How We Will Resource Ministry in the Year Ahead
is called to touch her community as the presence of Christ.
Preface
What is a “Ministry Action Plan?”
The Ministry Action Plan (or MAP, for short) is our annual
church budget. Last year we adopted this new term because
“Ministry Action Plan” emphasizes that budgeting is bigger
than assigning numbers in a spreadsheet and expecting the
money to arrive in the offering plate. Budget planning in
church involves:
1) discerning what God is calling us to do in the next year,
2) determining what resources will be needed to carry
out the ministries to which God calls us, and
3) deciding together to give what is needed.
So we might compare this plan to a financial roadmap for
2014. The MAP will guide us in our endeavors as a church.
These endeavors will certainly cost something. But our giving
something great in response to God’s call on our lives is an
essential part of the Christian life. Our giving enables our
serving and singing and study and fellowship together; all of
these are essential parts of our worship response to God’s
great love and generosity.
“For you know the generous act
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for
your sakes he became poor, so that by
his poverty you might become rich.”
-2 Corinthians 8:9
Working together and seeking God’s guidance, we have
discerned the broad strokes of what Island View will do in
2014. Our committees and teams have also determined what
resources will be needed to carry out this plan. Now comes a
moment of decision, as we are invited to approve this plan
and pledge our personal support to seeing it enacted in 2014.
OUR VISION:
Our vision is for the Island View Baptist Church
to be a vibrant fellowship of believers,
growing in spiritual maturity,
ministering to the community,
striving to reach the lost,
whose focus is on worshipping God
and treating each other with love.
Add to this our statements of mission and calling:
OUR MISSION:
Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit IVBC is to:
proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior,
encourage people to grow in Christlikeness,
and unite in one body in Christ,
serving the needs of the community,
both locally and globally.
OUR CALLING:
Island View Baptist Church is called
to touch her community as the Presence of Christ.
Who developed this plan?
Our Bylaws direct the Stewardship Committee “to develop a
church budget to be presented to the church for adoption
prior to the beginning of the next calendar year” and also to
“educate the church in giving, money management, mission
support and church budgeting.” The 2014 Ministry Action
Plan fulfills both of these directives. The leaders of your 2013
Stewardship Committee are:
Rannel Westberry, Chair
Paul Ealum
Emily Gunter
Mike Hiers
Doug Westberry
Bob Zacharias
What if I would like to see more detail?
The MAP Index, a line-item listing of accounts and amounts is
available in the Church Office for your review upon request.
Members of the Stewardship Committee are prepared to
handle inquiries and direct you to more information.
How can I give?
What guides our planning?
The Ministry Action Plan is a living document; the details
change from year to year. However, the core of our plan
always emerges from our unique identity as a church,
especially as expressed in our vision statement:
Your offerings help us fund the entire Ministry Action Plan.
Giving is as simple as putting money or checks in the offering
plate. We encourage regular givers to use the offering
envelopes provided to them, and we are preparing to offer a
new online/automated giving service. You can also mail
contributions, or set up automatic payments to IVBC through
your financial institution.
From the Pastor
In Five Years
My family looks much different than it did five years ago.
The most noticeable differences you might spot on the
steps during the Children’s Sermon and in the Nursery.
I don’t remember what Andrea and I did before Karis and
Jacob were born. Probably whatever we wanted to do;
which seems so boring now. Life has changed, and it has
changed for the better.
We now serve a different church and live in a different
state. My pant size has increased a tad, as have the hairs
on my head numbered as gray (I guess not all the changes
are for the better).
Looking back, I see that we were not seeking any of these
changes in our lives. The changes found us. At first, they
felt strange and scary—interruptions into our normal way
of life. But these changes have been enormous blessings
(except for the waist and the hair).
During the new year of 2014, Island View Baptist Church
will engage in a church-wide initiative called Dawnings, a
process which offers an opportunity to see the world and
our ministry within it with fresh clarity and purpose. It is
not a program; it is a process. And 2014 will not be the end
of that journey; it will be a beginning.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
We’re not merely called to touch our community as the
presence of Christ. We’re empowered too.
What you have in your hands is more than a budget, but a
PLAN for MINISTRY ACTION. To carry out this plan in
2014, we will need the time, talents, and treasures of our
membership put into action. How well we do in this year
will certainly impact the Island View Baptist Church of
2019 – only five years away. And that’s only a beginning.
