Creating a movement of church planting across Canada

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1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DEFINING THE NEED: CANADA NEEDS CHURCHES Declining church attendance and rising numbers of non- Christian immigrants have fueled a need for new and relevant churches in Canada. CHURCHES NEED LEADERS A true movement of churches across Canada depends on a sustainable succession of committed and passionate leaders. LEADERS NEED SUPPORT Emerging leaders desperately need our support to overcome the financial burden and time constraints that urban living places on them. GBCANADA SUPPORTS OUR CHURCHES, OUR LEADERS AND CANADA Our mission is to support and empower our churches to recruit and develop new leaders who can spearhead a movement of new churches throughout Canada s major urban centers. Creating a movement of church planting across Canada Recognizing a Need As the Canadian population continues to grow and diversify, there follows a rapidly increasing need for new and relevant churches to share the Gospel and make new disciples. Shifting societal values and unprecedented immigration rates have resulted in rising numbers of unbelievers. Average weekly church attendance has steadily declined from peaks of 70 percent in 1950 to only 15 percent of Canadians attending in Contributing to this decline is the fact that Canada is now home to its largest proportion of foreign-born immigrants in 75 years, largely from the Middle East and Asia. These shifts in the country s makeup have had the greatest impact on Canada s large urban centers. Our Solution GBCanada s vision is to see a reproducing church launched in every major metropolitan area of Canada by We believe that successful growth is best achieved by empowering our existing churches to multiply. Our mission is to stimulate a nation-wide movement of churches by aiding in the recruitment and training of leaders to pilot that movement. We have targeted six metropolitan areas for church planting by the year 2020: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. Through a coordinated internship strategy executed within the context of our churches, we will develop leaders who will form and spearhead church planting teams into these six regions. Our churches and their leaders will be guided, supervised and evaluated by our Executive Team and the GBCanada Board of Directors with additional support from the U.S. facilitated by the GBCanada USA Board of Directors. Requirements for a Movement Substantial leadership, manpower and funding are all required in equal measures to achieve our goals. We are actively seeking emerging leaders and impassioned individuals who share our vision to help with our mission today. Also, in addition to funding already received from supporting American and Canadian churches, we will pursue grants in the U.S. and Canada with a goal to receive a total of $300K per year in grant funding by These grants will fund our interns and support church planting initiatives along with the funds generated by a sustainable business-based revenue stream, the Emerging Leader Empowerment Program, which is planned to be fully operational by Organization GBCanada was incorporated in 1998 following the launch of our first church in Canada. We now have three healthy and culturally rich church communities located in two of our targeted urban regions: the Greater Toronto Area (Mississauga and Milton) in Ontario and the Greater Vancouver Area (Surrey) in British Columbia. A fourth church is planned for a 2011 launch in Alberta. We continue to drive growth under the leadership of our Executive Team, a group equipped with combined experience in church planting, ministry, mentoring, discipleship, administration and finance. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Executive Summary 1

2 VISION AND MISSION Our Vision GBCanada has a vision to see a reproducing church launched in every major metropolitan area of Canada by Our Mission The purpose of GBCanada is to fulfill our vision by stimulating and supporting a movement of church planting across Canada. Our strategy is to recruit and raise up leaders who will organize and lead core church planting teams into targeted urban areas to establish Regional Mother Churches. These regional churches will then plant clusters of daughter churches in their surrounding areas. Our fundamental role in the church planting movement is to empower our local churches to multiply by aiding in the recruitment of new leaders and facilitating their development. Because we believe that a true movement can only happen through the churches themselves, we are committed to our churches and invested in their leaders. GUIDING PRINCIPLES: Every effort made by GBCanada towards our objectives is guided by the following principles: 1. Church planting is God s primary method of reaching the lost, and the church is God s instrument for making disciples. 2. Leadership is vital to every church; it must develop and mature before a new church can be born. 3. Leaders are best developed through mentoring, and ministry training is most effectual in the context of the local church. 4. A church planting movement cannot be orchestrated or micromanaged by an organization; churches are most effective at planting churches. 5. Great leaders will aspire to reach more people, make more disciples and plant more churches. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Vision and Mission 2

