Vision Night 2014

Ongoing mission of EvFree Fullerton:To develop, empower and release kingdom people and kingdom communities into missional engagement in their spheres of influence.

Where we’ve been:As an elder team, we have spent months prayerfully considering the following questions:

What does the mission of God call us to at this time and in this place? What do we need to do today to be a thriving church 10 years from now? Where is the Holy Spirit already moving in our community?

Where we’ve been:What are the best parts of our past that need to be carried forward? What needs to change to make room for fresh growth and leadership?

Ongoing mission of EvFree Fullerton:3 Core Convictions:1. Jesus has a future for this church far

beyond our lifetimes.2. The Church is a missionary

organization, charged with the fulfilling the great commission in every generation.

3. The Church is to faithfully transmit the faith to its children and grandchildren.

Ongoing mission of EvFree Fullerton:We will do whatever it takes to continue creating an adaptable, innovative and compelling community which engages with joyful passion and urgency in the missionary task God has given EvFree Fullerton.

Where we’ve been:During the senior pastor search process in 2011, the congregational survey identified the following top three areas for growth:

EvangelismEngaging the younger generationIntergenerational connectedness

Where we’ve been:That same survey identified the following as the most significant challenges faced by our church:

Local Outreach: “This remains a part of our vision and is an area we’re seeking to grow.”Younger Generations: “Reaching/Retaining the younger generations is a priority for us.”

Where we’ve been:Spiritual Growth: “Discipleship has long been a priority for us and we recognize the need to broaden and deepen our efforts to help people grow in Christ.”

Where we’ve been:A summary report of this survey stated: “As mentioned earlier, we have a rich history. While this has produced some strong traditions, during this time of transition we recognize the need to

loosen the soil around some of those roots. In short we are still growing and learning, and we recognize the need

for continued transformational change today.”

Where we’ve been:As elders, we applaud our congregation for standing behind those words as staff, governance and policies have undergone significant restructuring. We realize that many changes have taken place over the last two years and that this has been a hardship for some.

Where we’ve been:We grieve for those who have been hurt in the change process. We also recognize the need to continue moving in the direction we feel God is leading us.

There are many aspects of our heritage that we will carry forward:Public and faithful preaching of the

Scriptures Connecting people together in small/mid-sized, biblical communities Development of healthy families, marriages and children Ministry to the forgotten, especially the disabled and elderly

Commitments going forward:Global and local missionsPriesthood of all believers Intergenerational ministryRadical generosityGrace and truth extended to the broken High commitment and engagement

Where we’re going:Given the urgency of our mission, the current growth areas/challenges identified by the church, and the prayerful study and reflection by church leadership, we will take the following steps within the next 2-3 years:

1. Launch a discipleship path that moves through three areas:

FollowConnectGo

This will require us to strategically focus staff and eliminate/adjust unaligned ministries.

2. Align all corporate expressions of group life:Because we highly value the connection of God’s people in small to mid-sized groups: 1. All corporate expressions of biblical

community need to be aligned, resourced, and committed to the mission of EvFree. In turn, those are the ones we will promote and invest in.

2. Align all corporate expressions of group life:Because we highly value the connection of God’s people in small to mid-sized groups: 2. We will categorize group life into 3 areas:• Community Groups (Sunday AM +

midweek)• Restore Groups (Support/Care

groups)• HOST Groups (internal, church-

focused service)

2. Align all corporate expressions of group life:Because we highly value the connection of God’s people in small to mid-sized groups: 3. Existing Adult Fellowships will be

aligned with the Community Group Charter (as written by the Community Group MLT).

4. Adult Fellowships will be corporately renamed as “Community Groups.”

2. Align all corporate expressions of group life:Because we highly value the connection of God’s people in small to mid-sized groups: 5. All Community Groups will have

trained, jointly appointed, resourced and accountable leadership.

2. Align all corporate expressions of group life:Because we highly value the connection of God’s people in small to mid-sized groups: 6. Our investment in Community

Groups and their leaders, and our resourcing of them, will increase.

3. Continue to develop multiple weekend venues and multiple teaching voices:Sunday Night Service

Parallel Sunday morning servicesSeek off campus weekend venuesOn-line presenceDevelop other teachersIncubate off-campus venues on our campus

FAQ about multiple voices/venues:Why more than one teacher teaching on a weekend?

1.CUP2.Giving Ministry Away3.Prep together/Debrief together4.Mike Podcast 

FAQ about multiple voices/venues:How often will Mike be preaching?

The Elders and Mike have agreed that it is wise for Mike to preach between 75-80% of the time in a calendar year:1. Sustainable balance2. Develop younger teachers3. Introduce other kingdom voices

FAQ about multiple voices/venues:4. Study break in August5. Other speaking opportunities6. Balance leadership/preaching

responsibilities

FAQ about multiple voices/venues:So what is a worship “venue”?

