Choose a section of the "2020 Vision" from the choices below

INTRODUCTION

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run it." (Habakkuk 2:2)  

What do you think of when you hear the year 2020? Space ships, Star Wars, the Jetsons? Well, believe it or not, the year 2020 is only years away and will be here before we know it. At Shadowbrook, we want to be ready for the year 2020 and all that God has prepared for us to do over the next years. That's the heart of the "2020 Vision". It is a look at some of the goals, directions and plans for Shadowbrook so that we can impact Suwanee and the surrounding communities in a focused and strategic way. But the vision is not just contained in Suwanee, but the entire world! "2020 Vision" is a plan to be used by God both here and across the world as we await Christ's return.

But before any clear vision of what lies ahead can be developed, it is important to come to a clear understanding of what we believe to be the mission of our church. The staff developed a Mission statement in 2004 based upon what we understand to be the five major purposes of a New Testament church. Our Mission Statement pulls together these five purposes in God's call for us to CONNECT OUR COMMUNITY TO CHRIST.

A second foundational piece of groundwork of the "2020 Vision" was to establish a set of Core Values that would serve as a guide in the planning and development of all that we do at Shadowbrook. We felt that this was especially important in light of the tremendous diversity in beliefs and religious backgrounds of those who live in our community. The 10 Core Values help us to clearly define what we believe to be the heartbeat of Shadowbrook. They will serve to help us stay on target for the future and serve as a benchmark for all planning, programming and ministry.

As we established the Mission Statement and Core Values, we looked at the current trends that are shaping the future of the American Church. Some of these trends are positive, while many others are quite disturbing. All of them will directly or indirectly affect the future of Shadowbrook and were taken into account as the vision of the future was formed. The resulting Vision Statement is designed to give us a common direction at Shadowbrook in the face of so many changes in our world.

The part of the "2020 Vision" that begins to get more specific can be found in the Goals and Strategies for the next years. The Goals and Strategies have been broken up into Short, Mid and Long Term goals. Naturally, the Short Terms Goals are much more numerous and defined. The Mid and Long Term Goals are more general and fewer in number. Our primary focus will be on the Short Term goals as they are a foundation for all future goals. And that is where you play an important part of the "2020 Vision".

Plans are empty and lifeless without the touch of participation. God has set before us a dramatic call to reach this community for Him, but it won't happen unless each of us respond to the challenge and become involved as He leads. Our prayer is that you will look over this Vision and see a personal invitation to be involved in the building of God's kingdom in our community and throughout the world!

CORE VALUES

  • We believe that the Bible is true and that its teaching is the catalyst for life-change in indivuals and in the church. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12)
  • We believe that Christ is the only way to God and that a central focus of the church is to reach people with the good news of Christ's life, death and resurrection, leading to a personal relationship with Him. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)
  • We believe that the church should be culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23; 1 Timothy 4:16)
  • We believe that followers of Christ should strive for coninuous spiritual growth through discipleship and mentoring. (Hebrews 6:1; Matthew 28:19-20)
  • We believe that God has called us to help families and parents provide children and youth with the spiritual grounding and challenge to help them come to know Christ, and to help them desire to serve Christ. (Proverbs 22:6; Psalms 78:2-6)
  • We belive God answers prayer. We will strive to be a people for prayer, both individually and as a church, knowing that God hears us and promises to answer. (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2-4)
  • We believe that growth toward a Christ filled life is significantly influenced through intentional and developed relationships with other believers. (Luke 6:12-13; Acts 2:44-47)
  • We believe that excellence honors God and inspires people. (Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31)
  • We believe that worship pleases God and strengthens believers. We believe that true worship goes beyond Sunday mornings but every moment we seek to know and serve God. (John4:23; 1 Peter 2:9-10)
  • We believe that every believer is called by God to be faithful in honoring the Lord with his/her time, talent, and treasure, and the use of his/her spiritual gifts. (Leviticus 27:30; Ephesians 4:11-13)

VISION STATEMENT

Shadowbrook Baptist Church desires to be a church serving the diverse population of Suwanee and surrounding communities by reaching people from all walks of life with the unifying message of Christ.

It is our vision to build a congregation that is grounded in God's Word and committed to following God's call upon our lives to REACH those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ while making True Disciples of those who know Christ personally.

We desire to be a lighthouse of spiritual influence to the Suwanee community through direct involvement in the community with intentional event planning, participation and presence.

