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Our Vision
What is our church’s goal and defining purpose?
To Know God and Make Him Known
We do that by
“Loving God, Loving others and Serving the World…”
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:19-20
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
· Worshipping
o We envision a multi-generational church that worships privately and publicly in authentic, creative and inspiring ways. Worship is foundational. A worshipping congregation cherishes the Word of God. The Bible is our only guide for faith and practice and it will be our desire to preach, teach, and obey its teachings. A worshipping church prays. We value being a church committed to private and corporate prayer. A worshipping church gives God the best. God is a God of excellence, as shown by the beauty of creation; further, He gave His best, His own Son, for us. We want to maintain a high standard of excellence and integrity to the glory of God.
o “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” John 4:23
o They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer. Acts 2:42
o “…work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…” Colossians 3:23
· Community
o We envision a church that values relationships. We believe that a relationship with God is our first priority. We desire that all people know God personally. We evangelistically pursue every possible way to tell people about Christ. Secondly, we value the family relationship we have with each other as believers. We were not created to be alone. We desire to connect our lives with other believers in a local church. We encourage all of our members to connect in a Sunday School Class and a Small Group. Our third relationship we value is the institution of the family. We envision a church that is a safe place for the family - a place where family values are taught. It is our vision to encourage and teach men in being the spiritual leader of their home, empower strong relationships between husband and wife, support the biblical commitment of marriage, and under gird parents as they face the challenges of our day. We envision a place that encourages and equips singles to make their unique contribution to the church and world around us. We desire to be a loving, caring fellowship of believers where healing can happen as people deal with addictions, divorce, and crisis needs that affects the lives of families.
o Ephesians 5:21-33
o “ for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
· Growing
o We envision a church that is future oriented and constantly growing. Growing churches are churches that plan. We value focusing on the future and following after “God-size” plans for the future. Growing churches require growing leadership. We value reproducing Godly leaders, equipping them to be effective in reaching a world for Christ. We believe it is essential to encourage our members to mature in every aspect of their life. We believe small groups are essential to the continual growth of believers.
o If the ax is dull, and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success. Eccles. 10:10
· Stewardship
o We envision a church where the members of our congregation fully participate in God’s Kingdom work. It is important that we discover and use the gifts and talents that God gave us. This is part of becoming a responsible follower of Christ. Our desire is to help each of our members to discover and use their gifts in the work of God. We envision a group of believers who are financially responsible who willingly support the Work of God through this church.
o Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve. Matthew 20:28
· Missions
o It is our hearts desire to intentionally reach people with the gospel. Acts 1:8 instructs us that we are to reach our community, state, nation and the “uttermost parts of the earth”. We value a proactive plan that pursues reaching all people with the love of God. It is our heart that God would create a mission mindset at Southside and send out career missionaries to meet the demands of our nation and world’s need for Christ. We value seeing the work of God increase. It is our vision in eight to ten years to have over 50% of our church membership involved in some sort of mission project each year. It is also our desire to empower the members of our church to fulfill their personal life mission. We envision partnering with other churches and as God would lead starting new churches. Southside Baptist Church is committed to a relationship with our Southern Baptist Convention, with the South Carolina Baptist Convention and with the Florence Baptist Association of churches, while being committed to the biblical model of local church autonomy.
o But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
