It’s been over three months since I got here to replant Bridgeway, and things are going very well with the church. In January we came up with strategic plans to move the church forward and felt like if we could address key areas then we would be able to have an Easter launch. This felt aggressive at the time but we wanted to give it a shot. Six weeks later, and thanks to hard work by some key people, we are aiming for an Easter relaunch!

Before talking about these key strategies, I want to celebrate that three youth were baptized last month. We have been preaching about realigning our church and lives with Christ’s intent and obeying the command to be baptized is one of those. It was great to see these three come forward to profess faith in Christ. It was the first baptisms at the church in about two years, and we are praying for many more!

The key areas we identified necessary to improve for to launch were 1) Sunday Service. We want to have an engaging time in the word and worship that builds people up and makes them want to come. We have taken strides in that and with a new worship leader coming this Sunday we expect more improvement. We also want Sunday teams that effectively greet guests, handle tech needs, set up, and welcome people. 2) Student Discipleship: people move to Alpharetta for the schools and to raise kids. A good children’s ministry is essential to growing a church. We wanted to improve this in the areas of curriculum (Bible content), check-in, and expectations for volunteer. 3) Adult Discipleship. The Christian life consists of more than Sunday mornings and we want to create contexts that adults are going deeper in Bible, community, and mission. We are rolling out groups that foster these three things. 4) Communications. We need to make sure the message is reaching people. We have updated our logo, website (isn’t it cool!), and are even working on the face of the church office to send a message to the community that things are happening here. 5) Local Outreach. We want to be a church that loves its community and neighbors. We are working on ways to get to know the people of our area, and we are hoping the Easter launch pushes us forward and helps us see where we can make a positive difference in our neighborhoods, schools, families, etc.

I am extremely grateful for the work that has been accomplished so far, and yet we need much more. We are praying for people to come, and you can help us by getting the word out. Even if you don’t live in Alpharetta you never know who you might help us reach by liking or sharing a post on social media. As the launch approaches, I will get you more info and let you know how you can help. Until then, please keep praying for God to work in us and through us.