Mission and Vision

And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

Micah 6:8 ESV

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Psalm 138:8 ESV

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

The Mission of All Churches is To Make God Known by Proclaiming Christ to the World.

Isaiah 58:1–11 ESV

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

It is important to know what pleases God because otherwise, we will revert to traditions and practices that make us feel good but do not accomplish His task for us. That is the beginning part of these verses. Israel had begun to go through the motions with no real heart for the lost people and for true redemption of the sinner. They just did what they do for them. So they would feel better. So they would feel accomplished. I do not want our church to fall into the same trap.

The Mission of All Churches is To Make God Known by Proclaiming Christ to the World.

But what is the mission of Fairlawn? What part do we play in this overarching larger mission?

How do we aid in the advancement of the Gospel?

How do we tend sheep while also growing the flock?

First we determine who we are as a church.

Then we determine where He wants us to go as a church.

I had some very special people to help me discover these things.

The team was made up of Sandy Lawrentz, Kevin Mahaffey, Randy Thompson, Sarah Markley and Myself.

We started with a list of things we do really well.

We are hospitable

We are welcoming

We are givers

We are active

We are changing

We are worshippers

What do we need to improve in?

We need better discipleship

We need better community engagement outside our facility

We need better stewardship

We need better mission focus

We need more accountability

What do we feel that God wants us to be in 5 years and in 10 years?

A Mission Statement says “Who we are”

A Vision Statement says “Who we want to be”

Isaiah 58:6–9 ESV

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

1 John 3:17 ESV

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

We are so blessed! So Blessed! We focus on all the struggles we have but we are truly blessed. Especially over the last several months, counting blessings has become more and more difficult.

So how do we as church avoid Israel’s folly?

Isaiah 58:10–11 ESV

if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Do we pour ourselves out for the hungry?

Hungry for food, shelter but also spiritually hungry.

Matthew 5:6 ESV

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

How will they be satisfied? By the filling of the spirit.

How does that occur? Through the surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

How does that happen? Through the engagement of the local church as we live and proclaim the gospel.

2 Timothy 1:5–9 ESV

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

Generations handed it down

Then it was lived in the present

Now it needs to be fanned into flames for the future.

We are the body of Christ.

I want my light to rise in the darkness. Don’t you?

I want my gloom to turn to as bright as noonday. Don’t you?

I want the Lord to guide me always. Don’t you?

I want my desires satisfied. Don’t you?

I want my bones strong, my garden watered and for my springs to never fail! Don’t you?

Don’t we all want that?

How do we do that?

Isaiah 58:10 ESV

if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

Pour ourselves out for the hungry!

Mission Statement

Fairlawn is here to stand firm in the newfound faith and freedom of the Lord Jesus Christ, ready to share the Gospel to a dead and dying world with boldness and conviction.

Catch Phrase “Cast Your Nets On The Other Side Of Our Walls”

Vision Statement

Fairlawn strives to bring gospel answers to our community’s need by knowing and engaging the people of the Mid-Ohio Valley and beyond.

Catch Phrase “Get Out Amongst ‘Em”

Guiding Principles for Rallying Around Our Common Purpose

What steps need to occur for us to know our community?

Surveys

Speak with Schools

Speaking with Volunteer Fire Dept.

Speaking with other churches

What do the people I am trying to reach really need?

Outside the church proper

Non-confrontational, neutral ground

In-Community engagement

What group or need outside of our church is your ministry intentionally reaching?

Elderly - Assistance

Oil and Gas Workers

Childcare/Tutoring

Eval Questions

What Groups have you engaged?

How many gospel engagements have you had?

What have been the measurable kingdom results?

What have been the responses you have received or seen?

What are you doing to follow up after the event?

Let’s be on Mission with God

Let’s be Fairlawn Baptist Church

Let’s pour ourselves out for the hungry

the redneck version

Let’s Get Out Among ‘Em!!

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