5 year plan- Desiring to be a Healthier Southside Church
2021-2025
 

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. – Psalm 1:1-3 (NLT)
 
Before Covid-19, measuring a church's spiritual health often looked like numbers- typically focused on the Sunday morning attendance and financial giving throughout the year. These numbers tell a story, but they don’t paint a full picture. During this past year (2020) where attendance in particular has been hindered, we have had a chance to rethink the measuring tools used to assess the overall health of a church.
 
We have put together a 5 year plan/goal. Our hope is that within the next 5 years we (the church) will be able to see these measures of spiritual growth become a part of the fabric of who we are at Southside. As Pastors, we acknowledge the deep level of faith and maturity currently shown by many at Southside, but we also know that God is continually calling us to growth in our spiritual maturity.
 
 For the past few years here at Southside, we have used Psalm 1 as a picture of what a healthy believer and therefore church body looks like. One that is rooted firmly to and in God. One that is growing and maturing in faith. One that is fruitful/purposeful in all seasons (reaching out).
 
Disclaimer- By no means is this 5 year plan an all-encompassing list of what God can do through His Church. We must be led by the Holy Spirit. However, we feel (through prayer, Scripture and discernment) the following are good indicators of what a healthy church can look like. This plan has been presented and approved by the Southside Church Board, and we felt it was important to share this with the wider church family for the purpose of transparence and unity.  
 
In 5 years (or less) it will be great to see…
 

• 75% of those who call Southside Nazarene Church their church to be involved outside of attending a Sunday morning worship service.

 Rooting (or anchoring if you like) into God is essential in order to be a healthy believer and church- we need to be fed! There are many ways to be rooted to God and the church needs to play its part in the spiritual feeding but it doesn’t just come from a Sunday morning worship service. We can’t neglect our own responsibility in connecting to and with God. We can't be fed once a week on a Sunday and be satisfied with that, we need more! We understand that for each individual and family, church involvement may/will look different- we are all in different seasons of life. Some of the ministries we have on offer that help us root to God and also help us be part of the local church body are:  weekly connect groups (Bible study, prayer, testimonies, accountability, support, friendship); monthly fellowship groups such as Men’s Breakfast, JOY, etc.; prayer events, serving in the church, taking part in sharing what you are learning with others (through devotional videos and monthly newsletters) and more.
 

• ‘making Christlike disciples’ a habit.

A sign that a church is healthy is growth. Growth in both our spiritual maturity and faith, as well as numerical (kingdom building). Growth starts from within and is a natural response to being fed. Growth should not be forced, but be fully led by the Spirit of God. Our desire is to see each year: Alpha/Discipleship courses (creating safe spaces for people to discover Jesus and ask questions and introduce the Bible to them etc.), mentoring/discipleship partnerships between mature believers and new/young Christians; new believers baptisms, welcoming those new to Southside to serve alongside us in new or existing ministries (finding a place to belong), Connect Groups growing/starting up, new church membership and more.
 

• a sending church. Commissioning Missionaries, starting church plants, and new ministry startups.

Saying goodbye is never easy, but hoarding gifts and talents isn't healthy. We believe that a healthy church desires to be a sending one. As people grow in their faith and relationship with Jesus, we expect God to put passions/calls onto people's lives that may take them away from Southside physically. We desire for us as a church and individually to continue and grow in listening to the voice and call of God into our lives and be led by Him.
 

• an investment in our kids and youth with weekly clubs/activities, hopefully with a staff Family Life Pastor.

We have been blessed to see over the past 4 years a growth in young families joining Southside. We have a number of kids, pre-teens and some teens who are part of our church family. It is so important to invest in their spiritual development. We would love to see (God willing) a Family Life Pastor in place to work alongside volunteers to focus on this essential ministry within the church. 
 

• a place to belong with The Atrium fully functional.

We would love to see in the next few years the Atrium ministry well established in welcoming many from our local community into our building and ultimately into our fellowship. To also see the ministry feeding into other aspects of church life, with offshoot ministries branching out from this hub ministry (i.e. counselling, Alpha, support groups, clothing banks, etc.…).
 

• a development of leaders and a leadership team.

As people grow in their faith and serve God we hope to train, develop and equip more church leaders (not limited to pastor development, leadership takes various forms) within Southside. As Pastors, our desire would be to meet with the various ministry/spiritual leaders of Southside, individually and as a group to encourage, listen, pray and discern the spiritual health of Southside Church (and communicate with the Church Board too).
 

• a partnership with another congregation for a period of time.

It would be such a blessing to be able to partner with another Congregation- whether that be local or further afield. To be able to support them in prayer, resources, potential mission trips and more. Southside Church has been and is a generous church in its giving to missions, but how amazing it would be to build a relationship and support another ministry in other ways, not just financially. We would need to spend time in prayer to discern who to partner with and how best we could support that congregation.
 

• a church fully functioning in God’s will.

Together we can make this happen.
 
 
Additional Goals: 

•  an online presence with live streaming and virtual connect groups.

Thanks to Covid 19, we have already started an online presence to reach out to those who cannot attend physically either on a Sunday morning service or connect group. The online platform will hopefully be something we can continue to use to reach out and minister to those who are unable for various reasons to join together physically.
 

• sustainability- plan for building and for finances.

Too often when people think of ‘Church’ our first thoughts are of a building. The Church is the people. We however are a people that meet in a building, a building that we are blessed with and are able to do many ministries in, but we also have a responsibility to take care of the building. As the church building gets older, further repairs and renovations will be needed. If we neglect those needs now, then we are creating a bigger and more expensive problem for future generations. Some issues that arise need immediate attention (a furnace breaking or a roof leak for example), whereas other issues that come with age can be prepared for (windows aging, outside façade of the building having issues). Our desire would be for us as a church (through the Church Board) to create a 5+ year building plan. Patching can get expensive and sometimes it's better to plan, save and prepare for larger work projects.
 
Southside Church is, and has been for many years, a generous church and we have no doubt we will continue to be generous as God calls us to be generous and faithful in our giving. However over the next few years we can look at the possibilities of bringing in rental groups that could enhance and compliment the ministry and mission of the church, and in doing so help alleviate some of the building’s costs. This would mean that more of our tithes and offerings can go towards ministries rather than the building. Any rental group would have to be a right fit for us as a church.
  
To be the church, it takes the church. Please contact us if you have any questions or thoughts regarding this plan. Also, please let us know which area(s) you would like to be involved in. Together, with the power of the Spirit living in us, we can see this happen.
 
Blessings,
Pastors Jonny and Jen Blake