At the beginning of October, I preached a sermon called
“How We Give” and put the matter as simply as I know
how. In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, we see that those blessed by
God with great gifts are invited to give thanks in return:
1. Regularly – “on the first day of the week”
2. Personally – “each one”
3. Proportionally – “In keeping with your income”
One reason I and other church leaders have been excited
about this process is the underlying thought that God is
already at work in us and the world around us. Change is
finding us, whether we are ready for it or not. We need
not contrive changes to fit some outside notion of what a
church ought to do; rather we seek God’s spiritual shaping
so that inward change leads to outward engagement.
If you’re not already giving in this way, I invite you to have
a prayerful conversation with your family and God and
determine how you can really give in the way you want to
give. I also encourage you to read through this MAP
document so that you have a better idea of the multitude
of ministry our giving enables.
What will Island View Baptist Church look like in five
years? Does that question excite or worry us? Does it lead
us to lean on God or on our own understandings?
I’m so grateful for our leaders in church committees, who
have done a good job discerning a plan for 2014 and
determining what resources
are needed to act on it.
How We Give
Whatever our church looks like in five years, no one will
have more of a hand in shaping it than God and us. No
outside force can determine our course unless we allow it.
Changes in neighborhoods, culture, and government will
continue until Christ comes again. Yet, all the while, Christ
is working in and through his church to bless the world.
What church committees and
staff cannot do, however, is
the work of decision. And so
we entrust this plan into the
hands of the congregation.
2014 Ministry Action Plan
Our vision is for the Island View Baptist Church to be a vibrant fellowship of believers :
Worshipping God
$111,817
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer… praising God.” – Acts 2:42,47 (NIV)
Everything we do as a church arises from our experience of God’s grace and glory in our
lives. Together we worship God—who has created us in the divine image, recreates us in
Jesus Christ, and gifts us with the Holy Spirit. We gather each and every week to hear and
respond to God’s Word in worship. Many gifted people lead us in worship through
singing, playing instruments, reading scripture, preaching, and yielding other talents.
So much of life gains its shape from events we hold in our sanctuary: faith decisions
made, children dedicated, believers baptized, communion, weddings, funerals and more.
People’s lives are changed by our weekly encounters with God in worship, and we aim to
see more lives changed in 2014 as our worship time is renewed by deeper engagement
from God’s people and a generous embrace of new worshippers.
One desired outcome in this area is an increase in average worship attendance to 180 by December 2014. To do this, we must
improve our reception and retention of guests. We must continue to train our present worshippers in some basics of welcoming
guests and connecting them to others in the church.
(Includes 1/3 of Pastor and Assoc. Pastor’s compensation; 1/2 of Custodian and Administrative Assistant’s compensation; Pianist;
Organist; Music and supplies for The Sanctuary Choir, Orchestra, Children’s Choir, and handbells; instrument and sound equipment
maintenance; sanctuary needs including flowers, decorations, supplies for ordinances, etc.)
Growing in Spiritual Maturity
$34,470
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 (NIV)
God has commissioned the church, not to make converts or mere worshippers, but disciples—men
and women who are being made into the image and likeness of God by following Jesus Christ daily.
Spiritual formation is not a solo effort; maturing in life and growing into Christlikeness is something
we do together. Knowing the Bible and how to freely read, interpret, and apply God’s Word into
daily life is the key objective of our spiritual formation activities.
We believe God’s plans for growing our church in 2014 include growing ministries to all age
groups: from children, youth, and young adults to empty nesters and senior adults. Island View
continues to see great opportunities in ministry with children and youth. Vacation Bible School
continues to reach many new families, some for the first time, with the basic message of God’s
love and wisdom as shown in Jesus.
One desired outcome in this area is an increase in average Sunday School attendance to 120 by December 2014. We can
accomplish this objective by inviting existing members and regular attenders to join a Sunday School class while we continue to
connect new guests with appropriate classes. We also need to find and implement a strategy for the spiritual growth of young
adults, both those who are single and married. A new teacher or teachers will likely be needed.
