OUR MISSION
“Upper Room Assembly exists to connect people in fellowship with the life-giving message of Jesus Christ, to facilitate understanding of purpose, to restore living relationship, and to adore and serve Jehovah.
”We are passionate about our mission and consider it a privilege to be used by God to reach His beloved children through witnessing, service, and love. This report contains a strategic plan that will help our church focus on aligning the unique gifts and resources that God has given us and will assist us in taking advantage of these opportunities.
The Bible says in Ephesians 5:15 – 16 , “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.” We believe that while we are responsible for the planning, we must allow God to do the directing. This report has not come about through arbitrary project-based planning but rather, by the realization that with prayer and obedience we can be a catalyst to help bring about a future in alignment with God’s will.
God has blessed Upper Room Assembly in amazing ways and we believe that greater things are yet to come!
OUR VALUES
The values of the church determine the strategic direction it takes. When the values and beliefs are ingrained and shared by the pastors, leadership, staff and members; it becomes a way of life within the church and molds church strategy.
The following are the God inspired values of The Upper Room Assembly:
- Biblical Authority: God speaks through the Bible and we recognize it as the final authority for our lives.
- Prayer: We believe in the power of prayer, and it makes a critical difference in all we attempt to achieve. We are to be a house of prayer for all nations.
- Worship: Worship is to be pursued in every facet of our lives as we consider the all-encompassing nature of the Gospel. It is nurtured through the gathering of God’s people in a corporate service, with primary weekend services and weekly meetings.
- Intentional Evangelism: God’s message of forgiveness through Christ is most effectively conveyed when we make it a passion and a priority in our life.
Family Ministries: We believe there is nothing more important than strong, united families. - Community: Accountability, belonging, care, and spiritual growth happen best with relationally-connected believers.
- Strategic Service: Our spiritual gifts have maximum impact when exercised in support of our strategy.
- Leadership Development: We are responsible to pass along to others the knowledge, skills, and opportunities that have been entrusted to us.
- Excellence: We believe that excellence honors God and inspires greatness to all who witness it.
OUR METHODS
Our MISSION confirms our VALUES, which drive our METHODS, which equip our congregation to accomplish our VISION. In light of our mission, we must ask the question: “How do people most commonly grow in their faith?” & “How can we structure our ministries around those faith-building dynamics?”
After evaluating my [Pastor Babalola] own personal faith journey, I have discovered that while it was ultimately God who grew people’s faith, there are essentially five dynamic processes in which He worked.
These are the five ways that I feel God most commonly grows our Faith:
Practical Teaching – When our acts of faith intersect with God’s faithfulness, our faith grows. From Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders, we find that listening and learning is not enough. The value is in the application. In the end, obedience that makes all the difference. Most people cannot recall their first encounter with the Bible, however, most remember the first time they “understood” what was being taught from the it. Most people desire to live out their faith as explained in the Bible, but struggle with the application. Our desire at Upper Room Assembly is to make the words that God has given us applicable and life giving.
Christ Centered Worship – The goal for our weekend worship experiences is to inspire congregants in taking the next step in their faith. We believe that worship is a faith catalyst that connects the heart of men with the desires of God. Worship is an outward expression of our faith in God. At Upper Room Assembly it is taught that worship is not only what we do on Sundays, but what we do all week.
Private Disciplines – I have found that there is a direct correlation between a person’s private devotional life and his or her personal faith. When God speaks to us personally through His Word or answers a specific prayer, our faith is strengthened. Therefore, our most emphasized area of ministry is discipleship through developing private disciplines. Our Life Track teaches new, and current believers how to pray regularly and effectively. It also teaches believers how to read God’s Word and receive from it.
Relational Evangelism – Sharing your faith with others is one of the biggest steps in the life of a Christ follower. Our personal relationship with Christ is vital for our faith, but sharing our story is essential for growth. It is my desire to see every believer identify “their story” and be confident and ready to tell it to others. Our Life Track process teaches new and established believers how they can convey the gospel of Christ through their testimony.
Personal Ministry – One of the primary ways God grows our faith is through personal ministry. All people were created by God to make a difference in this world. I desire to help everyone find their place in life so they can use their unique abilities and passions to touch the lives of others.