• A gathering space (other than the main worship center) for weekend worship services (on campus or off campus)• On-campus: live teaching/worship• Off-campus: live/videoed teaching and live worship

FAQ about multiple voices/venues:So what is a worship “venue”?

A worship venue can be on our campus (like the Commons or Chapel) or off campus (high school gym or movie theater).

FAQ about multiple voices/venues:Why are we creating other worship

venues? 

1.Raise up/empower other MTs2.Create more room for weekend

gatherings3.Smaller, more intimate gatherings4.Move EvFree into neighborhoods

and other public spaces5. To facilitate mission toward people

who might not come to a church campus.

FAQ about multiple voices/venues:Why are we creating other worship

venues? 

No long terms plans are in place at this time; we just sense God calling us to live in openness and readiness.

4. Develop and begin to implement a master plan for our campus that includes:Evaluation of all facility usage (e.g., The Well, Library, Gym, D-Amp) to ensure it is in alignment with our mission and vision

Long-term vision for our apartment complexDevelopment of new children’s facility/other venue spaceContinued minimization of impact on our neighbors

5. Continue our commitment to being good neighbors and seeking the good of our city by:

Developing OC United/Love FullertonUtilizing office space downtown Enfold and refocus the Good Samaritan Center into OC UnitedMore intentionally reflecting the age, ethnic, economic and cultural diversity of our community

6. Change our public/external church name while still maintaining our constitutional distinctiveness as the First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton:To best facilitate our mission to be a church that is accessible to those distant from God, we believe we must adopt a new public name (Richfield Community Church example).

6. Change our public/external church name while still maintaining our constitutional distinctiveness as the First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton:Our intention is to make this change at the start of the next fiscal year: May 2015.

FAQ about public name change:Are we changing the name of our church?

No and yes. No, we are not changing the legal name of our church as it is stated in the constitution:

First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton

We desire to change our “public” or “external” name – the name by which we are known to the outside community.

FAQ about public name change:Are we ceasing to be associated with the Evangelical Free Church of America?

By no means! We fully support our denominational association.

FAQ about public name change:Are we ceasing to be associated with the Evangelical Free Church of America?

We have almost 60 years of goodwill (regionally and denominationally) associated with our name, why would we disregard that?

FAQ about public name change:Are we ceasing to be associated with the Evangelical Free Church of America?

We are proud of our name and heritage. We are convinced, however, that to a post-Christian world our official name doesn’t communicate meaningfully about us and may have negative connotations.

FAQ about public name change:1. Most churches in our area no longer

employ numerical signifiers (like First, Second, or Third) to distinguish themselves from similar denominational churches in the same region.

2. “Evangelical” has negative connotations for many.

3. “EvFree” is unclear/doesn’t communicate much about us.

FAQ about public name change:4. We are a church for more than the city of Fullerton.

We are located in Fullerton, but are open to having multiple venues, sites, and partnerships with churches all over the region.

FAQ about public name change:Moreover, as we look at who regularly attends, we are better seen as a regional church, (i.e., North OC) than a city church. We should have an external name that better reflects our regional influence.

FAQ about public name change:How will this new name be chosen? Do you have one already in mind?

No. We will seek suggestions and then prayerfully choose one that best embodies and furthers our mission. We will file a DBA form (“Doing Business As”) and other paperwork with local, state and denominational agencies.

7. Move to one “contemporary” musical worship style in the worship center:Increase the variety of musical styles in

the 8:00 service (choir and orchestra will be utilized approx. twice a month). Broaden the music style at our 9:30, 11:00 and 5:00 services. We will consider the development of a traditional worship venue.

FAQ about worship music:What are we changing?

Sometime within the next two years, we will be moving toward one musical style in our services in the worship center.

That style will be “contemporary” in nature, although we intend to broaden the definition of contemporary.

FAQ about worship music:So, no more choir and orchestra?

When we reach that point, we will not have the choir and orchestra leading in the worship center during our weekend gatherings.

However, this includes the possibility of their continued ministry in other venues/special events.

FAQ about worship music:Why are we making this change?

1. For the sake of the next generation.

2. For the sake of intergenerational unity.

3. For the sake of the mission.

4. For the sake of room/flexibility.

FAQ about worship music:1. Elders are available after this

meeting.2. Mike will be at The Well on Tuesday

September 23 & 30 from 9:00 am -1:00 pm.

3. Books available:

FAQ about worship music:4. Video of Vision Night will be

available online at www.evfreefullerton.com.

5. Handouts will be available in the lobby and on our website.

6. If you have church name ideas, send to namechange@evfreefullerton.com.