The Church exists to worship Jesus and proclaim His Name. Therefore Jesus must be the very foundation upon which we build.

As elders we believe God has given Jubilee Church Teesside a unique purpose and vision, providing us all with clear goals that unite us in what we have been called to do together.

The Church of Jesus Christ is always moving forward. We hope that as you read this document it will come alive in you and excite and stir you to play your unique part in achieving our God given mission.

Unless God Builds the House, the workers work in vain. Psalm 127v1

The Kingdom Manifesto

Isaiah 61v1-4

This passage from scripture was Jesus’ Kingdom manifesto on the earth…….we believe that God has given it to us too!

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Purpose...why we exist

From the Isaiah passage, we believe our purpose is clearly defined in four key statements

Jubilee Church Teesside exists to help us all:

• Receive the presence of God
• Reach everyone with the love of God
• Release God-given wholeness and potential
• Restore relationships through God-centered communities

These are the four statements that undergird everything we do. They give us the permanent structure on which we build. They are the columns that support all our activity. Our purpose is to help each and every one of you, both individually and corporately, move forward in attaining these four statements.

Values...how we do things

We intend to achieve our common purpose through:

• Proclaiming and applying the message of Jesus in spirit and truth
• Creating an atmosphere of grace and compassion
• Living lives together with integrity and service
• Encouraging excellence and quality in all that we do
• Promoting fun and friendly relationships
• Having passion and creativity in all aspects of our lives together
• Building inclusive communities throughout the church

Our values are the key attitudes and characteristics that govern our behaviour and help shape the decisions we make. They are the ‘way we do things in Jubilee Church’ and are reflected in all the goals set out in this plan.

Vision...our five year plan

Our vision statement defines the specific aims and goals that God has given us and focuses where we place our resources…..people, time, effort and finances. It highlights where we have gaps that need filling……our strengths and weaknesses. It unites us, encourages endurance and keeps us on course. It channels our diverse abilities into one common good.

Over the next 5 years our goal is to celebrate...

...600 people in our community

In order to achieve this we must build on the excellent work that has gone so far. We must continue to:

• Cultivate a high quality Sunday celebration accessible to all, worshipping God and welcoming His presence
• Foster a strong community through Big and Small Groups where people are added and cared for
• Develop and grow our youth, student and children’s work
• Intentionally grow our eldership, staff and volunteer teams

To do this we need everyone involved in the life of the church.

...a facility to be the hub and heart of a vibrant community life

Macmillan Academy Learning Centre has served us well. But as we grow we will need a building which we can call ‘home’

• A building from which we can reach out to the local communities in as many varied ways as we can.
• A facility where we can gather people to worship, teach and train.
• A central location from which we can administer and manage the workings of Jubilee Church across Teesside

...another 100 people becoming Christians

Alpha has been and will continue to be one of our major tools for growth. In order to see over 100 people becoming Christians in the next five years we need:

• To continue to train and build a focused Alpha team made up of enthusiastic staff and volunteers
• A coordinated diary of events as part of a pre-Alpha strategy
• To support and encourage you in personal friendship evangelism
• To see our social action projects fully integrated with our evangelistic efforts

...a fully integrated social action department

Elders are now trustees of both Open Door (North East) and The Hope Foundation. We believe that we should have a single philosophy of social outreach, expressed in many varied ways. As a result we want to celebrate a fully integrated and active social outreach plan that is diverse and reaches many parts of the community. We will encourage new developments in both Open Door (North East) and The Hope Foundation. as new finance and plans emerge.

...major creative events

God has given us many talents and gifts in the church. We will intentionally nurture these gifts and host creative events both large and small. These events will be evangelistic in nature, creative in style and will use many different elements, including visual, spoken and musical media.

...at least 10 Big Groups

There are many areas of Teesside that we do not yet represent. Our Big Groups will help us reach into these communities. They will also be the basis for pastoral care and support. In order to see Big Groups grow in number we need to

• Train more leaders from all areas of the church
• Train and equip more pastoral workers
• Widen leadership teams to incorporate diverse skill mixes
• Grow more Small Groups
• Intentionally integrate new people into Big Group structures

We believe in a fully integrated church, bringing people together from many different cultures and backgrounds……and our Big Groups should reflect this.

...an apostolic base serving Newfrontiers in the north of the United Kingdom

We believe that Jubilee Church Teesside is becoming a church with clear apostolic vision. We are called to serve other churches regionally, nationally and even internationally. This means we will need to provide resources of people, administration and management. We also believe God has called us to continue to plant churches and seek Him for new initiatives.

So...

We would like to invite you to join us on this exciting adventure. We truly believe that there is a need and a place for everyone to be involved and that each person can play an important part in us becoming the church we believe God intends us to be.

We have a long way to go and there may be many valleys to cross and mountains to climb, but we believe that with Gods’ help we will continue to move forward, building a lasting testimony to God’s grace in Jesus on Teesside.

Thank you for your support and commitment