As you might expect, you will not find this list anywhere in the Scriptures. This list is simply a result of what I [Pastor Babalola] have experienced and observed. While this list is in no way exhaustive, I do feel that they are the five things that most often surface when people discuss their faith journey.
OUR VISION
“To see individuals, marriages and families radically changed by finding their identity in Christ.” A Godly vision is based on God’s will for the church. It is a picture of seeking the needs of other people and meeting those needs. It is vitally connected to the heart of God and His perspective. A vision which is inspired by God is God-sized and will require the power of God to fulfill.
A Godly vision makes your heart surge, carries you to heights you never dreamed possible, and causes exponential growth. You are empowered and motivated by it. It seizes hold of you and orders your thoughts and actions. Habakkuk 2:2 states, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run.” The Lord has a preferred future for Upper Room Assembly and we feel He has made areas of this preferred future very clear.
The following are our areas of focus in light of this vision:
- To be a fellowship of people that are committed to holy and pure living.
- To be a church that focuses on intentional evangelism in our community and making disciples of all nations.
- To be a church that focuses heavily on mission giving & service.
- To be a place where people searching to know God are taught Biblical principles and welcomed into Christian community.
- To be a church that equips pastors, members, and students to answer their call-in ministry.
- To establish a campus that will exist to elevate and transform our community. This campus would be composed of several multipurpose facilities that would be the premier location for congregant discipleship, family ministries, church plant training, and “Jesus centered” activities.
OUR GOALS
Goals convert our strategic objectives into specific performance targets. Effective, smart goals clearly state what you want to accomplish, when you want to accomplish it, how you are going to do it, and who is going to be responsible.
All goals should be specific and measurable. By making short-term goals, our church will convert the mission, vision, and long-term objectives into performance targets. These realistic goals will serve as a tool for stretching our church to reach its full potential.
- To Decrease the amount of “unchurched” people in our community by 5% in 2019.
- To increase the number of people serving in missions.
- To increase our area of reach to other communities.
- To disciple, train, equip, and empower people by the word of God.
- To obtain our own property.
OUR SCORECARD
To help monitor our strategic plan, we will be using a data system that will be both a measurement and management tool to assist in fulfilling our organization’s vision. With it, we can actively track progress toward our goals. For each goal we will put a measurement and target on a scorecard (in Excel).
With the scorecard, we can actively track our progress on a monthly basis. Measuring effectiveness has been a part of our process. Numbers are very important to us. While people are more than numbers, the visualization of our reach will be effective in the fulfillment of loftier goals and give us the ability to celebrate at our milestones. Measuring effectiveness will not only help us monitor progress, but it will also motivate and encourage those who are invested in this movement of God.
OUR EXECUTION
Implementation is the most difficult part of the planning process: it is the actualization of the goals set out in the plan while remaining alert and flexible to new opportunities as they unfold.
Our overall aim is to integrate this strategic plan with daily, weekly, and monthly routines and methods. It is good to remember that a God inspired plan that is well implemented will bring kingdom success to His Church.
A team devoted to the successful implementation of the plan is key. The plan needs to be supported with people, money, time, systems, and above all, communication. We will hold monthly leadership team meetings to make adjustments and discuss success and or failures, while holding quarterly strategy meetings to report on the progress towards achieving the goals.
It is imperative that we communicate this plan to everyone in our organization. The job of the staff and ministry teams will be to monitor their numbers and report effectiveness of their ministry areas. We will take corrective actions as needed.
Above all, we will remember that implementing the plan will require continued daily prayer for direction accompanied by obedient action in response to what God reveals.
OUR CONCLUSION
We believe that this strategic ministry plan is a living, dynamic document. We trust that God has a preferred future for Upper Room Assembly and we believe that He will use this plan to help guide our church. We know that it is our responsibility to integrate this plan into every fiber of our organization.
If we are diligent to do so, we are confident that this plan will bring unity to our laity, leadership, and staff in moving the church in God’s preferred direction. All the best missions and strategies in the world are a waste of time if they are not implemented with fervent prayer and obedience to His will. To be truly successful, we must be united in Christ and in His purpose.