Pastor Jeff - What is "Keeping It Real"



Every journey starts somewhere


The journey of this congregation started as a prayer and Bible study in the mid 1930's.  God's blessings and grace lead them to form a congregation, a church and their first official church service was Father's Day 1935. 

All throughout the years of this journey there have been some tough times and there have been some wonderful times and through it all God’s blessings and grace have remained. 

We are continuing our journey today and while we thank God for the miracles and places He brought us to in the past the future journey ahead of us is truly awe inspiring.  We are on a journey and you are invited and welcomed to join us on our journey. 

If we can be of any service please do not hesitate to contact us through email or a phone call at 850-763-3268. 

Blessings! ~ Pastor Jeff and Shawn Scalf


 

Every journey needs a road map, a guide to lead them.  Our road map is the Bible and based upon the Bible we have secured 9 core values that will serve as our guide on our Journey. 


These nine values are:

Worship:  Music, freedom of the Spirit in our worship, manifestations of God's presence

Prayer:  for the sick, corporate prayer, personal prayer

Fellowship:  family, friends, small groups

Unity:  friendliness, cooperation, encouragement

Discipleship:  from new converts to life-long discipleship

Bible Doctrine:  16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God – Click here to see these

Stewardship:  Talents, faithfulness, resources, finances, time

Evangelism:  Our community, our world

God's Presence:  in our corporate worship, in our ministries, in our lives, and in our community


Our Destination

The road map, the guide is our core values but what is the destination of our journey? 

Our Mission tells us what our destination is.  Our destination is…

…to be a people who worship God with their whole heart,

…to evangelize this community and beyond with the gospel of Christ,

…and to make disciples of all who come to Christ,

…to build a Christian community where people fellowship as part of a family,

…and to help each believer find their place of ministry within the body of Christ.


Charting the Course for Our Journey

We have our guide, the Word of God and our Core Values.  We know our destination so now we need to chart a course to bring us to our destination.  Charting the course for this journey is seen in our vision statements. 

Our vision statements are broken down for each section of our mission statement plus leadership and facilities. 

A.      Worship / Congregational

  1. We are going to teach the congregation what worship is and how to live out worship on a practical daily basis. 
  2. We are going to give opportunity and encourage at every worship service to worship God expressively according to God’s leading in each service. 
  3. We are going to provide and point them to resources to help carry over worship into their daily lives.
  4. We are going to put a greater emphasis on prayer
  5. We are going to communicate greater emphasis on personal devotional life
  6. We are going to create and atmosphere and encourage the Gifts of the Spirit to be used in our worship services.
  7. We are going to communicate our Values, Mission, Vision and methods in multiple ways to reach all associated with our congregation. 

B.      Fellowship / Relational

  1. We are going to ingrain within the mindset of the congregation the importance and value of fellowship and building relationships. 
  2. We are going to teach and equip them how to handle difficulties that arise out of ongoing relationships.
  3. We are going to create structure that encourages and allows large fellowship
  4. We are going to create a structure that encourages the building of smaller groups for fellowship, assimilation, accountability and personal care ministry.
  5. We are going to actively create new streams of fellowship to attract and attach new people to our congregation

C.      Discipleship / Practical

  1. We are going to equip more teachers
  2. We are going to offer basic discipleship tracts
  3. We are going to offer elective topics that address life issues, i.e. parenting, money and time management, marriage and relationships
  4. We are going to have typical classes i.e. teaching books of the Bible, History of Bible, Classic events in Old Testament, etc…
  5. We are going give and point to resources for greater personal devotional life and have church wide devotional campaigns throughout the year.
  6. We are going to encourage the practical use of the gifts of the Spirit for daily living.

D.      Stewardship/Ministry

  1. We are going to equip believers to know and train in their giftedness and empower them to be a minister. 
  2. We are going to ingrain in the mindset of the congregation that we are all servants of God and to serve is one of the greatest things you can do for God. 
  3. We are going to ingrain a mindset to be a part of a specific ministry need within the congregation as well as they are empowered to minister one on one to each other. 
  4. We are going to ingrain in the mindset of the congregation that we are all working together as a team and not a group of individuals. 
  5. We are going to ingrain in the mindset of the congregation to be faithful in their worship attendance, their giving unto the Lord, their ministry and their personal devotional life.

E.       Evangelism / Outreach

  1. We are going to establish prayer ministries and prayer opportunities so we can be empowered to reach the lost.
  2. We are going to have quarterly focuses of personal evangelism, i.e. Friend Day, Drama, Fellowship Events geared in relational bridges to our lost acquaintances, etc…
  3. We are going to keep world missions constantly before the people.  We are going to have multiple missions trips throughout the year.
  4. We are going to address and minister to practical community needs
  5. We are going to build into the mindset of the congregation that every believer is a missionary and that they are constantly building bridges to their lost acquaintances through friendship evangelism. 

F.       Other - Leadership

  1. We are going to develop more leaders and deepen the ability of those already in leadership
  2. We are going to have ongoing leadership development
  3. We are going to have accountability for all leaders
  4. We are going to ingrain in the mindset of the congregation that we all need mentors and should seek them out
  5. We are going to consistently communicate our values, our mission, our vision and our methods throughout our leadership and congregation. 

We are going to consistently evaluate our ministry structure for efficiency, ability for consistency and ability to handle growth.  As we journey towards our destination we will stop and look at our vision statements and revise them to reflect our progress and road that lies ahead of us. 

Determination to take the Journey

To accomplish our vision statements we are setting goals for each statement.  When we set out to accomplish one of these goals it is helping us to fulfill one or more of the vision statements and bringing us that much closer to reaching our destination. 

Cash for the Journey

You will not get very far on your journey if you don't have some cash for the trip.  The resources we need for this journey is not just money but more importantly people! We need the resources of people, their time, their abilities, etc...

Fuel for the Journey

Without a doubt, you can have the nicest car in the world to make a journey but if you do not have fuel you'll get nowhere.  The fuel that we need is high octane, it is the power of the Holy Spirit.  Prayer is a major key for the empowering of the Holy Spirit in the life of a congregation and believer. 



Click Here to find out what will you experience in a typical worship service at St. Andrews?