h1. Redemption City Church - Vision meeting notes - Sun, Nov 9, 2014 Website: "Redemption City Church"://www.redemptioncitychurch.tv The church held its first service on Sun, Oct 26, 2014. DD attended the second service. I tagged along for the third service. Impressive beginning. On Sunday evening, November 9, the church held a meeting to share its vision with the public. The meeting ran from 6:00 pm to approx 7:15 pm. I think that at least 50 people attended. The meeting included an explanation of RCC's vision, introduction of the Leadership Team, and a Q&A period. --(I typed these notes within the IA Writer app on my iPhone, and then later, I copied the notes here for editing. The Field Notes pocket notebook and Zebra F-301 black pen remained in my shirt pocket. The analog tech, however, is a good backup.)-- h2. My Notes The meeting was held at the RCC's offices, located in Arrowhead Park. Stat: 80% of new churches fail within five years. Stat: If attendance for a new church reaches 100 people by the six-week mark, then the chance of that church succeeding increases dramatically. RCC: * simplistic service * excellence without extravagance * gospel focused * reference the writings of Paul * Jesus - humility and surrender * 'Life Groups' is a strategy. It's value is community. RCC will donate 10% of its donations to other churches or orgs. New churches are 3 to 5 times more effective at reaching new people than evangelism. RCC's startup cost: $100,000. Before publicly launching, RCC spent approximately 10 months planning with a small group. Currently, Steven Whitlow is the only staff member. The Leadership Team consists of four others. Redemption Church will eventually offer communion once a month. Steven worked at Cedar Creek for eight years. He had no plans to create a less-funded version of Cedar Creek. His goal was to create a different church. RCC: serve, donate, and collaborate locally. RCC has formed a partnership with "Western Avenue Ministries,":http://wamteam.org located in South Toledo. On Dec 7, 2014, RCC's Sunday service will be held at Western Avenue Ministries. Internationally: Some church money will be donated to international organizations, but at the moment, RC has no plans for mission trips. RCC's startup funding came from individuals. More than 50% came from RCC people, and 40% came from people not affiliated with RC, but they wanted to see the church begin. --(So I think this means that RCC does not owe anyone money.)-- RCC uses space at The Pinnacle. No plans now for RCC to obtain its own property and building. The Pinnacle is cost effective and spacious enough. RCC By-laws: Only spend 35% on payroll. RCC will go slow with hiring new staff. Before hiring a new person, the church would like to make budget for three consecutive months, minus the payroll that they would use for the new hire. RC budget breakdown: * 10% to the city fund for use at orgs within Toledo * 35% to payroll * 20% to RCC ministry and operations * 35% to building expenses A couple areas where people can help RCC: * youth programs * hospitality, which includes setup, tear-down, and greeters h2. RCC Handout --(At the Vision meeting, attendees received a handout. This is the info.)-- h3. Foundational Beliefs * *Belief 1:* Only the Gospel of Jesus can redeem a life (Romans 1:16) * *Belief 2:* Humility and surrender are marks of a redeemed Christ follower, as modeled by Jesus (Philippians 2:3-4, Matthew 20:26-28, Act 20:24) * *Belief 3:* Jesus is redeeming all things and through the local church we can be a part of the redemption process (Rev. 21:1-8, Matthew 28:18-20) h3. Mission Statement Redemption City Church (RCC) exists to see Jesus redeem lives, relationships and our city. h3. Cultural Values * *Professionally Excellent:* Hospitality and customer service, kids and student environments, musically and artistically. (2 Chronicles 29:11) * *Theologically Rich:* Gospel centered approach to impact people at every stage of Spiritual Growth (Gal. 2:14) ** Reach the lost without losing the reached. ** Develop the growing without alienating the lost. ** Motivate the mature without confusing the growing. * *Culturally Engaging:* Eliminate the ceiling of ministry by unleashing opportunity for people to engage and experience their greatest ministry potential. (Matt. 25:14-30) h3. Ministry Structure * *Weekend Service:* Preaching, music, kids and students, hospitality * *Groups:* Exist to facilitate and create Godly relationships * *City Engagement:* To serve, donate, and collaborate in ways that impact our city * *Spiritual Formation/Church Planning:* To train in order to release h3. Next Steps # Start to serve - hospitality, kids or production # Connect with Steven - Steven.Whitlow@redemptioncitychurch.tv # Join a Group - starting in January 2015 #religion - #activism - #toledo