Spectrum 2000 Report

A Spectrum 2000 Flagship Church

The Spectrum 2000 Flagship Church Preamble:

Spectrum 2000 Churches are: “God-centered, Christ-led and Holy Spirit-inspired communities of faith with a clergy led & laity based passion to fulfill the mission of the United Methodist Church in making disciples for Jesus Christ.”

Our Concern:

The problems in our Church are spiritual problems that must be addressed with spiritual solutions, not by social solutions, intellectual solutions or by church growth gimmicks, but by spiritual solutions.

Our Hope:

Our hope rests in a THEOLOGICAL CALL FOR TRANSFORMATION by being obedient to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We need saints & churches that are:

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Hungering for God, students of the Word who hunger for spirituality & have an unquenchable thirst for the Holy.

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Practicing a life of prayer, fasting and contemplation.

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Seeking a personal relationship with Jesus Christ witnessed to by the fruits, gifts & power of the Holy Spirit.

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Desiring holiness, integrity and Christian character.

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Not concerned about structure, process or denominational affiliation but about making disciples for Jesus Christ.

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They are not students of religion, but practitioners of the Gospel getting their hands dirty in orthopraxis.

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There is no apology in rising to the claim of being spirit-filled churches full of the power, wisdom and gifts of the charismatic tradition. These gifts belong to the church of Jesus Christ, not to one of its sects.

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The Holy Spirit is speaking prophetically and moving visibly in the life of the church.

The services are not dry and dull, but are vital and alive. This is not a measure stating they must be contemporary, high church or some other degree, but that the Holy Spirit should be popping and alive and evident despite the particular congregation’s style or taste.

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The Tangible “indicators” of flagship churches are B-I-B-L-E based:

B-

Biblically literate in their teaching and witness.

Includes laity and clergy, individuals and groups, people of all race, class, age, gender, color and background in composition and outreach.

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B-

Believable in their prayer life pronouncements and praxis. (Practice)

L-

Laity-equipped in their gifts and ministry.

E-

Eternal bound in their catechesis. (Catechesis = Spiritual formation, disciplines and the ordered life)

The identifiable Characteristics of Flagship Churches are:

They are: alive, covenantal, renewing, gifted, missional & contagious breathing in holiness through study and the work of the Holy Spirit, breathing out service in action.

Five Distinctions that Capture the Essence of Flagship Churches:

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Demonstrable ways in which they witness to their faith in Jesus Christ in the contemporary situation-- dialogical and praxis oriented.

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They have an intentionally defined vision-based growth which is based in a vital vision and pursued by an incarnate mission and vision statement.

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They address congregational and community based issues of a critical nature. They carry a prophetic and active voice.

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Possession of biblical knowledge and interpretation skills to live in a cross-cultural environment. Bible study-centered!

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Commitment to serving God at home and abroad on the mission field of daily life:

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They have a “missions-giving” heart.

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They are locally and globally involved in missions.

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Evidence of being on a journey towards transformation as a missional church-- engaged in spiritual formation and discernment encounters. This is evident through both the spiritual development of the “convinced” and the conversion of the “unconvinced.”

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There is an anointing or “Essence of Ministry” that can be identified,captured and transferred in a missions education and leadership development mode to exhort and empower other communities of faith in making disciples for Jesus Christ.

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