3 VISION AND MISSION Canada s Need Weekly Church Attendance in Canada* *as reported by The Christian Info Society in The State of the Canadian Church GBCanada operates out of our belief that God calls all Christians to share our faith and contribute to making disciples of all people from every nation. We see Canada in particular as a rapidly changing populace with growing needs for discipleship. As an expanding and diverse country, Canada has experienced a significant decline in church attendance and burgeoning growth in its non- Christian immigrant population. Canadian Immigrants by Countries of Origin** **according to Statistics Canada s 2006 census data According to an assessment on the state of the Canadian Church by the Christian Info Society, weekly church attendance has plummeted from its peak in 1950 at 70 percent to just 15 percent by This report also points to a General Social Survey by the Canadian government that finds the number of those who claim no religious affiliation had grown from 12 percent in 1985 to 19 percent in Despite Canadians waning commitment to the church, the majority continue to profess a belief in God as evidenced by an Ipsos Reid study that cites two-thirds of the population still identify themselves as Christians. 1 By developing leaders to advance and multiply our churches, GBCanada is reconnecting with nominal Christians and reaching out to new believers. Our efforts are buoyed by Canadians growing interest in evangelical churches as noted by Outreach Canada and Bruce Guenther of the Associated Canadian Theological Seminaries. Many denominations have suffered dramatic declines in attendance, but evangelical churches are experiencing remarkable growth. 1 Mainline Protestants for example, saw a 67 percent decrease from 1981 to 2001 while evangelical churches have experienced a 50 percent growth over the same period. Still, there is much work to be done as evangelical Christians today represent a mere 8 percent of the Canadian population. 2 While many evangelical ministries focus substantial resources on overseas missions, we have identified an immediate need for a concentrated effort to spread the Gospel in Canada. For the first time, Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants comprise the largest proportion of Canada s foreign-born population. 3 Naturally, most of these immigrants live in the country s major urban cities. On its website, The City of Toronto cites that in 2006 it was home to 50 percent of Canada s recent immigrants and that approximately half of the city s population was born outside of Canada. 4 Unlike the United States, urban neighborhoods in Canada are integrated and diverse, comprised of a broad mix of cultures. We have already seen the positive impact Viva Brasil, our first ethnic (Brazilian) ministry which emerged from Grace Community Church in the Greater Toronto Area. What s more is that our three churches each currently serve between fifteen and thirty different ethnic groups in their individual communities. The needs outlined above coupled with the positive impact we ve seen develop from Grace Community Church fuel our ambition to plant more Regional Mother Churches in Canada s major metropolitan areas. Empowered by GBCanada to grow and multiply, each regional church will drive positive change by fulfilling the unique needs of their culturally diverse home regions. Canada s unprecedented immigration rates are also having a profound impact on the need for churches, especially in major urban centers. According to the most recent census, 19.8 percent of Canada s population or 6,186,950 inhabitants are foreignborn, the highest proportion the country has seen in 75 years. 3 1 The State of the Canadian Church The Christian Info Society, December Church & Faith Trends Rick Hiemstra October The 2006 Census, Statistics Canada, May Toronto s Racial Diversity, The City of Toronto, 2010 GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Vision and Mission 3

4 VISION AND MISSION Yukon Territory Nunavit Territory Northwest Territories Newfoundland British Columbia Quebec Alberta New Brunswick Manitoba Saskatchewan Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia Ontario GREATER VANCOUVER AREA: GREATER TORONTO AREA: The Mission Today Born from the determination and conviction of a few humble missionaries who planted our first Canadian church in 1998, weekly attendance at our three churches has grown to nearly 600 individuals and we have helped 190 adults come to faith in Christ. As we step back and survey the further impact of our churches missions, ministries and local outreach, we see even more lives touched throughout communities and across cultures. We are truly blessed and encouraged by the progress that we have seen since planting our first Regional Mother Church Grace Community Church in Canada s largest urban center, the Greater Toronto Area. We have witnessed a wellspring of growth emerge from GCC including the launches of the Village Community Church which is also located in the GTA, and Community of Hope Church in the Greater Vancouver Area. Today, our three churches continue to grow steadily, regularly welcoming new visitors, adding to their membership and crossing cultural divides. Each church serves a diverse mix of 15 to 30 different ethnic groups and GCC has established our very first ethnic-specific ministry, Viva Brasil (Brazilian). Despite humble beginnings, these gains were made possible by impassioned leadership and God s grace. Gifted leaders continue to emerge within our church bodies today and the possibilities for future church plants are promising. Canada s need for churches continues to grow while both Community of Hope and the Village are positioned to multiply in their local regions. We struggle to plant our next church due to financial constraints for leadership development and the core team it takes to lead the effort. We know that to ignite a movement of churches we will need many committed believers who share our vision. We remain hard at work seeking gifted individuals to join us in fulfilling our mission. We need more leaders, supporters, advocates, contributors, assistants and partners. We are searching in both the U.S. and Canada, in our churches, in Bible schools, seminaries and even the business community at large. With enough leaders and resources in place, we can achieve an incredible momentum. Without them, we are motionless. Do you share our vision? Whether you are gifted in leadership, ministry, mentoring, business, or simply hear God s call to help, our next church plant may depend on you. Please contact GBCanada to find out how you can be involved. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Vision and Mission 4

5 VISION AND MISSION Yukon Territory Northwest Territories Nunavit Territory Newfoundland British Columbia Alberta Quebec Prince Edward Island Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario New Brunswick Nova Scotia The Mission Tomorrow GBCanada is very excited about the future of our mission. With the groundwork laid and our first churches thriving, we now stand ready with a plan to achieve our vision. Our strategy for the coming years consists of a fully reproductive system of churches designed to identify, train, mentor and sponsor emerging leaders who will launch church planting teams. Our primary focus is to cultivate the people and resources from within and outside of our churches to set this strategy in motion. We have already established the foundations of a mentoring program that our churches will use to foster new leadership and carry our mission across Canada. Your involvement in our churches, internships, planting initiatives or funding efforts will help energize our next phase of advancement. We have identified five elements for future growth which are outlined in more detail later in this document. 1. Reproducing Regional Mother Churches These churches serve as hubs for church planting in their regions. They are the harvest and training grounds for our emerging leaders with intentional strategies to multiply into new churches. 2. Internship Strategy The recruitment, mentoring and theological training for potential leaders will take place within our local churches. Internships provide potential leaders with opportunities in ministry, pastoring and/or church planting. 3. Funding Mechanisms Leadership development and church planting both require ongoing funding which is acquired from our U.S. and Canadian churches as well as from outside sources and unique business strategies identified and developed by GBCanada. 4. Strategic Partnerships Since our inception, we have maintained partnerships with likeminded organizations and today we continue to cultivate new relationships that foster church planting in Canada. 5. Administrative Support Structures Our Executive Team and Boards of Directors for GBCanada and GBCanada USA provide the necessary support to assist our churches in their growth initiatives. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Vision and Mission 5

