Church Health At First Baptist Church of Fordyce, Arkansas.

The purpose of this ministry project was to develop and implement a strategic church health plan for ministry at the beginning of the twenty-first century within the First Baptist Church of Fordyce, Arkansas. An eight-member select group worked with the author over a four-month period in developing specific goals for implementation. The project centered upon a basic study of church growth principles, demographic studies, and current trends in ministry. The desire of this project has been to allow the local church, both in Fordyce and in other places, to experience a renewed sense of God's empowerment and life. Six specific areas were concentrated upon in pursuing s greater level of spiritual health in the life of the church. These include the following areas: intentional spiritual development, faith-sharing, proper stewardship, worship, relationship-building, and community service. The author and the eight-member select group met twelve different times and prayerfully studied, analyzed, and planned action steps to be implemented in these different essentials in the church. The outcome of this ministry project in the life of Fordyce First Baptist Church was significant. Five specific goals were adopted and approved by the church in December 2000. Together the goals were helpful in targeting a more enhanced ministry outlook within the church. The implementation of the project created a more proactive mentality among the church leadership. Along with the adoption of the five goals, it should be noted that approximately twenty-one people from the congregation were enlisted to work in different capacities to see that each of the five goals were carried out in the course of the year 2001. It has been a rewarding ministry project that has served as a tool to refocus the church in Fordyce upon the reason the church exists. The great hope of this project has been that other churches might also learn from the structure and content of this ministry project some valuable principles for greater church health in their particular setting. From start to finish, the project was designed in such a way as to allow God's church to thrive in the many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ in a world that continues to stand in need of his grace. Certainly all glory and praise belong to our Lord who is the head of the church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]