(Includes 1/2 of Custodian and Administrative Assistant’s compensation; Sunday School literature and supplies for adults, youth, children
and special needs adults; Youth Ministry; Children’s Ministry; Vacation Bible School; Library; stewardship promotion)
Ministering to the Community
$58,979
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” – Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)
The walls of our church do not place boundaries on the Good News of Jesus. We are sent
out to bless and love our neighbors in ways that recognize holistic needs of body, mind,
and soul. Island View has strong partnerships with groups doing essential ministry in the
community, and our members reach out in countless ways through the year.
In 2012 we began a program of Mission Grants, awarded to partners doing kingdom work
in our community. In 2014 those grants will be awarded again and we will strengthen our
hands-on involvement in community ministry and outreach through such initiatives as the
Mercy Network Adopt-a-Group-Home project. Our benevolence program will also continue to meet basic human needs in a
time of continuing economic uncertainty.
One desired outcome in this area, unmet last year, is an increased commitment to the Adopt-a-Group-Home project.
We can increase our commitment by identifying a coordinator who will lead our efforts each quarter and expand the circle of
volunteers.
(Includes 1/3 of Pastor and Assoc. Pastor’s compensation; Mission Grants to organizations such as
The Clothes Closet / Food Pantry, BASCA, and Quigley House; Jacksonville Baptist Association; benevolence)
Striving to Reach the Lost
$81,962
“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.” – Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
Making disciples has been in the DNA of Island View ever since we began as the Collins Road Mission
over a half-century ago. We want to be a haven for the hurting and a guiding light for the lost,
whether they live down the street or around the world. Events like Trunk or Treat or concerts for the
community move us into relationship with others so that we can share our own experience of God’s
grace: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:8
In 2014, we will reach out to our community through events like community concerts, our annual
Easter Egg Hunt, Vacation Bible School, Trunk or Treat, Child Care Center open houses, etc. Island
View also cooperates with other churches through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Southern
Baptist Convention to make a global impact together. In 2014, we will strategize how to better
promote generous giving to mission causes beyond the amount budgeted here.
One desired outcome in this area is a sustained increase in the number of households giving to our Easter and Christmas
mission offerings. We believe this measure to be more important for tracking growth than even the dollar amount we give.
Particularly at these two times of the year, we will invite and encourage all members to give any amount to missions. As we
continue to track the number of households giving to missions in future years, our aim is for every household to give.
(Includes 1/3 of Pastor and Assoc. Pastor’s compensation; giving through Cooperative Baptist and Southern
Baptist channels; public relations; special music events; support for Women on Mission and Deacons)
Treating Each Other with Love
$22,935
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” – 1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)
The ministry of Jesus was always rooted in God’s great love for people. Therefore, whether we are caring for children, saying
thank you to our volunteers, or providing a meal at a funeral, we want to be known for our love. Even our giving is an
expression of our love for God and other people. In 2014, we want to continue our support of fellowship events such as our
quarterly luncheons before business meetings or Hanging of the Green. We want our Men’s
Ministry/Brotherhood mobilized to care for practical needs in our congregation, including
home repairs and accessibility work for seniors. And we will continue to screen and train all
volunteers with children, youth, and disabled adults to know the signs of potential abuse and
ensure that Island View is a safe place for all.
One desired outcome in this area is recruiting six new volunteers to work in the nursery,
extended session and children’s church and six new volunteers to help with Young at Heart
Luncheons and Wednesday Night Dinners. Training and mobilizing these volunteers will not only reduce costs in other areas,
but will engage our members in actively showing love to others.
(Includes Financial Administrator’s compensation; child abuse prevention; supplies for hospitality and bereavement events;
nursery salaries and supplies; support for Brotherhood and History Committee)
In order to carry out our Church Vision as outlined above, we must also commit to:
Equipping Ministry (Administration)
$19,150
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up.” – Ephesians 4:11-12 (NIV)
Our ministry team and all of our volunteers depend on basic materials to get their jobs done.
Whether the equipment needed is a ball-point pen, a computer, or a copy machine, we
provide the basics and they do a wonderful job of minimizing waste and maximizing ministry.