6 VISION AND MISSION GBCANADA EMPOWERS OUR CHURCHES GBCanada is a source for knowledge, support and funding to our churches. We provide guidance and progress assessments as well as financial and administrative aid to assist their growth strategies and enable their leaders. OUR CHURCHES SUPPORT OUR MISSION Our churches share our vision and our responsibility to the Great Commission. The leadership, experience and resources that they generate are recommitted to our mission, including a pledge of 5% from their general funds given back to the Canadian church planting effort. CHURCHES CREATE LEADERS We wholly and truly believe that our churches are the best environments for the training and mentoring of emerging leaders. Our internship strategy places the recruitment and development of leaders into the hands of our churches to yield committed pastors, church elders and church planters. LEADERS PLANT CHURCHES We have witnessed the passion that burns in our leaders and how that passion can ignite a new church. The ultimate goal of our internship strategy is to raise up leaders who hear God s call to plant new churches in Canada. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Vision and Mission 6

7 OUR STRATEGY Our Strategy By launching reproducing Regional Mother Churches in Canada s major urban centers, we can stimulate the spread of the Gospel and fulfill the spiritual needs of vast numbers of Canadians. Our Goals When we empower our churches to drive their own growth, we enable them to multiply organically in ways that meet the specific needs and makeups of their regions. Native Canadians and new immigrants alike can be brought to Christ through churches and ministries that reach out and connect with them in relevant ways, much like we have seen with Grace Community Church, its daughter church and ethnic ministries in the Greater Toronto Area. The development of leaders through a coordinated internship strategy is the key to realizing our vision for a reproducing Regional Mother Church launched in every major metropolitan area in Canada by The leaders that emerge will not only shepherd our church communities, but they will also help to recruit, train and develop new leaders and form church planting teams. We strongly believe that a movement of churches must begin with a movement of leaders. Internships conducted within the context of our churches and supplemented by recruitment from Canadian Bible colleges, seminaries and network partners are the means to create exponential growth that will yield the number of leaders needed to multiply our churches across Canada. Funding is extremely important in the recruitment, assessment, development, training and mobilization of church planters. Today s culture places heavy demands on an individual s time; long work days and commutes do not afford the average man with a young family many hours for his development. Also, the cost of living for our emerging leaders is considerable in our targeted urban areas. By generating new and sustainable revenue sources, we can provide for our emerging leaders and free their time for ministry training, theological training and mentoring. Resources provided by GBCanada will also fund the activities of our internship strategy including administration, recruiting, assessment, training and mentoring and support the launch of new churches. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 7

8 OUR STRATEGY Four Focal Points to Achieving Our Vision: FOCUS ONE: ESTABLISH CHURCHES IN CANADA Our efforts commenced in 1998 when we led a team into Canada to plant our first church. Since then we have come to further understand the needs and culture of this country and developed a strategy to engage its urban populations. The multiplication of our first church into two new churches has established our model for reproduction. FOCUS TWO: RESOURCE GENERATION Our growth has recently subsided and will merely inch along until we can secure adequate funding to spark the next phase of internships and church planting. Our initial focus is to generate the necessary resources and establish sustainable funding mechanisms to support leadership development and the multiplication of churches. FOCUS THREE: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Leaders are the keys to church growth and we will require many different levels of leadership to sustain our existing church communities and to pilot new church plants. Our solution is a multilevel internship program integrated and driven by our local churches for the recruitment, mentoring and training of future leaders. FOCUS FOUR: CHURCH PLANTING With prepared and enthusiastic leaders emerging from our internship programs, our church planting endeavors will be limited only by our own ambition and God s will. Leaders will assemble teams to plant Regional Mother Churches in Canada s major urban centers. Each regional church will begin a renewed cycle of leadership development and church planting in their surrounding areas. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 8

9 OUR STRATEGY Yukon Territory Northwest Territories Nunavit Territory *as reported by The Christian Info Society in The State of the Canadian Church Newfoundland British Columbia 3 Alberta 5 6 Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Quebec Prince Edward Island New Nova Scotia Canadian Immigrants 2 Brunswick by Countries of Origin 4 1 Target Population GBCanada aims to reach those who are spiritually lost regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or social status. Grace Brethren churches provide welcoming communities for individuals and families alike to firstly discover, then grow in their faith in Jesus Christ. The cultural mix found in Canada s cities creates a unique opportunity to reach a wide diversity of ethic groups. We provide an environment for new Christians to learn discipleship, ministry and leadership. We currently have two Regional Mother Churches in Ontario and British Columbia and have identified Alberta as our next intended province for growth. Quebec remains a future goal, awaiting a focused leadership team. There are also ten mid-range areas (greater than 300K but less than 1M) that should also be considered as secondary targets: Quebec City QC 715,515 Winnipeg MT 694,668 Hamilton (Burlington) ON 692,911 London ON 457,720 Kitchener (Cambridge,Waterloo) ON 451,235 St. Catherines (Niagara) ON 390,317 Halifax NS 372,858 Oshawa (Whitby, Clarington) ON 330,594 Victoria BC 330,088 Windsor ON 323,342 GBCanada has targeted dense metropolitan areas **according for church to Statistics planting Canada s to achieve 2006 census maximum data impact and growth. Based on the most current population data (Statistics Canada s 2006 census), there are six metropolitan areas in four provinces with the greatest population densities of over one million each. These six metropolitan areas are: 1. Toronto (Mississauga), Ontario 5,113, Montreal (Laval, Longueuil), Quebec 3,635, Vancouver (Surrey, Burnaby), British Columbia 2,116, Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario 1,130, Calgary, Alberta 1,079, Edmonton, Alberta 1,034,945 GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 9

