Our Goals
The human mind plans the way, but the Lord
directs the steps.
- Proverbs 16:9
The Presbytery of San Fernando considers each one of its member churches is a mission center and that God’s mission through us is better carried out in partnership with one another.
Through an extensive and prayerful process, the leadership of our Presbytery identified three goals that we feel the Holy Spirit is guiding us to pursue together.
These questions can be used as a way of helping your Session, committee or group learn more about the goals, discuss ways in which they may relate to or resonate with you and offer suggestions that could be helpful to the Presbytery and other congregations.
Church Vitality
Goal #1: Supporting an increase in the recognizable vitality of our congregations.
For we are God’s s ervants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. -1 Corinthians 3:9
The churches in our Presbytery have demonstrated a great deal of tenacity, adaptability, and a renewed
emphasis in serving their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1) Can you mention some of the ways in which you have seen new vitality in your church during the last few months?
2) Has your church taken the free Health Church Assessment by Cyclical Full Circle? If you would like to find out more about it or the Growing Young approach to ministry, please contact Mike Harbert, Associate for Congregational Renewal and Discernment at mharbert@sfpresby.org.
3) In your opinion, what are some of the most important indicators of the health of a church?
New People in Worship
Goal # 2: Facilitating an increase in the total number of people worshiping with our chartered churches and new worshipping communities.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. -Psalm 40:3
Our Churches and New Worshipping Communities report that their regular patterns of worship have been significantly altered. Some members have not been attending or have relocated. On the other hand, online worship has become more popular and some of our churches have seen many new people added.
4) What are some of the challenges that these new participation patterns present to your church?
5) What are some of the opportunities that these new participation patterns present to your church?
6) Much of the increase in worship participation comes from the New Worshipping Communities related to the Presbytery. Has your church partnered with any of them? If not, would you be interested in doing so? If so contact Nick Warnes, Associate for Innovation at nick@cyclicalla.com.
Christ-Centered Diversity
Goal # 3: Promoting an increase of the ethnic diversity of our membership.
“…I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” -Revelation 7:9
7) Our Presbytery has six congregations that worship in Spanish, Korean, and Punjabi. Would your church be interested in learning more about their ministries?
8) How have you felt the Holy Spirit motivating your church to draw people that would not normally see themselves as
part of it?
9) Would you be interested in obtaining a detailed demographic analysis of your community, receiving to training to better engage with your changing neighborhoods or take a course about Biblical Justice? Contact Juan Sarmiento, Executive Presbytery at jsarmiento@sfpresby.org.
Let us Pray Together
Loving and Faithful God, You are the source of our life and hope. It is in you who nurtures your people and make it bear abiding fruit. We thank you for our Presbytery. Thank You for the inspiration that the Holy Spirit gives us to dream and to set goals for ourselves and our ministry now and in the future.
We realize that we are not guaranteed tomorrow but setting goals gives us the motivation to live out each day under your guidance.
So we pray that you may equip us to fulfill these goals according to the purpose that your Reign may be on earth as it is in heaven. We submit each of the three goals to you. May our work to accomplish them express your will for our lives together and glorify you through it.
We pray for other members and friends of the Presbytery who have other goals and dreams that they desire to see happen. May you also help them walk in obedient trust.
Fill us with your joy we pray, in him who is the True Vine, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next Generation Church:
A Beautiful Picture of Innovation and Vitality We all have our own unique visions of what vitality in church looks like. These visions are often complex, shaped by our past experiences or our hopes for the future. In this video, Pastors Moises and Sheila Bojorques share their experience of planting a beautiful and innovative congregation at Next Generation Church. They describe the vitality they have found as a New Worshipping Community within the Presbytery. May we all have eyes to recognize and appreciate the vitality within our communities. Amen!
New Year Update
I am reflecting on 2023 just like you, and I am so grateful for how God has moved in our presbytery! We have seen communities become more vibrant, we have seen people make public declarations of faith, and we have seen growth in our Christ-centered diversity! God is doing all this movement through YOU!