Providence Bible Church Three-Year Plan

THE CITY TOGETHER: RESTORED

A THREE-YEAR PLAN

DEAR FAMILY,

When the pandemic hit in March, we recognized the need to engage our church in new ways. We immediately attempted different expressions of connection from pre-recorded services to daily devotionals to live Sunday morning services via Zoom.

In August, we made the decision as a church family to return to in-person Sunday morning gatherings in the form of small group services in homes. Since then, we have had our two highest attended Sundays of 2020. In fact, over the last eight weeks alone, we are averaging 217 people.

These changes have compelled us as an Elder team to begin re-examining how we gather moving forward. It has also caused us to think through in more creative and strategic ways what our plans are for discipleship, Community Groups, Sunday morning services, leadership development, church planting and church partnerships through CrossPurpose.

We have received wise counsel, consulted together as an Elder team and prayed with Covenant Partners about what these changes might look like for Providence over the next few years.

Since then, our goals for Providence Bible Church have become clearer: to successfully disciple 60 young believers, to establish 22 Community Groups, to attempt a hybrid model of Sunday morning gatherings, to train the next generation of leaders, to plant a church in North Aurora, and to engage & equip 30 Denver churches in loving their neighbors through CrossPurpose.

Throughout all of this, our mission has and will continue to remain the same—to live as fully loved and devoted followers of Jesus Christ and love our neighbors to do the same.

Our desire has never been to build a big church, but rather to have a big impact. We believe a critical mass of believers focused on a small geographic area can leave a lasting imprint on the community. And that is exactly what this three-year plan could do.

In the end, our vision is to see communities restored to wholeness by the grace of God. All to the glory of God alone.

In Christ, The Elders

THE HISTORY

In 2007, out of a deep desire to live differently, a group formed to start a new church and ministry. Having grown dissatisfied with the models of ministry we were a part of, we hoped to pursue a new vision of Christian community. And we didn’t want to do it alone. We wanted to do it together—to live out our faith in such a way that the gospel would leave a lasting imprint on our lives and the neighborhoods in which we lived.

With a core group established in 2008, Providence Bible Church was born.

We started several small groups and eventually hosted weekend worship services in September of that year. We immediately began looking for ways to serve the poor in our neighborhood. Out of this commitment, several ministries of mercy were created.

But over the course of time, we became disillusioned with the traditional model of charity. We stopped asking, “How do we help people in poverty?” and began asking the question, “How do we help people out of poverty?”

In 2014, an outcomes-based approach to community development was officially launched in the form of a nonprofit called CrossPurpose. Year to date, CrossPurpose has come alongside over 1,000 neighbors as they lead their own journey out of poverty and into self-sufficiency.

Since day one, Providence has supported the mission of CrossPurpose to abolish economic, relational and spiritual poverty by providing Ally support, spiritual exploration and formation classes, identity development and discipleship.

Today, Providence Bible Church is a multiethnic, multiclass, multicultural, multilingual and multigenerational congregation. We love God together with over 200 attendees on Sunday mornings, we love our church family together through 11 Community Groups throughout the week and we love nearly 200 neighbors a year together through CrossPurpose.

VISION & MISSION

Our vision is to see our community restored to wholeness by the grace of God.

We believe that the church of Jesus Christ is the most powerful force in the world. We believe that the local church is the most vivid expression of Jesus on earth. Therefore, we believe that the greatest asset to neighborhoods in our city is a thriving church that boldly develops a witness for Christ through word and deed. Our vision for the city that we love, Denver, is to have thriving congregations in high-poverty neighborhoods throughout the metro area. These congregations will focus on loving God through personal and communal worship, loving their church family through relational connection in Community Groups, and loving their neighbors. By partnering with CrossPurpose in their neighborhoods, these congregations would provide a place by having a place where any neighbor living in poverty can lead their own change out of poverty with the help of the church.

Our mission is to live as fully loved and devoted followers of Jesus and to love our neighbors to do the same.

CORE VALUES & BEHAVIORS

We

as

TOGETHER, WE LOVE...

OUR GOD OUR CHURCH

We love God because he first loved us. And God did not love us in a general or vague way. Rather, he specifically shed his blood to purchase a people for his own possession. As his covenant family, God expects the Church to be a preview of the day when every nation, tribe and tongue assembles together to express their love for our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. The best way to mirror that future picture now is by gathering as one unified group made up of diverse groups of ethnicities, classes, cultures, ages and languages—all loving God together.

The Triune God is a Family who makes families. Because we are made in his Image, we require community to flourish. Therefore, Providence Bible Church places a high value on honest, vulnerable, consistent and mutually beneficial relationships. We believe the structure that best facilitates such relationships is our Community Groups, small groups consisting of 8-12 people who meet weekly around the city. Our commitment is to invest ourselves deeply into those with whom we regularly share food, Scripture, prayer, encouragement, service and our very lives.

