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Missional Outreach
This page is devoted to providing important updates, communication and things to explore regarding the missional direction of our church. We encourage you to browse it, blog it and engage with these key and essential things related to the shaping of AACN for greater missional advance.
On this page we will profile books, articles, communication updates and video links to help people at AAC understand and connect with your missional vision. Keep checking back here often! To blog on this topic click here.
Mission Plan Outreach Update
Background
Almost 2 years ago the elders used several means to gain input into our Mission Plan. A lot was shared, heard and processed by both elders and staff. At the same time, the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (C&MA – Canada) developed a dream that “every church would participate in a multiplication venture every five years”. Their dream was that some churches would take on front line responsibility while other churches would take on more supportive roles for these multiplication ventures.
Airdrie Alliance Church (AAC) has already positioned itself to take on a front-line role in the local, regional and global multiplication ventures. The reason that AAC is able to take on a front-line role is that several years ago AAC had developed a vision and an ambitious mission plan with congregational input. This Mission plan included multiplication ventures at the local, regional and global levels. We are now well into this plan and by Gods grace we are already working on all three fronts.
Along with the continued encouragement from the National Ministry Centre and the Canadian Western District, AAC is seeking to develop partnerships with churches that are planning to take on supportive roles. This has also lead to partnership negotiations between ACC, the National and District offices.
Local Multiplication Ventures
We began our missional outreach into our local community through CREW, Manna House and connecting with other organizations such as Community Links. We are continuing our local missional outreach with the “Classical”, “Contemporary” and “Next” campuses.
The “Next Campus” is our most developed multiplication venture at this point. The Next Campus is focused on reaching the predominantly unchurched “post-modern” culture in Airdrie. We have already hired Nick Kadun as a part time intern to assist Pastor Sandy in starting the Next Campus this Fall. Pastor Sandy is also in the process of developing the core lay leadership team for this campus.
The Western District Office is interested in partnering financially with us in this local multiplication venture and we are currently working on the final details of our proposal.
The “Classical Campus” is also slated to start within this ministry year. Pastor Bruce is giving interim leadership to this new start. The Classical Campus is focused on reaching out largely to people who have a church background and are best reached with historical forms of church worship.
This will free our current “Contemporary Campus” to expand and reach those people who prefer more contemporary forms of worship.
We will be inviting one or more other churches to partner with us in developing our new “Classical Campus”, in keeping with the C&MA desire to see all churches involved in either a front line or supporting role in multiplication ventures.
Regional Multiplication Ventures
For more than a year now we have been developing partnerships with leaders in the Calgary Arabic Church. This summer we also sent some volunteers to serve at the Arabic Church family camp.
A few months ago, Pastor Wagdi resigned as Pastor of the Arabic Church and we are now assisting him in developing a ministry focused on reaching Muslims in Canada. We are developing partnerships with the National and District C&MA offices to provide the initial funding for the Muslim Ministries project and we will be inviting other churches and individuals to partner with us in this project.
In the meantime, we are also looking for ways to further encourage the work of the Arabic church.
Global Multiplication Venture
Since 2006, the GMT and Elders have been working on getting involved in an Eastern country. Discussion began to take place over this past year and various groups were consulted. The leadership began to seek wisdom and guidance from the National Ministry Centre the District Office of the Alliance and other organizations. A plan has begun to percolate in the hearts of a number of people about planting an International Church. Much interest is being expressed with the possibility of a partnership with the National Ministry Centre, Western Canadian District Office and others.
Over the next few years we will be looking at a possible multiplication venture in Mexico City. We have been in dialogue with the C&MA missionaries in Mexico City to explore how we can become involved in that city. Our meeting with them in August was very encouraging. Mexico City has a population of close to 30 million people with very few evangelical believers.
A number of our Youth are currently in Mexico on a missions trip. Their trip includes a one-day prayer walk in Mexico City. We will continue to explore our future involvement in Mexico City.
Getting Involved
Up to this point, much of the work on these various projects has been behind the scenes planning. Now, much to our pleasant surprise, a number of these projects are ready to go public.
Four years ago, AAC committed itself to “Reach Beyond”. We did not understand at that time, just how much reaching beyond God was calling us to. We are amazed at all that God has orchestrated over these last years. In particular, we are amazed at how God has placed AAC in a leadership role in reaching out locally, regionally and globally.
Please pray about how God would want you to be involved. For sure we will all need to pray. We also encourage everyone to give generously to the Unified Mission Budget so we have the needed funds to continue all these projects. Also get ready for God to invite you to personally be involved in some of these projects. If God has given you an interest in a particular area, please contact Pastor Bruce or Edline at the church office (outreach@airdriealliance.com ). Let’s all join together and be on mission for Christ.
Unified Mission Budget
“Mission” is the key word in our new Unified Mission Budget. Over the last few years God has strongly prompted Airdrie Alliance Church Network to get on mission. Last year we really ramped up our missional activities through the CREW, Rescue Cambodia and supporting a number of our people on short term missions. We are ramping up our missional activities to an even higher level this coming year as we start two new campuses targeted at reaching two un-churched subcultures in Airdrie.
Our new Unified Mission Budget reflects our missional ethos at AACN. Our Mission Fund used to represent our giving to missions that happened ‘out there somewhere’. Our new Unified Mission Budget represents our commitment to mission in Airdrie, our region and around the world.
The pie chart illustrates the main categories in our Unified Mission Budget. The table below gives a more detailed breakdown of how the donations to the Unified Mission Budget are directed to missional activity.
As you can see, there is no longer a need to designate giving to Global Advance, Canadian Ministries, Compassion, Building, etc. These good causes are now included within the Unified Mission Budget. When you designate on your envelope to the "Unified Mission Budget", your gifts go to fund all the above!
We especially challenge everyone to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse…” (Malachi 3:10) to fund the great mission that God has called us to. God promises to bless those people (individuals) who bring Him the whole tithe, but he especially promises to bless His people (corporately) when they bring Him the tithe. “Then all nations will call you blessed for yours will be a delightful land.” (Malachi 3:12)
Missional Outreach Audio Messages
- For the audio version of the 1st update from April 5, 2009 click here
- For the audio version of the 2nd update from April 19, 2009 click here
To enter into the discussion on the Missional Outreach messages, click here to go the blog page.
Click here for Video on Multi Campus
Pastor Sandy Isfeld and other AACN leaders highly recommend you watch this video to gain further understanding of why Multi Campus (otherwise called multi site) is a powerful way of reaching people with the Gospel. Once on the page click on the video audio link by John Bishop called "Go Back The Way You Came", the video is 1 hour long.
