Regional Vision
The Vision of ABCOPAD
Desiring to Honor the LORD in all we do
Our Vision:
To build Healthy Partnerships
with Churches, Pastoral Leaders, and our wider ABC Family,
to fulfill Christ's Mission in our world.
Our Scriptural Foundation:
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:3-6
All three of the components are dependent on each other.
None can exist in a vacuum
and the region can hold a strategic place in tying them all together.
To Build Healthy Partnerships with Local Congregations...
As we look around us, it's pretty clear that people are different. The same thing is true of churches. Certainly, the buildings that house their ministries are different; but more than that, they have different cultures to which they relate and different sets of gifts that make up the membership.
But we all have a common mission: to reach people for the Kingdom of God, and build reproducing disciples who, in turn, will bring others into God's Kingdom. To do that, congregations need to be strong and vital, equipped to carry out this life-saving and life-changing mission. As a regional family, we want to partner with local congregations to help them grow and mature, and to be effective in mission.
To Build Healthy Partnerships with Pastoral Leaders...
In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote:
It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..." (Ephesians 4:11-12)
As pastors, godly men and women are called to come alongside the flock to be encouragers, teachers, admonishers, comforters, and models of what it means to be a committed follower of Jesus Christ. The challenges and stresses of ministry today are manifold, and the pastors of our regional family find themselves with a variety of needs that press on them both professionally and personally.
As a regional family, we want to come alongside those shepherds that God has raised up. We want to build healthy/vital partnerships that support them through resourcing and caring ministries. We want to touch their lives, not only as pastors of the flock, but as men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and most of all, children of God.
To Build Healthy Partnerships with our wider ABC Family...
One of the phrases that defines Baptists is this: "they have mission in their DNA".
It's true! At the foundation of our history was a desire to associate with one another for the cause of mission here in the United States and around the world. We are people of mission, with a passion for mission.
ABCOPAD has always been about "family". We join with our sisters and brothers to support our wider ABC mission efforts with National and International Ministries. We strive to enhance our existing partnerships with sister regions, as well as explore new avenues of partnership.
In the past, we have shared in mission with other regions in a variety of ways, a few of those being:
- Fanning the Flame: A National Pastors Conference at Green Lake
- The Clergy Ethics Course
- Face-To-Face
In the future, we want to enhance our partnerships to be strategic and effective in the common mission we share:
- Multi-region participation in the Online Youth Training Course
- Resource-sharing with other regional ministries
- Regional World Mission Conferences
- Joint mission trips with other regional bodies