farmers cultivate and sow on good soil.
1.1 Prayer
Prayer is our starting point if we are to accomplish this large vision. We need continual prayer before, during and after each step of the way.
a. Personal/Individual prayer time
b. Corporate prayer time
c. Intercessors
1.2 Team
The church is about serving others. It will take a team to have Inspiring Services.
1.3 Worship
Quality dynamic music is important in facilitating a great experience, however authentic and honest worship is even more important. Both are preferred. If we can only have one, we choice the second.
1.4 Children’s Ministry
Empowering leaders starts with kids. It is not our goal to have ministry for kids just to make parents happy, but to raise up leaders. Quality kids ministry is one of the most important ministries we have. Our budget will reflect this. Kids ministry must be well staffed, safe, and fun.
1.5 Communication
It will take a team to engage our culture with messages that will meet people where they are and bring them to where God wants them to be.
1.6 Call to Salvation & Baptism
a. We anticipate & expect people to respond to God’s invitation to follow Him so we will give an opportunity every service.
b. Baptism is the next step after receiving Christ as Lord. We will give an opportunity each month for people to take this step.
2. Growth Track
Growth track is our assimilation process for new people to go from attender to Team member. These classes will be ongoing each month in expectation that people are responding to salvation and baptism. This process is a journey of spiritual growth, it must be obvious, easy, and helpful for a newcomer.
2.1 Church
This class will be offered every first sunday of the month. This step answers the question “What does this church have to offer me?”. Church explains the win, strategy, beliefs, and the structure of The Grove. Membership is offered at this point.
2.2 Essentials
This class will be offered every second sunday of the month. This step answers the question “How can I grow spiritually?”. Essentials is all about what it takes to have a healthy relationship with God. This class will define discipleship as a life- long process. Health habits like bible study, prayer, fellowship, living a spirit led life and giving ourselves.
2.3 Discovery
This class will be offered every third sunday of the month. This step answers the question “How do I find my purpose?”. Discovery is about helping people discover their purpose and gifts. This class helps us place people in the right areas of serving on Team.
2.4 Team
This class will be offered every fourth sunday of the month. This step answers the question “How can I serve?”. Team is all about getting people using their gifts to accomplish the vision and mission of the Grove. Our job as leaders is to empower people to do ministry. This step is crucial in being effective as a church.
2.5 Newcomers Reception/Connection
Opportunity to connect new people to the team and leadership. (First week)
3. Small Groups
Groups become the essence of the true life of the church as they apply biblical insight to everyday issues of the participants. We will be a church of groups not just a church with groups. We know that circles are better than rows when it comes to discipling people. Groups will be where we point everyone as a solution to their needs being met. We believe that the easiest way to evaluate the health of an individual is in a community of friends where honesty and transparency can take place.
3.1 Groups
Groups will take on all different kinds of forms. But the function should be the same: (holistic)
a. Highly Relational
b. Intimate Community
c. Practical help
d. Intensive spiritual interaction
3.2 Children’s Ministry
We want to create a culture of small groups at an early age. Small group leaders can play a huge role in the spiritual development of our youngest members.
3.3 Student Ministry
In the beginning groups might be the best place to start a ministry to Students (Middle, High school, College). However, there is value in larger gatherings.
3.4 Celebrate Recovery/Life
Health for some will take a process of breaking addictions, unhealthy habits, and unhealthy lifestyles. These groups might look different from most.
4. First Wednesday/ Training Experiences
As people go on the discipleship journey we will need to create environments like first wednesday and other events that will help the maturing process. We will use our once a month midweek for communion and to cover topics geared for the church.
5. Planting/Multiple Locations
As God grows The Grove and we are able to expand The Church we will do so in planting churches or adding multiple locations. We will use whatever means, methods or tools that best facilitates growth and health. Planting our first daughter church will be the fruit that best demonstrates the health of The Grove. When our daughter church plants a church we are well on our way to accomplishing what we set out to do as a church plant.
Quality Characteristics- Focus on Life-giving ministry.
A Healthy church will produce fruit “all by itself” (Mark 4:26-29)
1. Empowering Leadership
Life-giving leaders do not try to build up their own power to become all powerful. Exactly the opposite. They consider it as one of their most important tasks to help Christians develop greater degrees of empowerment, which according to God’s plan already belongs to them.
Question: Are our leaders focused on equipping believers for ministry?
2. Gift-oriented Ministry
The basis for this quality is the conviction that God has already determined which Christian should best assume which ministries in our church. The role of leadership is to help our members identify their gifts and integrate them into ministries that match their gifts.
Question: Are tasks in our church distributed according to the criterion of gifting?
