CrossPointe Winter Springs ( Vision Brochure )

WEBSITE crosspointewintersprings.blogspot.com

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Introduction

Winter Springs

Our Vision & Mission

Our Identity & Values

Our Strategy & Structure

Partner With Us: Pray, Give, Join

Biographical Sketch

THE GOOD NEWS. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The original creation was one of beauty and harmony. And, God created man in His own image, after his likeness. Male and female He created them. Man was given dominion by God over all other created things. God originally created man without sin. Man was created to enjoy making much of God forever. This is the original good news. THE BAD NEWS. Rooted in the deception of the serpent and the desire to be like God, our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned against God. As a result of Adam’s sin, the harmony of the original creation was lost and the rest of humanity is born into an inherited sinful state or condition. Simply put, we are all sinners by nature and choice. Although we remain God’s image-bearers, that image is fractured and in need of restoration. The unregenerate man is spiritually dead, enslaved to sin, guilty before God, unable to remedy his lost condition and restore himself to God. Good works don’t work. This is the bad news. THE GOOD NEWS. God, being rich in mercy and grace and love, sent a substitute. Jesus Christ is the gospel, the good news. Jesus is the hero of human history. The second person of the Trinity, Jesus is eternal God. All things were and are created by him, through him, and for

him. Not only are all things created by him. All things are sustained by him. He is the incarnate Word of God who, without ceasing to be God, became flesh and dwelt among man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He is both fully God and fully man, the God-man. He came on a mission to save sinners. He lived a sinless life, the life we could never live. He died the death that we deserve to die, in our place, for our sins. Our sins were put upon him and he was punished in our place. But, he didn’t stay dead. He rose bodily from the dead, conquering sin and death. And, in doing so, he revealed that the Father was pleased with his sacrifice and thus accepted the payment for sin in full on our behalf. As the risen Son of God, Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God the Father, ruling and reigning as triumphant, exalted King of the universe. SALVATION. Man can only be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus alone. By grace, God has done everything necessary in order to reconcile men to himself and to one another. Those who acknowledge the futility of trusting in their own merits and who turn from sin and self to Jesus, trusting in his perfect life, atoning death, and life-giving resurrection, will be saved. In Jesus Christ, we are not only saved from sin and death, but we are restored to our original purpose as we enjoy making much of God forever.

“You can rebel against God and be alienated from him either by breaking his rules or by keeping all of them diligently.” -Timothy Keller

FOUNDATION The city of Winter Springs was incorporated in 1959 as North Orlando, with a population of less than 600 people. In 1972, the name was changed to Winter Springs. It is now the largest city in Seminole County.

DESCRIPTION An abundance of parks, nature trails, and bike paths, coupled with a low crime rate and excellent public school systems, makes Winter Springs a popular place for families to settle down and call home. However, young singles, couples, and seniors find Winter Springs to be quite an enjoyable place to live, as well. With a growing number of retail shops, housing options, and restaurants in the area, it’s a great place to call home, no matter who you are. On a side note, Winter Springs made the 2011 CNN Money list of “Top 100 Best Places to Live”.

EDUCATED AND AFFLUENT While 92.8 percent of the population aged 25 and older have graduated from high school as compared to the national average of 85.1 percent, college graduates account for 37 percent of those over 25 in the area versus 27.8 percent in the U.S. Also, 12 percent of the population has completed a postgraduate degree.

The average annual household income is $83,098, compared to the national average of $67,315. Knowing this, as the gospel begins to transform the hearts of the people, CrossPointe Winter Springs could play an important role in funding future church plants.

WINTER SPRINGS

RELIGIOUS DEMOGRAPHICS While the percentage of the U.S. population affiliated with a religious congregation is 50.2 percent, the percentage of the Winter Springs population affiliated with a religious congregation is 36.8 percent. Only 20.24 percent of the population of Winter Springs is affiliated with an evangelical Protestant Christian church. (only 6,736 of 33,282 people)

HYPER-RELIGIOUS, UNDER-CHURCHED Highly educated people with traditional family values gathered together in a concentrated area create a breeding ground for moralism. To emphasize the point, “religious preference” is somewhat high in Winter Springs, while “faith receptivity” is somewhat low. To put it simply, moralism trumps faith. Religion trumps the gospel.

Each colored pinpoint on this map represents a church. The target demographic area of CrossPointe Winter Springs is defined by the blue polygon.