10 OUR STRATEGY Our Method Resource Generation Via Sustainable Funding Mechanisms Significant amounts of continual revenue must be established to attract new leaders and facilitate their mentoring and development as well as to assist the launch of our churches. To achieve this, we will implement multiple funding strategies: A. Donations from U.S. and Canadian churches and individuals GBCanada currently receives support through donations from churches and individuals in both Canada and the United States. Our Canadian churches pledge 5% of their general budgets to church planting in Canada. To further facilitate donations in the U.S., we have established GBCanada USA, a 501(c)(3) organization. Our Canadian and American operations have joined with CanadaHelps.org and JustGive.org respectively to encourage online giving. We will continue to pursue and encourage donations on both sides of the border through marketing and awareness efforts. B. Emerging Leader Empowerment Program Many church funding structures rely on the contributions of their membership along with charitable donations, but our internship strategy will require significant resources to recruit, train, mentor and deploy our emerging leaders. We are planning to implement a sustainable business-based resource with huge income generating potential. The objective of this model is twofold: to provide gainful employment with flexible hours for our emerging leaders, and to generate revenue that will support our internships and church planting efforts. Our strategy involves the formation of businesses and franchises by Missional Entrepreneurs, Christian professionals who are gifted in business and have a desire to advance the Kingdom. These businesses will employ and liberate our emerging leaders by providing full time wages for significantly fewer hours of work. This will grant our interns valuable time for theological training and ministry involvement. The Emerging Leader Empowerment Program requires the formation of numerous businesses, not just one. These businesses will generate income for our emerging leaders and revenue for the support of church development, administration and further activities of GBCanada. A governing body of business professionals will be put in place to manage start-up funding and investment capital for new businesses in the program, as well as to provide oversight and resources for our Missional Entrepreneurs. Through the guidance of the governing body, the synergies inherent in overlapping markets and referral opportunities, new business growth becomes exponential. C. Business donations and assistance Concurrent with our Emerging Leader Empowerment Program, we will be pursuing donations and assistance from businesses who are aligned with our mission and vision. D. Grants and other charitable funds Beginning in 2010, we will be pursuing grants and charitable funding in earnest. Our first two grant applications will be finalized and submitted in 2010, followed by eight to ten grant applications targeted for By 2012, we expect to receive our first grant, and three to five in the following year. We are targeting the receipt of 10 to 15 grants by 2020 totaling $300K. Our first missional business model is already in place. Abacus, operated by Executive Director Nathan Bryant is a fullservice marketing business in Mississauga, Ontario that provides offset, digital and large format printing, direct mail services and graphic design. Our immediate goals are for Abacus to be generating $75K in revenue for GBCanada by 2011, and to have fully implemented the Emerging Leader Empowerment Program by Our ultimate target for the Emerging Leader Empowerment Program is a yearly revenue stream of $500K+ by GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 10

11 OUR STRATEGY Leadership Development Via Internship Programs Our greatest commitment is to developing effective leaders who will be the catalysts for a movement of churches across Canada. Internships in our churches will provide recruitment, theological training and mentoring for our future leaders. We require all leaders to be trained in the context of their local churches. Most of these leaders will emerge from the harvest of those we are reaching through our churches, however we will also recruit gifted individuals who support our vision from external sources such as local Canadian Bible colleges. There are multiple levels of internships available in Grace Brethren churches with varying opportunities for growth and advancement: LEADERS IN TRAINING PASTORAL INTERNS CHURCH PLANTING INTERNS Profile: gifted individuals within our churches who demonstrate potential but lack experience Commitment: part-time, 1-2 years Funding: bi-vocational / Emerging Leader Empowerment Program / grants / sponsors Interns per church: 2-3 Future: progress to Pastoral Internships or remain in their local churches as elders or effective lay leaders Profile: full-time church staff members serving in ministry with decisionmaking influence and opportunities to develop; receiving mentoring and training from their church pastors and leaders Commitment: full-time, 1-2 years Funding: salary paid by the church / Emerging Leader Empowerment Program / grants / sponsors Interns per church: 1-2 Future: progress to Church Planting Internships or become pastors Profile: former Leaders in Training or Pastoral Interns and paid staff members with exceptional leadership qualities who feel driven to plant churches Commitment: full-time, 3-5 years Funding: salary paid by church / bivocational / Emerging Leader Empowerment Program / grants / sponsors Interns per church: 1 Future: recruit teams and lead church plants Today our churches include three Leaders in Training, one Pastoral Intern and one Church Planting Intern. We are currently seeking gifted and enthusiastic individuals to assume internship positions in our churches. Leaders are urgently needed to shepherd our churches, train new leaders and begin forming church planting teams. Concurrent with the receipt of our first grant, we have targeted 2012 to begin theological training and further recruitment. Our internship strategy culminates in 20 Leaders in Training, eight Pastoral Interns and four Church Planting Interns by GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 11

