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Strategic Planning

Several years back, God led FBC Rockport to relocate to the current location, culminating a vision going back perhaps 20 years or more. The Lord provided not only the vision of relocating for the purpose of further kingdom growth and impact, but He then provided the land, sold the old property, got the current building built, filled it full of people from day one, and then provided the funds to pay off the debt. We will be completely debt free in the near future. We have much to celebrate!

I believe God called me here to be a part of what He has in mind next. I don’t know what He has in store, but I am convinced that He has only just begun. For this reason, I propose that this fall we enter into a time of prayer and fasting, and that we earnestly seek the Lord together to get a sense of His leading thus far, to discern His current activity in our church and in Aransas County, and then to follow in faith and obedience as He leads us into the future. I am calling this a time of strategic planning, but it is as much a time of seeking the Lord and renewal as it is a time of “long-range planning.”

The goal will be to receive God’s vision for our immediate future and then develop a plan for how we can take hold of that vision. This could involve many things:

  • Uniting our diverse membership under the Lord’s leading into the future He has in store for us
  • Greater outreach and ministry effort into Aransas County, the state of Texas and across the world
  • A plan for developing our property to help us accomplish God’s vision
  • A blueprint for organizing and structuring our church ministries in order to help us accomplish God’s vision and fulfill our mission statement
  • And so much more!

The Church Council has voted to bring this before the church in the August Business Meeting. At that time I will ask the church to consider several proposals:

  • That FBC commit to the Strategic Planning process
  • That FBC elect a Strategic Planning Team. The Church Council will be able to recommend how in August. The ministerial staff will be members of the team.
  • That FBC call Dr. Lash Banks to serve as our consultant through the process; Dr. Banks will lead us to develop an operational plan for the immediate future of the church. He is not a consultant on building new buildings.
  • That FBC set aside the necessary funds to pay for the planning process.

In the Evening Worship Service on August 10 I will answer the question, “Why do we need to conduct strategic planning?” Then in the Evening Worship Service on August 17, Dr. Lash Banks will be here to give an overview of how he will lead us through the planning process and you will be able to ask questions.

Again let me emphasize that this is not a fundraising campaign, nor is it a building program. This is a time of seeking the Lord so we can determine who we are and what He would have us to be doing, and how we should go about doing what He has called us to do.

Please pray with me as we consider the best way to proceed into the future together.

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