WE IMAGINE We imagine a community of people who are living honest, authentic lives, seeking to be Christ followers. We imagine a community where people wrestle and explore the deep truths of Christianity. We imagine a community that will encourage questions, believing God is big enough to handle our doubts. We imagine a community that recognizes its faults, but clings to the one, namely Jesus, who has rescued us. We imagine a community where people don’t just go to church, but they embrace the idea that they are the church. We imagine a community that is seeking the good of our workplaces, our neighborhoods, our city. We imagine a community that refuses to be a Christian sub-culture, but rather strives to be engaged in the redeeming of culture. We imagine a community where people identify and then use their gifts to further the mission of God. We imagine a community that connects daily with the God of the universe. We imagine a community that celebrates the grace that is theirs through the gift of Jesus. We imagine a community that is always progressing, growing and striving to live out their identities in Christ. We imagine a community that is not about religion but about the Gospel. We imagine a community of people who are tuned in to their brokenness but are learning to celebrate the freedom they have found in Jesus. We imagine a community that seeks to bring the peace, wholeness and harmony God intends to families and relationships that have been broken, fractured and splintered. We imagine a community that submits to the Scriptures, believing them to be authoritative in our lives. We imagine a community that is expanding as God convicts people of their sin and they respond in repentance and faith in Jesus. We imagine a community so transformed by the Gospel that they can echo the Apostle Peter’s words, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

VISION To see the beauty, harmony and wholeness of God’s Kingdom reign in our lives and in our community, as the Gospel radically orients us to Jesus and His mission of renewing

the world.

MISSION Pointing our community to Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL. A person never outgrows the gospel, and being that the church is a body of people, a church never outgrows the gospel. Everything that a church does must be related to the gospel and point people to the gospel in continual repentance and faith.

COMMUNITY. The church must embrace community because those who have been reconciled to God have also been reconciled to one another and are called to walk in repentance and faith in the context of community.

WORSHIP. In defining worship, it simply must not be reduced to a service that one attends or the music that one sings. Worship is the giving of oneself in making much of something or someone as one’s ultimate treasure, and the Christian church’s ultimate treasure and object of worship is the triune God.

SERVICE. In the same way that Jesus came as the embodiment of God to serve others and ultimately sacrifice his life for others, the church is to be the embodiment of God in the culture, serving others and sacrificing for others in a way that points to the person and work of Jesus.

THEOLOGY. Christianity is a thinking faith. It is through the mind’s right understanding of the excellencies of Christ that one’s affections are stirred and one is moved to right behavior. In other words, right thinking leads to right feeling and right doing. Therefore, the church must be concerned with communicating the excellencies of Christ in such a way that the mind is awakened to the wonder of God.

MISSION. In defining the mission of the church, it simply must not be reduced to less than what Jesus, the sent one, sends his church to accomplish. The church is sent, individually and corporately, locally and globally, from now until Jesus returns, to proclaim the good news of his person and work in word and deed to the glory of God.

IDENTITY & VALUES

STRATEGY &

STRUCTURE

Flow Chart: Pre-Launch Phase

VISION NIGHTS The pre-launch phase will begin with a series of monthly Vision Nights. These Vision Nights will consist of a shared meal, a time of vision casting, and a time of Q&A. The topics will be as follows:

− The Statistical Need (March 27th) − The People Behind the Statistics (April 24th) − The Church for the People (May 29th)

CORE GROUP TRAINING Coming out of the Vision Nights, core group training will take place over the course of the summer (June and July). This training will involve taking people in detail through the values of the church (Gospel, Community, Worship, Service, Theology, and Mission). The practical outplaying of these values in the life of the church will be unpacked with great intentionality during this time. COMMISSIONING SERVICES During the month of August, as a launch team, we will be a part of commissioning services for each CrossPointe congregation from which people are being sent to help plant CrossPointe Winter Springs.

Flow Chart: Post-Launch Phase

Our goal is to launch services on September 8th of this year. While we know that exceptions to the rule exist, the flow chart shown above represents the steps that a person will traditionally take as they are assimilated into the life of CrossPointe Winter Springs. While each of these steps is important, the two primary ways of connecting people

will be through worship services and missional communities (listed below). Information regarding other steps shown on the flow chart is available upon request.

WORSHIP SERVICES Every Sunday we will gather as a single community to worship the Lord in singing and through the proclamation of the Word of God. From the songs we sing to the message we proclaim, the Word of God will be our driving component. After all, it’s God’s Word that accurately reveals to us who He is, who we are, and His true story of redemption in Jesus Christ. These gatherings will be holistic, designed to engage one’s mind, stir one’s affections, and move one toward repentance and faith.

MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES A missional community is a group of 8-15 people who are deeply committed to Jesus and one another, and who have radically oriented their lives to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Each missional community will consist of people who do life with one another, eating, praying, learning, and serving together. Each missional community will be strategic about reaching specific people within the city of Winter Springs and the surrounding area.

PRAY, JOIN, GIVE PRAY It goes without saying that prayer is a vital need for the successful planting of the gospel in any city. We ask you first and foremost to partner with CrossPointe Winter Springs to pray for the following things:

− that God would cause people in the city of Winter Springs to be receptive to and hungry for the gospel

− that God would cultivate, call, and prepare men to lead in the mission of CrossPointe Winter Springs

− that God would provide the funds necessary to carry out the mission of CrossPointe Winter Springs by giving people a heart for the mission and vision of the church which frees them to give sacrificially to the work of the gospel

− that community leaders would embrace the mission and vision of CrossPointe Winter Springs and assist the church in the work ahead by opening doors that could not otherwise be opened

− that there would be much joy in the city as a result of the gospel and the existence of CrossPointe Winter Springs

JOIN Perhaps God is calling you to join us in Winter Springs. Do you want to be a part of something larger than yourself? Are you a dreamer, builder, missionary, or faith-filled risk-taker? Please pray about joining us, even moving to our city. God just may use you to add gospel brushstrokes to a dark, lifeless canvas.

GIVE Along with prayer, it’s no secret that financial support is necessary for the planting and sustaining of any local church. Our goal is to be a completely self-sustaining church by our fourth year (fall of 2016). Therefore, in addition to anticipated tithes and offerings from within, we need to raise $87,000 from outside sources for our first year of operation and a total of $175,000 from outside sources for the first three years. These funds will help to cover the cost of salaries, facilities, equipment, administration, and various ministries. The following chart demonstrates how we will transition from being primarily a church supported by outside financial partners to becoming a self-sustaining, multiplying church.

To meet our three-year goal of $175,000, we are looking for networks, churches, and individuals to join us as financial partners. This may include regular monthly giving, yearly giving, or one-time gifts over the course of our first three years. For a church being planted in a highly un-churched area, every dollar makes a difference. Please consider partnering with us at one of the following levels:

AMOUNT FREQUENCY $10,000 one time $5,000 one time $1,000 one time $250 monthly/3 years $100 monthly/3 years $50 monthly/3 years $25 monthly/3 years

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4

Becoming Self-Sustaining

External Funds

Internal Funds

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

JAMEY VIZZINI LEAD PASTOR/PLANTER

Jamey grew up in the heart of the Bible Belt, in a hyper-churched, under-gospeled subculture. As a result, he heard messages of Christianity and moralism intermingled with one another throughout his younger years. He’s one who made numerous professions of faith as a child because he struggled to believe that he could be forgiven based on the merits of Jesus alone. But God, in His grace, ultimately opened Jamey’s eyes to the beauty of the gospel.

Having grown up in a moralistic subculture, Jamey has a heart for the hyper-religious moralist. He and his wife (Brooks) moved to Orlando in 2010 for formal theological training. While a student, Jamey began an internship with CrossPointe Church of Winter Park, which ultimately shifted into a Church Planting Apprenticeship. Jamey and Brooks were certain that God would take them back to the Bible Belt to plant a church, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to those trusting in their own merits for salvation. However, God had different plans in mind.

As a result of much prayer, godly counsel, and repentance, God made it clear that Jamey and Brooks were already living in the city in which he wanted them to plant a church. Winter Springs is the Bible Belt without all of the churches. It’s a hyper-religious, under-gospeled subculture. And, Christian churches are few and far between. So, Jamey and Brooks will be staying in Orlando to plant CrossPointe Winter Springs.

DOCTRINE

We are an orthodox Christian church that is rooted in the historic declarations of

the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed. We also affirm the doctrinal statement of

the Acts 29 Network. www.acts29network.org/about/doctrine

Jamey and Brooks are currently hosting a series of monthly Vision Nights in their home (March 27th, April 24th, and May 29th). From there, core group training will take place over the course of the summer, in preparation for a September 8th launch date, God willing.

Jamey’s passion is to see the gospel planted in the city of Winter Springs, to see men and their families rescued, to see disciples made, and to see churches planted for the glory of God and the joy of His people.