3. Passionate Spirituality
The important thing (as long as spirituality is real) is not the way spirituality is expressed, but the fact that faith is actually lived out with commitment, fire and enthusiasm.
Question: Is the spiritual life of our church members characterized by passion?
4. Functional Structures
Church structures are never an end in themselves but always only a means to an end. The most important criterion for forms and structures in the church is if they fulfill their purpose or not. We will change (or lay to rest) whatever does not measure up to this requirement.
Question: Do the structures of The Grove contribute to growth?
5. Inspiring Worship (services)
We want people who attend our service to unanimously declare that the church service is—“fun.”
Questions: Is our service an inspiring experience for those who attend it? Did they return? Did they return with a friend?
6. Holistic Small Groups
We must developed a system of small groups where individual Christians can find intimate community, practical help and intensive spiritual interaction. Groups will be the essence of the true life of the church as they apply biblical insight to the everyday issues of the participants.
Question: Do our small groups address the life issues of those who attend?
7. Need-oriented Evangelism
We must share the gospel in a way that meets the questions and needs of non- Christians. Praying for the lost, giving to missions, and celebrating changed lives creates a culture that makes “others” the reason we exist. Connecting the disconnected must becomes the passion of our church.
Question: Are the evangelistic activities related to needs of those we are trying to win?
8. Loving Relationships
Genuine, practical love will provide The Grove with a much greater magnetic power than all the marketing efforts of this world.
Question: Are the relationships of our members characterized by love?
Life-giving Budgets
Click here for more information on how we budget.
Our ultimate goal is to create churches who plant churches that plant churches. (Life-giving)
The first step to this goal is to create a healthy church culture of empowering leaders who empower more leaders. (Healthy people do healthy things.)
Common Purpose
The Grove exists to reach people with the life-giving message of Jesus Christ that they may experience and live The Best Life Possible.
We consider reaching people one of our greatest responsibilities. Our weekend services serve people at all stages in their spiritual journey but are primarily geared toward the seekers and unchurched.
Core Values (quality standards)
Healthy Relationships
Health- growing, reproducing, contributing, altruistic, life.
Highly Relational- model, pursue, care
Life-giving
Life- generous, enjoyable, relevant, fun,
Authentic- open, honest, transparent, genuine, real
Intentional- mission centric, leadership development, mentorship, multiplication
Passionate about all the above (we care deeply)
Components to Developing a Healthy Church
- Strategic Weekend Services
- Growth Track
- Small Groups
- First Wednesday/ Training Experiences
- Church Planting/Multiple Locations
Quality Characteristics of a Life-giving Church
We believe a healthy church has 8 Life-giving Characteristics:
- Empowering Leadership
- Gift-oriented Ministry
- Passionate Spirituality
- Functional Structures
- Inspiring Worship (services)
- Holistic Small Groups
- Need-oriented Evangelism
- Loving Relationships.
We will measure our progress and evaluate our health by these 8 Quality Characteristics.
Development Plan
1. Strategic Weekend Services
Sunday morning services is the largest entry point for people to The Grove. We want people to have such an enjoyable experience that they return, even better if they return with friends. The more times a person experiences God’s presence and teachings the more likely life change will take place. Our job is to sow and water seeds, God’s job is growth people and The Grove. Wise farmers cultivate and sow on good soil.
1.1 Prayer
Prayer is our starting point if we are to accomplish this large vision. We need continual prayer before, during and after each step of the way.
a. Personal/Individual prayer time
b. Corporate prayer time
c. Intercessors
1.2 Team
The church is about serving others. It will take a team to have Inspiring Services.
1.3 Worship
Quality dynamic music is important in facilitating a great experience, however authentic and honest worship is even more important. Both are preferred. If we can only have one, we choice the second.
1.4 Children’s Ministry
Empowering leaders starts with kids. It is not our goal to have ministry for kids just to make parents happy, but to raise up leaders. Quality kids ministry is one of the most important ministries we have. Our budget will reflect this. Kids ministry must be well staffed, safe, and fun.
1.5 Communication
It will take a team to engage our culture with messages that will meet people where they are and bring them to where God wants them to be.
1.6 Call to Salvation & Baptism
a. We anticipate & expect people to respond to God’s invitation to follow Him so we will give an opportunity every service.
b. Baptism is the next step after receiving Christ as Lord. We will give an opportunity each month for people to take this step.
2. Growth Track
Growth track is our assimilation process for new people to go from attender to Team member. These classes will be ongoing each month in expectation that people are responding to salvation and baptism. This process is a journey of spiritual growth, it must be obvious, easy, and helpful for a newcomer.
2.1 Church
This class will be offered every first sunday of the month. This step answers the question “What does this church have to offer me?”. Church explains the win, strategy, beliefs, and the structure of The Grove. Membership is offered at this point.