OUR NEIGHBOR

Jesus demonstrated a totally radical and selfless love for his neighbor. We believe we should follow his example of sacrificial service by showing others the expensive love of the cross. Our core team displays the value of deep roots by living in the historic centers of poverty in our city. As a result, we birthed CrossPurpose, a nonprofit that doesn’t just help people in poverty, it helps people out of poverty. We have many ways to get involved at CrossPurpose, including making a financial gift, serving as a volunteer, becoming an Ally or joining the staff or board.

REDEMPTIVE EDGE

Jesus followed the heart of God for humanity beyond the familiar edges of comfort, privilege and power and into the beautiful obscurity of the margins. There, beyond the moral facade of the outwardly religious and the condescending scorn of the wealthy and privileged, he cultivated an upside down movement where the weak were powerful, the poor were rich, and the last were first. It’s where Jesus is still working to this day, and where he bids his followers to join him as he gives a voice to the voiceless, freedom to the captives, and retribution to those abused by the broken systems of the rich and powerful. Jesus has never been found in the halls of corrupt political power or the opulent spires of hypocritical religion. He has chosen instead to work at the redemptive edge - where Heaven’s mercy meets humanity’s need, where lives are restored and the lost are found, and where the loving voice of the Father welcomes his sons and his daughters home.

DEEP ROOTS

When Jesus came to earth, he didn’t live above us as a king, but with us as a neighbor. He moved into our neighborhood, and he put down roots. We love our neighborhoods because that’s where our neighbors live. With them we have made a long-term commitment to live and serve and work for the betterment of our city. We’re committed to the success of our schools, to the flourishing of our families, and to the thriving of each block. This place really matters to Jesus, and it really matters to us. And by his grace, we aren’t going anywhere.

EXPENSIVE LOVE

We follow the example of Jesus who, though he was rich, made himself poor for our sake so that we through his poverty might become rich. The world has never seen a love as expensive as this - that a man would lay down his life for his enemies, in order to call them his friends. Jesus made it clear that following him must mean following him all the way to the cross, where we gladly give up our lives for the sake of our neighbors, and with them gain the Kingdom. There is no sacrifice so great, no price so high, and no pain so intense that we would forfeit the joy that has been set before us. So we don’t love so long as it’s safe, or convenient, or free. We love the way Jesus loved us. An all-the-way, til-it-hurts, every-last-drop sort of love. An expensive love.

TRUTH TELLING

Because Jesus said he was the Truth, and because he also said that the Truth will set us free, we believe in the power of telling the Truth. This is more than mere honesty or integrity. Truth telling for us means seeing God for who He is, and seeing one another the way He sees us. We strive to cultivate an awareness of our ongoing need for the Gospel, we enthusiastically affirm the transformative work of the Gospel in each other’s lives, and we love one another enough to truthfully confront the areas in our lives that are out of alignment with the Gospel. The Gospel gives us the courage to hear the truth of our sinfulness, receive the grace won for us at the cross, and embrace the change fueled by the same Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead. In this way, telling the truth sets us free.

RELATIONAL WEAVE

Jesus came to restore the beauty of a broken world. He picked up the tattered fabric of our frayed, warring humanity and began the patient, painstaking work of weaving us all back together. And he has called his followers to participate in the reweaving. Our society has never been more torn and fragmented, but we are compelled by a vision of the eternal beauty of one tapestry made up of a multitude of colors from every nation, tribe, and tongue reflecting the splendor and majesty of our great God. Diversity is not just a byword of cultural relevance for us - it is our needle and thread. Our societal tapestry is made up of people from all races, languages, genders, politics and cultures, and reweaving its torn fabric requires relationships that transcend all of those differences. We call this the relational weave, and it is at the very heart of everything we do.

4D

Jesus told his disciples to make disciples. This isn’t addition; it’s multiplication. The way of Jesus is generational, and reaches from us out into our neighborhoods and communities and, eventually, even to the ends of the earth. Similarly, in the Apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul instructs Timothy to take the things he learned from Paul and teach them to people who would be faithful to teach them to others. That’s four generations of gospel transformation: from Paul, to Timothy, to faithful people, to other faithful people. In other words, faithful Christians show others how to become faithful Christians, so that they too can show others how to become faithful Christians. The love of Jesus didn’t begin with us and it doesn’t end with us. Rather, it transforms us and compels us to share it with others so that neighbor by neighbor, and neighborhood by neighborhood, we will see a city transformed.

