This version of our strategy can be printed by clicking your right mouse button and saving it, or printing the screen off your browser. You can read this while you view the slide presentation, for clarification of our strategy.
Foothills Southern Baptist Church is a unique church. We have a great diversity, yet you can feel the love of the people every time you come. As we searched through the scriptures, we found that there was another church that looked a lot like Foothills in many respects. We found that the church at Ephesus was very similar in its most visible characteristics. The city of Ephesus was a port city. It had travelers from all over the known world, visiting, trading, and blending their own personalities into the culture of Ephesus. This is very much like Yuma. With our military population, winter residents, seasonal agricultural industries, and tourism, Yuma gets the flavor of all kinds of people added to the mix every year. And as more and more of these people choose to stay and make Yuma their home, they become vital parts of our community. Our church represents this same diversity well. As a church, we share the role of Mission Training Center that Ephesus filled. We see families come and go throughout the years. This has become one of our strengths. We assess where people are in their spiritual journey, determine what it will take to move them further in their intimacy with Jesus, and provide ministries that meet those needs. As they grow, we understand that many of them, due to relocation of the military family member, the change of season for our winter residents, or the movement of the harvesting industry, will not stay with us and must be sent away to other places to serve in God's Kingdom. We are a sending church. And as we stated before, we are known around the world for our warmth and love, due to the testimony of those we continue to send out. As we searched for a theme for our church's mission, we found Romans 11:36. It says, "From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen!" This powerful verse demonstrates the identity of the church, its origin, its sustaining power, and its ultimate reason for existence. We are to be reminded that nothing we attempt is even possible, without first seeing God's hand in its creation and His power in providing all that we need to accomplish each task. And no one should dare take the glory for any of what the church accomplishes. It is ultimately to Him and His glory. What motivates people to serve God? Is it personal gain or glory? Power or position? Respect and admiration of others? We see that there is to be only one motive for our ministry. It is found in recognizing what Ephesus knew. They had a very healthy understanding of the person and power of Jesus Christ, as the Savior, Cornerstone, and Head of the church. And they knew His love was the ultimate motive for service. Read these verses: SAVIOR: "...Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior." Ephesians 5:23 CORNERSTONE: "...built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone." Ephesians 2:20 HEAD: "And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church." Ephesians 1:22 His LOVE: "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5 It is our response to this love that becomes our motivation to serve Jesus. That brings us to our mission. A mission statement answers the question, "Why do we exist?" You can read our Mission Statement and see what we believe is the answer to that question for Foothills. Now, looking at the vision, we ask the question, "How do we accomplish our mission?" Read our Vision Statement to see what we have committed to do. You will see the emphasis on His mission, His time, His power, and His glory. This is another reminder of Jesus' proper place in the church. You will also notice there are five functions outlined in our vision. These are universal tasks the church has been doing for hundreds of years. They are all Biblical functions that should be present in every church, through every ministry of the church. They provide the springboard for our structure. Each function flows from our vision. Our website is designed in the same way. You can see each function represented by many ministries. The reason is to provide accountability, not to positions, or policies, but to scriptural absolutes. This keeps our attention focused and centered on where it belongs. The mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Looking at the functions one by one, you see that several ministries are needed to accomplish that function in our community. Each one, though individual, relates to the others, to bring accountability in each ministry to the mission and vision of Foothills. And we believe that every ministry should have the goal of practicing all five functions in their own ways. And this is ultimately how each ministry will be evaluated. You can see each of these functions on their own pages. They are Evangelism, Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, and Ministry. Each one has its definition and its guiding verse in its heading, as well as lists of the various ministries and programs used to accomplish that task. The next question is, "Where do I fit in?" In this model, leadership is based on one principle found in John 13:15. Jesus is speaking to His disciples and says, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." That word example, in the Greek is "HUPODIGMA" which means EXEMPLARY EXAMPLE; or example above examples. This was stated while He was washing the feet of His followers. Why would Jesus say this at this time? He wanted to demonstrate that leadership in His kingdom is based not on position or power, but in the heart of a SERVANT. Servant Leadership is not known or understood by the system that presently exists in our world. It is "Get all you can, before they change the rules!" "Do it to someone before they do it to you!" Power and position have no place in the kingdom of God, except that of Jesus Christ. He is the power and the authority. Our role in the body of Christ is to discover, develop, and deploy the Spiritual gifts of God's people. To help model servanthood for others. To show our world the true character of Jesus. I heard Dr. Murray Wilton, a pastor from Alabama say this, "God didn't send manuscripts into the world, He sent people. Because only people could represent the heart and attitude of Jesus to the world." That is truly what we want to see in our leadership at Foothills. Leadership must be based first on the character of the leader being the same as that of Jesus. Philippians 2:5 states that we should "have the same attitude of Jesus Christ." This brings us once again to From Him, Through Him, and To Him. He is our focus. When we desire to live and serve like Jesus, conflict will only happen when we are battling against the evil forces that have enslaved our friends and families on earth. He has given us the authority in Matthew 16:18-19, to loose our loved ones through the power of Jesus and empower them to serve God in His mission. As we have set our structure upon these Biblical foundations, we believe it will be a healthy structure. However, it is not for the sake of health that we exist. Our mission states that we must introduce people everywhere to Jesus Christ and help them to experience His life-changing power in their lives first-hand. This only happens when we become relevant to the needs of the people in our world. Jesus taught us by His teachings and His example to see the world as He sees it: As sheep without a shepherd, with compassion and a broken heart. This was taught best in the story of the Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. Why do we call the Samaritan good? There were two very "good" men who came along the same path. Why was he recognized for his actions? He saw the man with compassion, moved to meet his needs, and traded places with him. He wasn't afraid to get his arms and hands bloody and dirty while placing this man on his own donkey, and allowed his needs to be met fully through his own resources. That is a picture of Jesus to us. And it is what Jesus intends for His church to be. We must be relevant, in whatever way we can to our world, without compromise, yes, but also without criticism, judgement and isolation. We'll have to get dirty to help someone who needs it. But Jesus clearly stated that when we "do it for one of the least of these brothers of Mine," we do it unto Him (Matthew 25:40). What's left now for the church is to be obedient to God and his commandments and commission. As we obey, we will realize and accept our mission, move to accomplish it, and reach our community and world for Christ. That is the vision of Foothills Southern Baptist Church. But it can not and will not be done because we are "good" people, doing "good" things. It will only take place when we realize that all we are, have, and every will do, is From Him, Through Him, and To Him. To Him be the glory forever!