We desire to be a church that maintains a high personal touch while not inhibiting God's call to grow His church. We believe that this can be maintained through the small group structure of Bible Study and the addition of home-based groups over the next three years.

We desire to fulfill God's call to reach the world by being directly involved in the support and development of one new church at the local, state, national and international level over the next 10 years.

TRENDS AFFECTING THE CHURCH OF 2020

  • Change in America's spiritual climate
    • Denominations and religious DIVERSITY
    • Increased interest in SPIRITUALITY but decreased interest in RELIGION
    • Decrease belief in MORAL ATTRIBUTES
  • Change in the way people "do" church
    • Shift from DOCTRINE based authority to an EXPERIENTIAL based authority
    • Shift from DENOMINATIONAL to NON-DENOMINATIONAL churches
    • Shift from MISSION centered orientation to a WORSHIP centered orientation.
  • Change in the way that churches "do" church
    • Shift from LOCAL churches to REGIONAL churches
    • Shift from ONE SIGHT to MULTI-SIGHT campuses
    • Shift from CATCH ALL to DEFINED NICHE churches
    • Shift from SUNDAY SCHOOL to COMMUNITY GROUPS
  • Change in demographics of America
    • Rise in number of SINGLE ADULTS
    • Rise in number of SENIOR ADULTS
    • Rise in HISPANIC population
  • Change in the Gwinnett and Suwanee community
    • Population in Suwanee will more than DOUBLE in next 10 years
    • Demographics will become more and more DIVERSE
    • Many who live here now will move out, but community will maintain certain economic levels (like the Dunwoody area)
    • Development continues to focus on the creation of a downtown Suwanee
    • No other church has greater opportunity to be the "Community Church"

SHORT TERM GOALS (2006-2007)

  • Reach 700 in Bible Study by 2007 so that we may move forward with our plans for a new Worship Center
  • Help sponsor one new or existing church in the state of Georgia
  • Average 50 people at each GO NIGHT in the Outreach Ministry of our church
  • Train 50 new people in the FAITH outreach program
  • Baptize 107 people between January 2006-December 2007
  • Develop an Upwards Basketball program aimed at reaching boys and girls ages 6-12
  • Develop a Men's Mentoring program to disciple young men (grades 6-12) through various activities (sports, camping, hiking, fishing, etc.)
  • Provide mission trip opportunities for church members to fulfill the Acts 1:8 call
  • Engage the Pastor's Prayer Team to be a leading movement toward deeper prayer and spiritual foundation for the activities, direction and future of Shadowbrook
  • Design and develop 4 community wide events each year that is designed to "Connecting Our Community To Christ".
  • Develop "Home Study Groups" to help deepen relationships among the body and introduce non-churched neighbors to an informal study of God's Word.

MID TERM GOALS (2008-2013)

  • Build a new Worship Center and move to two Worship Services
  • Complete all building projects on the Shadowbrook Campus (Worship Center, Youth Expansion, Fellowship Hall)
  • Launch the Hispanic Mission into a self-supporting church
  • Help sponsor a new or existing church in the United States

LONG TERM GOALS (2014-2020)

  • 2020 attendance by the year 2020 (1020 Shadowbrook, 400 Hispanic Church, 300 Georgia Church, 200 USA church, 100 International church)
  • Baptize 2020 new Christians by the year 2020
  • Help sponsor a new or existing church internationally.

Master Site Plans

  • New Buildings
    Build a new Worship Center that will seat 1,000. 3 stories (balcony, worship level and classroom space on 1st floor)
  • Renovations
    Change the current Worship Center into a Fellowship Hall with kitchen facilities and additional bathrooms
  • Expansions
    Increase Student Building (Building E) by 60% by adding rooms, office , shower and bathroom facilities
  • Acquisitions
    Continue looking for availability of the two buildings near us in addition to the land behind the church to be used for recreational facilities.
Bobby Linkous
Senior Pastor
Email Bobby
MISSION STATEMENT

The Mission of Shadowbrook Baptist Church is to connect our community to Christ as we...

  • Celebrate Christ through worship.
  • Create committed followers through discipleship.
  • Connect with each other through fellowship.
  • Care for the needs of our community through ministry.
  • Communicate the hope of Christ through evangelism.
Shadowbrook Baptist Church - 2009 : Connecting Our Community to Christ
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