12 OUR STRATEGY REGIONAL MOTHER CHURCH DAUGHTER CHURCH REGIONAL MOTHER CHURCH MINISTRIES MEDICINE HAT DAUGHTER CHURCH MINISTRIES DAUGHTER CHURCH DAUGHTER CHURCH Church Planting Via Regional Mother Churches Reproducing Regional Mother Churches are the core of our vision and encompass many dimensions. These churches will be the culmination of our funding mechanisms and internship strategy. They are centers for recruiting, mentoring and training new leaders, and hubs for the incubation, modeling and resourcing of new churches in each region. The Regional Mother Church model is completely selfsustaining, funded by their individual congregations. GBCanada provides administrative and organizational support along with additional funding for church planting initiatives. Naturally, these fully-functioning churches will develop ministries tailored to the distinct demographics of their regions. They also help fund other church planting efforts across the country by pledging 50% of their mission budgets to the cause. Two Grace Brethren Regional Mother Churches have already been planted: one in the Greater Toronto Area (Grace Community Church) and one in the Greater Vancouver Area (Community of Hope Church). Both churches have seen an impressive cultural mix in their weekly attendance with as many as 30 different ethnic groups represented. Grace Community Church has also launched a daughter church in the Greater Toronto Area, the Village Community Church. Further church plants in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta are close at hand, awaiting the funding and leadership to bear them. Our next Regional Mother Church plant is targeted for 2015 with the ultimate goal of six Regional Mother Churches by 2020 in the following regions: Toronto, Montreal (Laval, Longueuil), Vancouver, Ottawa-Gatineau, Calgary, Edmonton. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 12

13 OUR STRATEGY Proposed Outcomes FOCUS 1: ESTABLISH CHURCHES IN CANADA The first phase of our strategic plan is now complete. Grace Community Church is the prototype for our Reproducing Regional Mother Church model and has launched both a successful daughter church and a second Regional Mother Church. We have also established a strategic plan as outlined in this document to achieve our vision and mission. Enables FOCUS 2: RESOURCE GENERATION Our initial focus is to generate resources that will support leadership development and the multiplication of churches. By 2013, we intend to have adequate resources for an initial deployment of funds for internships. By 2014 we plan to have established a long-term and sustainable set of funding mechanisms comprised of yearly grant applications, donations from our Canadian and American churches and an Emerging Leader Empowerment Program. Our individual goals for 2014 are to be receiving 5 to 7 grants totaling $120K to $170K per year, $75K in donations from our Canadian churches and $200K per year from the Emerging Leader Empowerment Program. By 2020 our goals will increase to 10 to 15 grants totaling $300K per year, $175K in Canadian donations and $500K+ per year from the Emerging Leader Empowerment Program. In addition, we have established targets for donations from our U.S. churches which are $225K for 2010 increasing to $275K for 2013, $300K in 2015 and $400K in Enables FOCUS 3: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Internships take place within our churches, governed by the churches themselves and empowered by GBCanada. Although we already mentor leaders within our churches, our internship strategy will increase the momentum of our leadership development through an initial injection of resources from our funding sources (Focus 2) by By that time, we expect our internships to have grown to include seven Leaders in Training, three Pastoral Interns and two Church Planting Interns. The internship strategy will come to fruition by 2017 culminating in 20 Leaders in Training, eight Pastoral Interns and four Church Planting Interns. These numbers will continue to increase exponentially through 2020 to achieve 35 Leaders in Training, 12 Pastoral Interns and eight Church Planting Interns. Enables FOCUS 4: CHURCH PLANTING Beginning in 2012 with plans for Alberta, church planting will continue but as a tertiary focus while we concentrate on developing funding and training leaders. We have targeted 2015 for the launch of our next Regional Mother Church. Once sustainable funding is in place and a new crop of interns has matured into leadership positions, church planting efforts will increase with the launch of another Regional Mother Church in 2017, one in 2018, two in 2019 and two in GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 13

14 OUR STRATEGY Proposed Timeline and Objectives Year Yearly Grants U.S. Church Contributions Canadian Church Contributions Emerging Leader Empowerment Program Yearly Revenue Total Active Internships Regular Churches Planted (in specified year) Regional Mother Churches Planted (in specified year) grant applications finalized $30K grant applications $40K $225K $40K $20K 3 LIT 1 PI 1 CPI $240K $45K $75K 3 LIT 1 PI 1 CPI $60K $260K $55K $100K 5 LIT 2 PI 1 CPI grants received and initial deployment of funds to internships $90K $275K $65K $150K 7 LIT 3 PI 2 CPI $120K $285K $75K $200K 10 LIT 4 PI 2 CPI 2015 $150K $300K $100K $250K 14 LIT 6 PI 3 CPI 2016 $200K $320K $120K $300K 16 LIT 7 PI 4 CPI 2017 $220K $340K $140K $350K 20 LIT 8 PI 4 CPI 2018 $250K $360K $160K $400K 25 LIT 8 PI 5 CPI 2019 $280K $380K $180K $450K 30 LIT 10 PI 6 CPI grants received totaling $300K $400K $200K $500K+ 35 LIT 12 PI 8 CPI 6 2 LIT = Leaders in Training PI = Pastoral Inters CPI = Church Planting Interns GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 14

