The GO!

Project Bureau County

BIG IDEA We want to communicate the gospel to every man, woman and child in Bureau County within the next 3-5 years. TERMS Communicate o Proclaim/share the gospel o Listen to our neighbors to understand where they are at and the terms they are using o Lead them through a process o Engage (personal involvement and initiative; relationships; relational) o Invite people to make a decision about the gospel Gospel - The good news is that the God who made us and loves us has taken the initiative through the work of His Son Jesus by His death on the cross and His bodily resurrection to put us into right relationship with Himself through repentance and faith. Evangelism - Helping people be reconciled to God (this implies a clear communication of the gospel at some point.) PROBLEM: We, as believers in Bureau County, have neighbors who have not heard or understood the gospel of Jesus Christ. MISSION: Collectively, the churches of Bureau County believe that God has called us to work together toward a greater Kingdom vision than we could ever pursue on our own. As we have sought the face of God together, we understand that He asks us to pursue the following mission: We will partner together to make relevant, personal contact with every Bureau County household to effectively communicate the gospel so they can be reconciled to God.

There are several vital elements to this mission: Partner Together When God looks down from Heaven, He does not see many different churches throughout an area, but rather one Church gathering in many locations. As God has led Bureau County pastors into strong relationships of trust with one another, we understand that He asks us to pray, think, and act as one, united Church in communicating the gospel throughout Bureau County. Relevant, Personal Contact Every person is unique and at a different point in life. We believe God asks us to meet people where they are and to develop genuine friendships with them so that we can demonstrate His love in a way that is deeply meaningful to each individual. Every Bureau County Household Every single person matters to God, regardless of race, ethnicity, educational level, socio-economic status, or geography. Therefore we hope to saturate our community with praying, bold Christians who draw near to their neighbors and communicate Christs love and message. We hope that it becomes impossible for a person to live in Bureau County and not encounter Christ in His people. Effectively Communicate the Gospel God has commanded us to love people, and because we love them, we are compelled to communicate the gospel to them. The gospel is the power of God to transform lives, and it centers around the person of Jesus and all of who He is, as revealed in the Bible. We want to help Christians communicate their faith in Jesus in ways that are clear, meaningful, and helpful in leading their friends to becoming reconciled to God. The Gospel: The good news is that the God who made us and loves us has taken the initiative through the work of His Son Jesus by His death on the cross and His bodily resurrection to put us into right relationship with Himself through repentance and faith. So They Can Be Reconciled Our prayer is that thousands of people in our community will respond to the good news of Jesus Christ and be reconciled to God in a way that transforms their lives forever and delivers them from the wrath to come.

Our Beliefs
Our beliefs are expressed by the following four truths: The Bible is the Word of God The Bible, as the Word of God, serves as the final authority for all we believe, say and do. 2Timothy 3:16 Jesus is the Son of God Jesus is like no one else. Along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus is one of the three members of the Trinity. He is the Lord of all creation and Savior of the world, fully God and fully man. His virgin birth, sinless life, death and bodily resurrection identify Him as the one and only Son of God, and we await His return. John 1; Colossians 1:13-20 The gospel is the way to God The good news is that the God who made us and loves us has taken the initiative through the work of His Son Jesus by His death on the cross and His bodily resurrection to put us into right relationship with Himself through repentance and faith. John 3:16; Acts 20:21; Romans 5:1 The Church is the people of God There is only one Church, Christs Body, which gathers in many locations and is Gods chosen vehicle to: Bring the gospel to the lost. Mark 16:15; Ephesians 3:9 Equip believers for the work of serving each other. Grow all believers into fully mature disciples of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:13 Ephesians 4:12

The Significance of our Beliefs

These four beliefs represent essential truths of our common faith. To remove any of them is to cease being distinctively Christian; to add others is to draw unnecessary dividing lines in the Body of Christ. We hold that the beliefs we share in common far outweigh those we hold as distinct. We also believe these common beliefs provide a solid foundation for our partnership in this mission.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The GO! Project? The GO! Project is an initiative among churches in Bureau County to saturate their communities with the gospel in order to give every man, woman, and child repeated opportunities to respond to God. Some people in our churches live outside Bureau County. How can they participate in The GO! Project? Our initial focus is on Bureau County because this initiative must begin in our Jerusalem (Acts 1:8), which is our county. Our hope, however, is that similar efforts will spread to other cities and counties, especially as other churches in the surrounding areas see the potential of leading a gospel initiative in their community. We are confident there will be ample opportunity for every person in our churches to be greatly involved as we move forward.

What type of churches are a part of The GO! Project? The GO! Project has participants that embrace its mission and values from a broad spectrum of healthy, Christcentered, Kingdom-minded churches throughout the area. Can The GO! Project really be successful? While no one local church can ever hope to reach the entire county alone, the Church can and it is called to do just that! Only a diverse plurality of faith communities in a local area has the necessary bandwidth to connect with all the people who live there. Working with one another, Christians have more than enough capacity to saturate their community with the gospel and give every individual repeated opportunities to respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

How can theologically diverse churches partner together? While there are theological distinctions among our participating churches, we recognize that they are in secondary areas and what we share in common is far greater than what we hold distinctly. As a group of pastors, we have found unhindered joy in our partnership and our common mission to reach our community and see as many people get to Heaven as possible. We believe our people will have the same experience.

How will we measure success? We hope that soon all people across Bureau County engage with other Christians to communicate the gospel, and we see value in following the progress of the Church in Bureau County with this mission. Therefore we plan to track the attendance, conversions, and growth of the Church of Bureau County as a whole relative to the entire county as well as the participating churches.

GO! Project Timeline

September December 2013 January April 15, 2014 Forming and Norming Identifying Stakeholders Strategic Planning Church survey Envisioning within churches Create training materials Initial deadline for churches to submit membership and adherent database (other
churches will be able to come online as the project moves forward)

April 15, 2014

April May 2014 June August 2014 August 24/31, 2014

Training offered to participating church people Forming and launching of pilot groups; evaluate results and adjust plans Community Worship Service Dan Weyerhauser will speak and support the broad launch of this partnership effort Formation of neighborhood groups Training of group leaders Training of neighborhood groups GO!

September December 2014 January March 2015 April 2015