(Includes office supplies, equipment and software; postage)
Facilitating Ministry (Properties)
$126,360
“God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all
that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)
Woven throughout Island View’s story are testimonies to God’s provision of a place to
worship, grow, and serve. We began in a home, grew into a chapel, moved up the road when
I-295 was built, survived a fire, and have a splendid facility today. Being good stewards of our
resources means being good stewards of our space. Every one of our ministries benefits from
our facility, as do other ministries such as the Renaissance Haitian Church, BASCA, Young at
Heart, and the Child Care Center.
(Includes building and grounds maintenance; supplies; insurance;
utilities; properties expenses of Child Care Center)
MAP Gross Total
Child Care Center Contributions to MAP
TOTAL NEEDED TO CARRY OUT OUR MINISTRY PLAN
(MAP Net Total)
$455,673
$57,000
$398,673
$995 less than 2013
The detailed MAP Index with all line items and amounts listed is also available for your review in the Church Office.
2014 MINISTRY ACTION PLAN SUMMARY
TOTAL GROSS M.A.P.
Worshipping God
Growing in Spiritual Maturity
Ministering to the Community
Striving to Reach the Lost
Treating Each Other with Love
Equipping Ministry (Administration)
Facilitating Ministry (Properties)
Child Care Center Contributions
Treating Each Other with Love
Facilitating Ministry (Properties)
Contributions to IVBC MAP
TOTAL (NET) OF CHILD CARE PAYMENTS
Worshipping God
Growing in Spiritual Maturity
Ministering to the Community
Striving to Reach the Lost
Treating Each Other with Love
Equipping Ministry (Administration)
Facilitating Ministry (Properties)
2013 MAP
107,950.00
33,199.00
57,558.00
80,148.00
22,813.00
20,500.00
134,500.00
456,668.00
2014 MAP
111,817.00
34,470.00
58,979.00
81,962.00
22,935.00
19,150.00
126,360.00
455,673.00
750.00
56,250.00
57,000.00
750.00
56,250.00
57,000.00
2013 MAP
107,950.00
33,199.00
57,558.00
80,148.00
22,063.00
20,500.00
78,250.00
399,668.00
2014 MAP
111,817.00
34,470.00
58,979.00
81,962.00
22,185.00
19,150.00
70,110.00
398,673.00
** See Footnote
Change
3,867.00
1,271.00
1,421.00
1,814.00
122.00
(1,350.00)
(8,140.00)
(995.00)
Footnote
This $57,000 represents the contributions from the Child Care Center that are for expenses included
in the Ministry Action Plan. In addition the Child Care Center contributes $18,000 towards
the renovation debt retirement which is a designated fund not included in the Ministry Action
Plan. Total Contributions from the Child Care Center to IVBC is $75,000.
Island View Child Care Center
About Our Child Care Center
Begun thirty years ago as an outreach ministry of Island View Baptist
Church, the mission of the Child Care Center is to provide an early
childhood program that promotes the spiritual, cognitive, physical,
emotional, and social development of children from six weeks through five
years of age. Few other programs in our area have been so consistently
rated A+ by the Florida Department of Children and Families. Our longterm, skilled, and caring teachers will help us carry that track record of
excellence into our 31st year of ministry.
Educational Philosophy of the Program
We utilize the "Wee Learn" curriculum, designed around themes which challenge a child's development mentally,
physically, spiritually, socially, and emotionally. We are committed to providing Biblically-based, age-appropriate
experiences to allow each child to progress in these areas at his/her own level of ability while enjoying feelings of
success. Children are given the opportunity to explore their world, primarily through hands-on activities in learning
centers and positive Christ like role modeling from the staff. Parent newsletters will keep you informed about each unit
designed for your child's class.
We believe that child growth, development, and education are processes that require a partnership between parents
and early childhood programs. We respect and support parents in their role as primary care givers, and desire to serve
as an advocate for children and their families in this community.
Program Administration
IVBC Childcare Center is a non-profit center that is licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families (#
C04CL0028). The Director is responsible for its daily operation and the implementation of policies established by the
Department of Children and Families.
Proposed 2014 Budget (Approved by Stewardship Committee)
$526,246
BUDGET SUMMARY
Personnel
$404,035
Operating Expenses
$41,586
Equipment/Building
$80,625
TOTAL
$526,246
Budget formulated towards having 75 children enrolled
2014 Contribution to the IVBC Ministry Action Plan
$57,000
2014 Contribution to Renovation Debt Retirement
$18,000