15 OUR STRATEGY Evaluation Funding Mechanisms Evaluation of the success of our funding mechanisms will focus on reaching the previously stated goals. Our initial goal is to achieve the income targets for donations and grants as identified in the Proposed Outcomes section of this document. Ted Adomanis, Director of Finance and Administration, leads our grant and donation funding initiatives and is responsible for their evaluation on a regular basis. Our second goal is to implement the Emerging Leader Empowerment Program which will be piloted and evaluated by Nathan Bryant, Executive Director. The program is scheduled to begin making gains by Once operational, the Emerging Leader Empowerment Program will be governed by a committee of business professionals responsible for the evaluation of new business proposals and the success of existing businesses participating in the program. They will report their evaluations to the Executive Team on a regular basis or as often as required. Internship Strategy Our internship strategy will be evaluated by its ability to successfully achieve the aforementioned goals. A deployment of resources by 2013 will expand our internships with a target of seven Leaders in Training, three Pastoral Interns and two Church Planting Interns participating in the program. The recruitment, development and evaluation of the individual leaders will be governed by the mentoring churches with progress assessments from the Executive Team. The overall success of the program will be evaluated every six months by the Executive Team and through regular contact with our church leaders. Church Planting The success of our church planting strategy will be measured by our ability to achieve a Regional Mother Church in every major urban center of Canada by Church planting teams will be formed and deployed by the Grace Brethren churches and their leaders. All church plants will be evaluated by the Executive Team. The Executive Team will meet regularly with the church leaders to assess the health of existing churches and the potential for new church plants. Staff Responsible for Evaluations Evaluation of all programs and initiatives will be conducted by the Executive Team consisting of Nathan Bryant (Executive Director), Philip Bryant (Western Canada Director), and Ted Adomanis (Director of Finance and Administration). Both Nathan and Philip have served as career missionaries since 1997 after interning at Waldorf Grace Brethren Church in Maryland, and were responsible for the formation of GBCanada and the planting of our first churches. Nathan Bryant, MDiv (Capital Bible Seminary) is one of GBCanada s founders, a board member for the Grace Brethren Missionary Herald Company and serves on the Fellowship Council of the FGBC. He owns and operates GBCanada s first missional enterprise, Abacus Design Print Mail, established in Philip Bryant, MA (Capital Bible Seminary) has been instrumental in the launch of every one of our current churches. Philip led our first team into Western Canada, and currently serves as lead pastor of Community of Hope Church. Ted Adomanis, MM (Grace Theological Seminary) has over 30 years of accounting experience, including 28 years of federal experience with the Internal Revenue Service in the U.S. Ted has managed GBCanada s legal and fiduciary functions since He is also actively involved in our churches, having been part of the team that launched the Village Community Church, and currently serving as a church elder. The Executive Team is accountable to both the GBCanada and GBCanada USA Boards of Directors and will report their evaluations to the Boards bi-annually. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Our Strategy 15

16 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Organizational Structure To activate and support a Canada-wide initiative, GBCanada became incorporated and registered as a Canadian charitable organization in The mission operates under the leadership of an Executive Team comprised of three career missionaries including two pioneers of the original Canadian church planting mission: Nathan Bryant is the Executive Director, Philip Bryant is the Western Canada Director, and Ted Adomanis is the Director of Finance and Administration. Nathan, Philip and Ted are each joined by their wives who are also career missionaries and equal partners in the ministry. GBCanada is governed by a five member Board of Directors. Bartley Sawatsky, lead pastor and co-founder of Grace Community Church, is the President. Mitch Van Rassel serves as Vice President. Michael Yorke is the Treasurer. Rob Stanley, lead pastor of the Village Community Church, is the Secretary. Gord L. Klassen serves as Director. To facilitate donations from American supporters, the mission formed a new U.S. charity in GBCanada USA is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. Its four member Board of Directors works closely with the Canadian Board to support Canadian church planting ministries. The Board of Directors for GBCanada USA consists of Kurt A. Miller, former National Director of Church Planting and Development with Grace Brethren North American Missions; Dave Clearwater, a former trustee with Total Mobilization Support Ministries; Ricky Goad, long-time supporter of GBCanada; and David Gummere, long-time attendee of GBCanada s Summer Team ministry. With affiliations on both sides of the border, we are fortunate to be supported by dedicated people with varied ministry experience from within the Grace Brethren Fellowship of Churches in the U.S. and our own churches in Canada. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 16

17 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Grace Community Church Mississauga, Ontario Community of Hope Church Surrey, British Columbia Village Community Church Milton, Ontario History Grace Brethren Canada is a church planting ministry dedicated to cultivating a movement of churches across Canada. Also known as GBCanada, the ministry was originally conceived as an initiative of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. Despite various church planting attempts by the Fellowship dating back as far as 1916 no Grace Brethren churches existed in Canada prior to this endeavor. During the early 1990s, interest began to intensify in the idea of planting the first Grace Brethren church in Canada. The Home Missions Board, who are responsible for the planting of new churches in the U.S. and Canada, assembled a small team under the leadership of Nathan Bryant, Philip Bryant and Bartley Sawatsky, all of whom were interning at the Grace Brethren Church in Waldorf, Maryland. Following a kick-off of the Canadian initiative at the Grace Brethren Fellowship National Conference in Toronto, the Home Missions Council sent their team of church planters to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada on May 31, In September of the following year, Grace Community Church was launched in Mississauga, Ontario and the church planting mission was incorporated as Grace Brethren Canada. Grace Community Church quickly established itself as a healthy regional church in the GTA, reproducing a second regional church, Community of Hope Church in Surrey, British Columbia, and a daughter church, Village Community Church in nearby Milton, Ontario. Community of Hope Church has developed a leadership team with plans for a new church launch in Alberta by Co-led by a French-speaking pastor, the Village also has future ambitions for a church plant in Quebec. These healthy urban church communities are highly multi-cultural with Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and European attendance. Grace Community Church has also given rise to an ethnic ministry to serve its prominent Brazilian membership. The seeds of another international church are coming together in downtown Toronto. From a core group of 13 dedicated individuals who formed the original Grace Community Church in 1998, we have seen phenomenal growth in the nearly 600 people who attend our churches each week and find a sense of belonging in a Grace Brethren church community. Within our existing church communities, leaders are developing and new aspirations are unfolding. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 17

