Vision 2020

In order for us to fully embrace our mission, it is necessary to make a commitment regarding the type of church we are going to be. We believe that if First Presbyterian Church is going to "carry the gospel to Houston and the world," we need to make an intentional and significant shift in emphasis to being a "sending, missional, kingdom-focused church".

As a part of that shift, FPC leadership committed to planting ten new churches, equipping 100 ministry leaders, including church planters and missionaries, and raising $10 million for Vision 2020 initiatives. Since this bold vision was adopted, the church has positioned itself to fulfill the goals in several ways:

• We have joined a new denomination, the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO), which shares our passion to follow the New Testament paradigm of equipping and sending disciples to make new missional communities.
  
  
• In the fall of 2016, we sent members and core leaders to help start Seven Mile Road Church, a church committed to reaching non-believers and equipping witnesses through "journeying together, beholding Jesus, and spreading hope."
  
  
• In July 2017, we hired three new staff as the first members of our onsite residency with the hope to plant our next church in late 2018.
  
  
• We have helped form the Houston Church Planting Network, and four of our staff have participated in residencies with HCPN over the last two years. HCPN is an ecumenical community of churches planting churces so that every man, woman, and child in the city can hear the gospel.

At the time of adoption of Vision 2020, we did not have any strategy, few resources, and little momentum to send disciples out to plant the gospel in the form of new church plants. What we had was prayer, will, and a prompting of the Holy Spirit. Now, God has given us a strategy and resources, and we hope with more prayer, vision-casting, and the Holy Spirit, and we can grow momentum toward becoming a church that plants churches.
 

Vision 2020 Report

Vision Sunday

May 17, 2015

Vision 2020 Intro	Vision 2020 Part I	Vision 2020 Part II

Vision Sunday Sermon

Marketplace Missionaries Preaching: Jim Birchfield Acts 11:19-21

2015 Summer Seminars

June 7–July 26 The 2015 summer seminar series is designed for you to learn more about Vision 2020 and discussing how we can accomplish our mission. The class includes an explanation of initiatives such as the sending church, the equipping model for ministry, church planting and creating disciple-making ministries in the community.

Effective Prayer Class

June 7–July 26 An 8-week session on discovering how we enjoy and extend God’s glory through prayer available as a resource.

The Sending Church

	Outward Focus Andrew Stepp Feb 1, 2015			Love Jon Crantz Jan 18, 2015
	Generosity Jim Birchfield Jan 25, 2015			Prayer Jim Birchfield Jan 11, 2015