ALL IN

Jesus gave his all for us, and expects our all in return. Jesus never lowered the bar when he commanded people to follow him. He never promised it would be easy, or pretended everybody could do it. He said the way was narrow and hard, and he told us we would have to carry a cross on our backs just like he did. He said the only way to live was to die, and the only way to gain anything was to lose everything. He didn’t ever water things down, and so we don’t either. This work is excruciatingly difficult, physically and emotionally exhausting, and utterly heartbreaking at times. And there is also deep, abiding, overflowing joy in front of us, and we are pursuing that joy with all our might. Jesus has promised a reward at the end of our work that will make all of our blood, sweat, and tears fade from our memories. And until we receive that promised reward we will work hard, rest hard, and trust hard, knowing our Lord expects us to give him our all.

Luke

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

IMPACT SO FAR

212

avg attending Sunday morning gatherings

11 community groups

35in a discipleship relationship

12years loving God & loving our neighbors

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. - Acts 2:46-47

THE GOALS

Our goals for the three-year plan are six-fold: to disciple 60 young believers, to double the number of Community Groups, to pilot the hybrid model of corporate and small group weekend services, to train the next generation of Church leaders, to plant a new church in North Aurora, and to engage & equip 30 Denver churches in loving their neighbors through CrossPurpose.

Disciple sixty young believers.

Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus gathered his closest followers together and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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” (Matt. 28:18-20).

Far too often in the church we read this passage as saying, “teaching them everything I have commanded you.” But, instead, it says “teaching them to obey…” There is a world of difference in those two words. This is the process of discipleship; of having our whole lives formed into obedience to Christ.

But in our increasingly post-Christian, digitally-distracted culture, it seems we are constantly being formed by anything but Christ: social media, Netflix, the political news cycle, conspiracy theories, pop psychology, the secular sex ethic and more. Perhaps now more than ever, the need for Christian discipleship and spiritual formation is at an all-time high.

LOVING OUR GOD TOGETHER

Growing in our knowledge of God and experiencing a deeply meaningful spiritual life requires taking intentional steps toward becoming like Christ. As we let our roots grow down into him, we will produce fruit and so prove to be his disciples (Jn. 15:5-8).

LOVING OUR CHURCH TOGETHER LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR TOGETHER

“There is no significant change without a significant relationship.” The process of spiritual maturity requires a relational context, a community of people. Jesus modeled this during his earthly ministry and we believe he calls us to do the same (Matt. 6:33).

Ultimately, what God does in us is meant to be shared through us. We are to be disciples who make disciples, who make disciples… It is exciting to see the transformation that occurs as our lives and the lives of those we disciple are molded and renewed by the Spirit of God (Rom. 12:2).

COMPONENTS

DISCIPLESHIP CURRICULUM

ONE-ON-ONE DISCIPLESHIP

Launch two new community groups each year.

Prior to COVID, we faced challenges in helping Sunday morning guests connect with weekly Community Groups. The feedback we received was that attending a group without knowing anyone was hard, finding the right group was difficult, and weeknights were often not the best fit for people’s schedules.

But during the pandemic, when many people are struggling with isolation and a lack of relational connection, we have actually seen an increase in visitors attending Community Groups which has resulted in CGs becoming too large to maintain the ideal size (8-12 adults on average). This is an exciting problem to have!

We are currently taking with men and women at Providence who desire to lead in this area, and, by the end of 2023, we will launch six additional Community Groups, for a total of fifteen active Community Groups within the church.

LOVING OUR GOD TOGETHER

We do not want any Sunday guest to fall through the cracks. This goal ensures that visitors can become a part of Providence’s church family. We want them to find a relationallyrich environment where they can belong, be known and know others.

LOVING OUR CHURCH TOGETHER

For the earliest believers, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:46). Sunday morning services let us worship God, hear Scripture preached and partake in communion, but real life change occurs in the context of consistent, authentic, vulnerable relationships.

LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR TOGETHER

The best thing we can do for the city of Denver is to live both as a sign and symbol of God’s kingdom come to earth. More community groups means more service in our neighborhoods so that all may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).

COMPONENTS

WEEKLY SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE PRACTICES

MONTHLY LEADER TRAININGS

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Train the next generation of church leaders.

In our own congregation, we have seen strong, young leaders who demonstrate commitment to Jesus and buy-in to the mission of Providence. As we started meeting with these leaders, we sensed God paving the way for a new generation of elders, deacons, women’s leadership council and Community Group Leaders to step into place.

This is not a reactive decision as much as a proactive one. With recent staff transitions and an aging elder board, we believe now is the time to begin investing in the next wave of leadership with continued support and training from existing church leaders.

We view leadership development as a top priority in cultivating a group that can help make this three-year plan successful and sustainable. We are excited to share our vision of onboarding and training new leaders at Providence.

LOVING OUR GOD TOGETHER

With the unpredictable state of the church in America, it is incredibly vital that we equip future leaders to grow in their awareness of and obedience to God’s work in the world. We do not want to get ahead of God, nor do we want to remain married to stale, ineffective approaches to church ministry.