18 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Executive Team Nathan Bryant served as an associate pastor with the Waldorf Grace Brethren Church in Maryland from 1993 to 1997 where he was ordained. Nathan became a career missionary with the Grace Brethren Fellowship in 1997 and subsequently served as team leader for the Canadian church planting ministry which eventually became GBCanada. During his tenure at Waldorf, he concurrently directed Total Mobilization Support Ministries, a U.S. ministry involving short-term mission projects throughout Latin America and Asia, until he resigned in TMSM has taken him to Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Cambodia. Nathan and Jennifer Bryant Executive Director Nathan holds a Bible Certificate from New Brunswick Bible Institute, a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington Bible College and graduated from Capital Bible Seminary with a Masters of Divinity. He currently serves as the Executive Director of GBCanada and GBCanada USA. He also functions as part of the pastoral team at Grace Community Church, the first Grace Brethren church planted in Canada in He is a board member for the Grace Brethren Missionary Herald Company and serves on The Fellowship Council of the FGBC. Following a tour with the U.S. Army Reserves, Philip attended Word of Life Bible Institute. As a student at Tennessee Temple University, he pastored a small church before transferring to Washington Bible College. Philip served as intern-associate pastor at Waldorf Grace Brethren Church from 1994 to He and his wife, Beth, became career missionaries with the Grace Brethren in 1997 and moved to an area outside of Toronto to serve in the church planting ministry of GBCanada. Philip and Beth Bryant Western Canada Director Philip has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington Bible College and a Master of Arts degree from Capital Bible Seminary. He served as part of the pastoral team that launched the first Grace Brethren church planted in Canada in September Several years later, he and Beth joined the pastoral team that launched Real Life Community Church which later became Village Community Church. He currently serves as the lead pastor of the third church planted by GBCanada, Community of Hope Church in Surrey, British Columbia. Philip concurrently serves as the Western Canada Director for GBCanada. Beth continues to be actively involved in ministry through hospitality, mentoring and discipleship. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 18

19 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Executive Team cont d Ted is a Certified Public Accountant with over 30 years of accounting experience emphasizing individual and small business corporate taxation. In addition, Ted has accumulated 28 years of technical and management experience in federal service as an Internal Revenue Agent, Senior Pension Auditor, Supervisor, Department Manager, and Special Assistant to the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. Ted and Elise Adomanis Director of Finance and Administration Ted is a graduate of Bowie State University with a degree in accounting and holds a Masters in Ministry degree from Grace Theological Seminary. As part of 10 years at Waldorf Grace Brethren Church, Ted and his wife, Elise, administrated Total Mobilization Support Ministries. TMSM was a U.S. ministry involving 21 short-term mission projects throughout Latin America and Asia. Ted also served as a representative for Grace Brethren Financial and Estate Planning Ministries for eight years until 2006, and together with Elise led seminars on estate planning, debt-free living and budgeting. After a few years of long-distance administration with the GBCanada team from Maryland, Ted and Elise became second-career missionaries with the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. In 2001, they moved to an area outside of Toronto to serve in the church planting ministries of GBCanada. Ted soon became the Director of Finance and Administration. In addition to managing the many legal and fiduciary responsibilities of a growing Canadian fellowship of churches, Ted and Elise are part of the team that launched the Village Community Church in September 2006, the second Grace Brethren church planted in Canada. Ted now serves as an elder and remains active in several other ministry areas of the church. Ted is also a board member and Chairman of the Audit Committee for the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation (GBIF). GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 19

20 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE GBCanada Board of Directors Bartley Sawatsky President Bartley Sawatsky is the lead pastor and co-founder of Grace Community Church in Mississauga, Ontario. Formerly part of the original executive staff of GBCanada, he has now served on the Board since He previously served on the Grace Brethren North American Missions Board from 2006 to He currently serves on the board of GO2 Church Planting Ministries Bartley was trained at the New Brunswick Bible Institute, Washington Bible College (B.A.) and Capital Bible Seminary (M.Div.). Prior to coming to Ontario, he served for three years in a French church in Trois-Rivières, Québec. He is married with four children. Mitch Van Rassel Vice-President Mitch is a businessman who works as an Account Executive providing funding for Health Care Professionals. Mitch s thirty year career has been almost entirely concentrated in sales and sales management primarily in the field of healthcare with a couple of entrepreneurial detours along the way. Mitch was one of the original community members at our second Canadian church, Real Life Community Church, which grew out of Grace Community Church. In 2006, Mitch followed Real Life as it moved from Mississauga to Milton and became the Village Community Church. He currently serves as a House Church leader and President of the Village s Board of Directors. Mitch has an Honours degree in English Language and Literature from The University of Western Ontario. His degree has inspired him recently to begin a second career as a playwright. Michael Yorke Treasurer Mike is a Regional Financial Manager with Otis Elevators supporting the Midwest U.S. Region. He has attended Grace Community Church for the past 10 years and was actively involved in the GBCanada movement. Currently, he is serving as an elder at Grace Community Church and is the Treasurer on their Corporate Board. Mike attended the University of Waterloo (B.A. Econ/Finance) and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 20