2.2 Essentials
This class will be offered every second sunday of the month. This step answers the question “How can I grow spiritually?”. Essentials is all about what it takes to have a healthy relationship with God. This class will define discipleship as a life- long process. Health habits like bible study, prayer, fellowship, living a spirit led life and giving ourselves.
2.3 Discovery
This class will be offered every third sunday of the month. This step answers the question “How do I find my purpose?”. Discovery is about helping people discover their purpose and gifts. This class helps us place people in the right areas of serving on Team.
2.4 Team
This class will be offered every fourth sunday of the month. This step answers the question “How can I serve?”. Team is all about getting people using their gifts to accomplish the vision and mission of the Grove. Our job as leaders is to empower people to do ministry. This step is crucial in being effective as a church.
2.5 Newcomers Reception/Connection
Opportunity to connect new people to the team and leadership. (First week)
3. Small Groups
Groups become the essence of the true life of the church as they apply biblical insight to everyday issues of the participants. We will be a church of groups not just a church with groups. We know that circles are better than rows when it comes to discipling people. Groups will be where we point everyone as a solution to their needs being met. We believe that the easiest way to evaluate the health of an individual is in a community of friends where honesty and transparency can take place.
3.1 Groups
Groups will take on all different kinds of forms. But the function should be the same: (holistic)
a. Highly Relational
b. Intimate Community
c. Practical help
d. Intensive spiritual interaction
3.2 Children’s Ministry
We want to create a culture of small groups at an early age. Small group leaders can play a huge role in the spiritual development of our youngest members.
3.3 Student Ministry
In the beginning groups might be the best place to start a ministry to Students (Middle, High school, College). However, there is value in larger gatherings.
3.4 Celebrate Recovery/Life
Health for some will take a process of breaking addictions, unhealthy habits, and unhealthy lifestyles. These groups might look different from most.
4. First Wednesday/ Training Experiences
As people go on the discipleship journey we will need to create environments like first wednesday and other events that will help the maturing process. We will use our once a month midweek for communion and to cover topics geared for the church.
5. Planting/Multiple Locations
As God grows The Grove and we are able to expand The Church we will do so in planting churches or adding multiple locations. We will use whatever means, methods or tools that best facilitates growth and health. Planting our first daughter church will be the fruit that best demonstrates the health of The Grove. When our daughter church plants a church we are well on our way to accomplishing what we set out to do as a church plant.
Quality Characteristics- Focus on Life-giving ministry.
A Healthy church will produce fruit “all by itself” (Mark 4:26-29)
1. Empowering Leadership
Life-giving leaders do not try to build up their own power to become all powerful. Exactly the opposite. They consider it as one of their most important tasks to help Christians develop greater degrees of empowerment, which according to God’s plan already belongs to them.
Question: Are our leaders focused on equipping believers for ministry?
2. Gift-oriented Ministry
The basis for this quality is the conviction that God has already determined which Christian should best assume which ministries in our church. The role of leadership is to help our members identify their gifts and integrate them into ministries that match their gifts.
Question: Are tasks in our church distributed according to the criterion of gifting?
3. Passionate Spirituality
The important thing (as long as spirituality is real) is not the way spirituality is expressed, but the fact that faith is actually lived out with commitment, fire and enthusiasm.
Question: Is the spiritual life of our church members characterized by passion?
4. Functional Structures
Church structures are never an end in themselves but always only a means to an end. The most important criterion for forms and structures in the church is if they fulfill their purpose or not. We will change (or lay to rest) whatever does not measure up to this requirement.
Question: Do the structures of The Grove contribute to growth?
5. Inspiring Worship (services)
We want people who attend our service to unanimously declare that the church service is—“fun.”
Questions: Is our service an inspiring experience for those who attend it? Did they return? Did they return with a friend?
6. Holistic Small Groups
We must developed a system of small groups where individual Christians can find intimate community, practical help and intensive spiritual interaction. Groups will be the essence of the true life of the church as they apply biblical insight to the everyday issues of the participants.
Question: Do our small groups address the life issues of those who attend?
7. Need-oriented Evangelism
We must share the gospel in a way that meets the questions and needs of non- Christians. Praying for the lost, giving to missions, and celebrating changed lives creates a culture that makes “others” the reason we exist. Connecting the disconnected must becomes the passion of our church.
Question: Are the evangelistic activities related to needs of those we are trying to win?
8. Loving Relationships
Genuine, practical love will provide The Grove with a much greater magnetic power than all the marketing efforts of this world.
Question: Are the relationships of our members characterized by love?
Life-giving Budgets
Click here for more information on how we budget.