Here is one of our denominations, Churchnet in Missouri, describes how they are organized, and importantly describes what they offer and can do in relation to individual churches. — Jeremy Bell
Our Mission, Vision & Values
Our Strategy
Churchnet approved a new five-year strategic plan for our ministry at our 2015 Annual Gathering. The strategy will give direction to our collaborative ministry as we seek to serve churches and church leaders. The title of our plan is Vision 2020: Engaging the Future with Hope! One of our primary goals to come along side congregations as they seek God’s will for their ministry to provide encouragement and hope. Our four primary initiatives are to:
- Facilitate Mission Collaboration
- Develop Hope-filled Strategies
- Engage New Generations & Cultures
- Expand Community Involvement
Our Mission Statement
A mission statement is a statement of identity or purpose. It is a statement that defines who we are and why we exist. Who are we and what does God desire us to be? Our mission statement is: Churchnet serves churches by fostering collaboration and hope for engaging new generations and cultures.
Our Vision Statement
The vision statement is a statement of direction or destination. It is a statement that describes wher
e we are going or the direction of our journey. Our vision statement is: Churchnet will be the preferred partner for congregations ministering in a changing world.
Our Core Values
Core Values are the convictions that inspire and guide our actions. They are values we hold in common that can guide our ministry. The following is a list of our core values.
Christ – We believe our most basic confession is “Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Scripture – We believe the Bible is the inspired record of God’s revelation.
Church – We believe God builds the Kingdom through diverse local congregations.
Growth – We believe the Kingdom of God grows through relational evangelism, transformational discipleship, and contextualized missions.
Collaboration – We believe in cooperative relationships and networking with other Christians.
Freedom – We believe freedom in Christ is expressed in the priesthood of the believer, the autonomy of the local church, and religious liberty.
Love – We believe God’s unconditional love calls us to love and seek justice for everyone.
Hope – We believe Christian hope inspires confidence in the future.
Churchnet Teams
Our Board of Directors and Churchnet Staff are organized into a series of ministry teams. These teams allow us to better focus on our strategic initiatives and respond to requests from churches.
Our five primary Ministry Teams include:
- Missional Collaboration Team
- Strategy Development Team
- Generational Engagement Team
- Community Involvement Team
All of board members and Churchnet officers serve on one of these teams. The ministry teams are led by a member of our Churchnet staff and may include other related staff members. The ministry team may enlist additional ad hoc team members who participate on a non-voting basis. If you are interested in serving on one of our ministry teams please contact a member of our Churchnet staff.
The board of directors also has an Administrative Team which includes our Churchnet officers, the assistant team leaders for each of our five ministry teams, and at least two at-large board members. This team handles administrative and personnel matters, our annual audit review, and coordinates budget planning and recommendations.
Brian Ford serves as Executive Director of Churchnet – A Baptist Network Serving Churches (and a ministry of the Baptist General Convention of Missouri). The convention was organized in April of 2002. Dr. Ford became the third executive director in 2017. The network in 2015 completed our third strategy planning process called Vision 2020 – Engaging the Future with Hope. Dr. Ford supervises a total of six staff members located throughout the state. A graduate of William Jewell College, he received his Master of Divinity degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary and Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Seminary. He previously served as pastor of Little Bonne Femme Baptist Church in Columbia, Mo., associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Independence, Mo., and youth minister at First Baptist Church in Lamar, Mo.