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TEN-YEAR GOALS,
1985
Mennonite Church
Call
We believe God is calling the
Mennonite Church in North America to expand our local and global
witness of the kingdom of God to the world, joyfully inviting
all people to share salvation and life with us under the lordship
of Jesus Christ.
Confession
Too often we have been unfaithful in this calling. And too often
we have managed God's resources as if they were our own.
Challenge
The challenge to us now--as individuals, congregations, conferences,
and churchwide agencies--is to set directions for growth in faithful
stewardship and worldwide witness during the next ten years.
We approach the task as God's servants, empowered by the Holy
Spirit, participating in the vision of Revelation 5:9 when worshipers
from every race, language, people, and nation together serve
our God.
Witness
We pray that personal and congregational
renewal in response to God's love and generosity, even through
suffering, will lead by 1995 to
--doubling our total witness
efforts in existing congregations and in new cross-cultural urban
settings.
--adding more than 500 strong congregations of caring disciples
and experiencing overall membership growth exceeding 50 percent
in North America, and
--increasing the number of workers supported in mission beyond
North America from about 500 to more than 1,000.
Stewardship
We pray that personal and congregational
renewal in response to God's love and generosity, even through
suffering, will lead by 1995 to increasing the portion of our
collective income given through congregational offerings from
the present level of about 5 percent to more than 10 percent
of total individual and family income.
Commitment
As delegates to the 1985 Mennonite Church General Assembly, we
commit ourselves to pray and work toward these goals in our conferences,
congregations, and local communities. We ask the Mennonite
Church General Board to oversee strategic planning, coordinating
the particular contributions of all boards, agencies, and conferences
in this effort.
Adopted by the Eighth Mennonite Church General Assembly, on August
14, 1985, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, Proceedings,
p.22.
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