21 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE GBCanada Board of Directors cont d Rob Stanley Secretary Rob Stanley is the lead pastor and cofounder of the Village Community Church in Milton, Ontario. Rob joined the GBCanada family as an intern in 1999 and served at our Regional Mother Church, Grace Community Church, for two years before joining Mathieu Fugere in starting two daughter works in Mississauga. It was on the backs of these foundational efforts that the Village was eventually born. Originally hailing from the east coast of Canada, Rob was trained at the University of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Bible Institute. Gord L. Klassen Director Gord has spent 14 years serving as a missionary to the inner cities of Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California. Upon returning home to Canada, he has worked in the forest industry as a lumber grader and as a supervisor. Gord is a graduate of Columbia Bible College and a founding member of Community of Hope Church in Surrey, British Columbia. He also serves on its Board, is an elder and oversees the community group ministry. He is involved in various teaching roles and is often serving in practical, hands-on ways in the church. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 21

22 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE GBCanada USA Board of Directors Kurt A. Miller Kurt is the former National Director of Church Planting and Development with Grace Brethren North American Missions and now serves as the lead pastor at Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church. Kurt brings over three decades of experience in church planting to the team which he helped form in Kurt received his education at Bob Jones University, Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary. Ricky Goad A long time supporter of GBCanada and an 18-year member of the Waldorf Grace Brethren Chuch where he has served as trustee, Ricky is a Sunday school teacher, AWANA leader and council member. He is vice-president of the Goad Lumber Company. Dave Clearwater Dave is a former trustee with Total Mobilization Support Ministries and has attended Waldorf Grace Brethren Church since it began 22 years ago. Dave is an engineer at SMECO, a Maryland power company. He has been involved in many ministries leading small groups and several youth trips to Canada and Europe. Dave is also on the church council and still enjoys working with the youth on Sunday mornings as well as co-leading the youth praise band. David Gummere David has made multiple trips to Canada and is a long time attender of GBCanada s Summer Team ministry. David is the Building & Grounds Superintendent at Waldorf Grace Brethren Church and School and has attended Waldorf Grace Brethren Church since His wife Helene, who owns an insurance agency, acts as GBCanada USA s U.S. Administrator. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 22

23 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Partnerships and Collaboration We recognize the common objectives shared by the evangelical community at large and have built a support structure of like-minded organizations. Through networking and knowledge sharing, we are able to support each other in our individual efforts towards the greater goal of spreading the Gospel throughout Canada. The organizations GBCanada has aligned with include: GBCanada is also a member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities which provides practical resources and support to our administrative and leadership functions. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 23

24 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches Core Values: Jesus His Word His Church His Mission Mission: Knowing Jesus and making Him known Grace Brethren Canada was formed as a Canadian church planting ministry by the Home Missions Council of the Grace Brethren Fellowship of Churches. The Fellowship is a voluntary association of churches with a mission of knowing Jesus and making Him known to all nations. In 1939, a group of men and women with a vision for starting new churches in North America formed the Home Missions Council. More than half of the Grace Brethren Churches in the United States and Canada were formed with the assistance of the Council. The Fellowship now has more than 260 churches in the United States and Canada, each operating autonomously with a relevant style and a Biblical foundation. Dating as far back as the 18th century, the Grace Brethren movement now includes over 2,000 churches worldwide serving 750,000 people, ten cooperating organizations and 23 cooperating districts. GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational Structure 24

25 GRACE BRETHREN CANADA We have made great strides towards realizing our vision, but we TO GIVE: cannot continue without your urgent support. Our strategic plan will carry us far into the future, but with your immediate assistance we could be establishing the foundations of our next church plant today. (in Canada) For those who share our vision and would like to participate in the mission, there are numerous ways that you can help: Internships If you hear God s call to leadership whether you are a churchgoer, a seminary student, or an experienced missionary we would welcome your inquiries to pursue an internship opportunity in one of our churches. (in the U.S.) Donations Adequate funding remains one of the biggest obstacles to making our vision a reality. If your heart is inclined to give, you can donate to our mission directly through GBCanada or GBCanada USA. Individual donations can also be made through CanadaHelps.org in Canada, or JustGive.org in the United States. Business as Mission If you are a business owner, executive or budding entrepreneur with an interest in utilizing your gifts in business for the advancement of God s Kingdom, we would welcome your involvement in our Emerging Leader Empowerment Program. We are currently seeking employment opportunities for our interns, expertise and mentoring for Christian business start-ups, and funding from enterprises aligned with our mission. Church Planters If you have experience and a passion for church planting, we want to hear from you. Our leaders have already identified locations for our next church plants and await the manpower to form new church planting teams. CONTACT US In Canada: 6670 Campobello Road Mississauga, ON L5N 2L8 Phone: Fax: elise@gbcanada.ca In the U.S.: PO Box 836 Charlotte Hall, MD GBCANADA STRATEGIC PLAN