LOVING OUR CHURCH TOGETHER

As a multigenerational family, we never want to be stuck in the past or unwilling to listen to the wisdom of the young. We want every generation to have a seat at the table. This requires room and opportunity for new leaders to play an instrumental role in sharing, shaping and executing the mission God has given us.

LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR TOGETHER

We know the work to which we have been called is not a sprint, or even a marathon but a relay race. Israel recurringly retreated into idolatry and bondage because of its inability to raise up godly leaders. Consequently, it is imperative that Providence Bible Church grows, thrives and improves in our ability to love our neighbors. This can happen intergenerationally.

COMPONENTS

ELDER CANDIDATE TRAINING

DEACON ONBOARDING

ADULT & TEEN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Plant a church in North Aurora.

In 2016, Providence began dreaming about planting a church in North Aurora. In 2020, one of our yearly goals was to identify and build the launch team for this church. But when COVID struck that idea seemed to be on hold. However, God had other plans.

At the onset of the pandemic, Dale and Mayra Scott began hosting a small group service in their home which quickly grew to around 50 people. Providence elders had previously approached Dale about becoming an elder candidate. However, over the course of the summer, Dale shared that he believed God was calling him to not only pastor, but to plant a church as well. After several meetings, Providence elders and Dale agreed for him to start forming a team and to begin the process of ordination for pastoral ministry. Providence will provide financial support for the church launch with the goal that it becomes self-sufficient within three years.

LOVING OUR GOD TOGETHER

Due to COVID, we believed we would be unable to plant a church in Aurora this year. But this goal shows just how much greater God’s plans are than ours. And by his grace, this church plant will cause even more people to enter into a relationship with the Living God.

LOVING OUR CHURCH TOGETHER LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR TOGETHER

Healthy things grow. And our family is growing. The Church was never intended to be an insulated, self-inclosed entity. Rather, it was designed by God, himself, to be an organism that expands and reaches beyond itself to those in need of community.

There is no greater way to evangelize a region than by planting a healthy, life-giving local church. In addition to Sunday morning worship services and weekly Community Groups, this church will partner with CrossPurpose Aurora by providing Ally support, spiritual exploration and formation classes, identity development, and discipleship.

COMPONENTS

LAUNCH CHURCH PLANT TEAM

PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

GROW IN PARTNERSHIP

CrossPurpose has launched “The City Beautiful Reimagined: A Five Year Plan to Repurpose The Movement.” In this plan, CrossPurpose will partner with churches in Englewood/Southeast Denver, Northglenn, and North Aurora to establish four total CrossPurpose chapters of their own by 2025.

Because Providence already serves CrossPurpose Northeast Denver through Ally support, spiritual exploration and formation classes, identity development and discipleship, we are greatly equipped to provide these partner churches with curriculum, team trainings, systems management and strategic support. We are excited to open up partnership opportunities at the current Northeast Denver location, as well as the two additional CrossPurpose locations opening during the next three years, North Aurora and Englewood/Southeast Denver.

LOVING OUR GOD TOGETHER

Connects us with other neighborhood churches, allowing us to build an interchurch network that is not Providence centric.

LOVING OUR CHURCH TOGETHER LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR TOGETHER

Engages neighborhood churches to experience spiritual growth and relational connection by bringing community members into their church body.

The members and leadership of neighborhood churches get to experience personal and corporate spiritual growth from being engaged in one-on-one discipleship.

Engage and equip thirty Denver churches in loving their neighbor through CrossPurpose.

THE

THE COST

In order to raise the remaining $150,000 needed to accomplish the three-year plan, we would like to invite you to partner financially with Providence Bible Church. It is essential for the church to rally around the mission together and give of our time, talent and treasure for the glory of the kingdom of God.

Please consider making a financial gift, over and above your tithe, in one of the categories listed. We are excited to share this plan with you, and look forward to sharing in the blessing of it together.

OPERATIONS

Providence will continue to moderately grow its general operating budget over the next few years. Below is a breakdown of budgeted expenses from 2020.

CITY TOGETHER:

THE COMMITMENT

We so excited to share this strategic plan with you, and cannot wait to see how the Lord uses His vision to bring about restoration in this city. We’d like to invite you and your family to pray about how you can best use your gifts to love our God, our church and our neighbors over the next three years. Afterwards, please take time to commit to one or a few of the options below.

Name:

Email: Phone:

I/we commit to making a tax-deductible donation in the amount of $ , over and above our regular tithes and offerings to Providence Bible Church.

I/we am interested in beginning a discipleship relationship.

I/we am interested in joining the church planting team in North Aurora.

I/we am would like to talk to an Elder about leadership opportunities.

Any completed documents or requests for further information may be submitted to Katie Larsen, Executive Director, at klarsen@providencedenver.org

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. . . . But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

Jeremiah 29: 4-5, 7

Don’t seek a great church. - Tim

church. Seek a great city. Keller