Five Year Plan - New Life Presbyterian Church, Escondido CA

God has built New Life as a church unafraid of short-term sacrifices for long-term gain. New Life’s legacy of vision and hunger for God has allowed for God’s kingdom to grow through faith, prayer, and embracing of big goals. Upon my arrival in 2001, the congregation consisted of 200 members and a deeply-committed core group of leaders, all with innumerable gifts, who had not only just experienced some tough years, but who also wanted to continue to live in God’s vision for New Life. Before accepting the call to New Life, I had only dreamed of becoming the pastor of a church like this one. But now, looking back over these past 18 years, we can see that our story at New Life is filled with constant growth and change, evidence of God’s promise to us in 1 Peter 2.

Each one of us is a “living stone,” being built into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood. Each stone is interdependent and stronger with the other stones, and He is cementing us and our gifts and resources together into a spiritual house that is better at recognizing and developing the communal part of our God-ordained identity at New Life together. Our congregation has grown from 200 to 700 and, as our spiritual house is expanding, we seek the Lord’s provision to faithfully live out the gospel of Jesus Christ together and for our joy to be made complete in Him. The stones and resources in our five-year plan include the Alexander house being made into a central ministry space, a full-time pastor of congregational life, and revitalization of our property to better serve the current congregation as well as new family members that will respond to our vision.

My family stepped out in faith in Christ 18 years ago into what then felt like a huge sacrifice, full of uncertainty but sure of God’s provision. As I walk around our beautiful campus today, so much has changed over the years, but the overwhelming nature of God’s blessing has overcome what once felt like sacrifice as I see my children worshipping with their spouses and children, who are also my grandchildren! God will do more than we could ask or imagine when we fix our eyes on Jesus and step out in faith, even as my family did so imperfectly. I am confident that, despite all our imperfection, He will do it again, and we will experience renewed wonder at God’s graciousness and faithfulness at what he will accomplish in the next 18 years!

01. Property Expansion

As the New Life family continues to grow, we can expect to open our doors and arms to incoming, prospective members of our church. We will not only provide space to welcome them, but we will also treat them with deep respect, humility, and grace. As image-bearers of God, we are called to see every new and current member of our church in the same way, worthy of being served and mutually interdependent stones in the foundation God is building.

Because of the tremendous growth New Life has experienced in the past decade, we are seeking to renovate and redesign our current building. A third service may be implemented as a temporary solution until our entire church can worship God comfortably for our usual two services. The details and timeline of a temporary third service are not fixed yet, but potentially could be launched in September 2019. A team will be formed to assess and plan the launch of any temporary third service, as a variety of logistics are involved in this decision that affects service times, Sunday school classes, coordination of volunteers, and more. If we can find a way to accomplish our goals without instituting a temporary third service, we will try to do so.

These are exciting times and, as we move through this period of expansion with the Lord’s glory in mind, we appreciate your patience. We know many questions will arise, and the leadership team will try to answer all of them. We thank you for partnering with us as God provides us the means to expand New Life. We look forward to worshipping, learning, serving, and enjoying each other’s company together as God builds us into a unified whole under one roof that goes out into Escondido and beyond to glorify Him.

Worshipping the God of the Gospel is a fundamental aspect of the mission of New Life. He has shown us the importance of God-centered, reverent worship and we experience this each Sunday with congregational singing, prayer, learning, and giving. There is joy and strength that comes from joining our collective voices in praise and worship.

God is showing us ways we can enhance Sunday worship, both musically and aesthetically. As stones are added to our spiritual house, the biblical foundation of our worship and liturgy will see newer elements added to our existing ones in order to make our individual and congregational relationships with God richer. This will include hiring a new Director of Worship, and we anticipate hiring this person by the summer to help guide us in this area.

God will provide us with the means to honor Him and to meet the needs of those who walk through the doors each Sunday. Please be praying with us as we rely on Him when implementing the various processes that are involved in enhancing the worship services on Sundays, all with the intent of glorifying Him further.

02. Worship Enhancement

02. Worship Enhancement

Worshipping the God of the Gospel is a fundamental aspect of the mission of New Life. He has shown us the importance of God-centered, reverent worship and we experience this each Sunday with congregational singing, prayer, learning, and giving. There is joy and strength that comes from joining our collective voices in praise and worship.

God is showing us ways we can enhance Sunday worship, both musically and aesthetically. As stones are added to our spiritual house, the biblical foundation of our worship and liturgy will see newer elements added to our existing ones in order to make our individual and congregational relationships with God richer. This will include hiring a new Director of Worship, and we anticipate hiring this person by the summer to help guide us in this area.

God will provide us with the means to honor Him and to meet the needs of those who walk through the doors each Sunday. Please be praying with us as we rely on Him when implementing the various processes that are involved in enhancing the worship services on Sundays, all with the intent of glorifying Him further.

03. Communication Effectiveness

With growth comes greater need to communicate more effectively. Seeking excellence and unity in communication is a top priority in the five-year plan. We will be looking for God’s guidance in how we can better communicate internally within our own body among elders, members and regular attenders, leaders, and volunteers as well as externally, with those outside New Life.

We plan to better utilize all avenues of communication: Facebook, Instagram, phone apps, NLPC Connect, the church website, and other resources in order to reach all people who know New Life. We pray God will help us improve communication for each person, from those who come across our website just once to those who are faithfully serving the church day in and day out. Communicating the changeless Christ to the culture can begin with something as simple as a download of the New Life app which then becomes membership and faithful service in a church ministry, all requiring refined and more organized sharing of information.

As a church or any organization grows, it is inevitable that communication becomes more difficult as well as slower. We know we need to spend more time and energy thinking about our message, crafting the internal
and external methods of communicating, and sending that message out in a more unified manner to maintain the integrity of our spiritual house. Faithful communication will grow a sense of intimacy between one
another so that we remain strongly connected and more deeply engaged in our community life together.

We are a family at New Life, growing into maturity in Christ so that we can extend encouragement, forgiveness, and love to one another. Being a family also means that we are not isolated “living stones.” Brick by brick, God builds us together in mutual interdependence with the purpose of deepening our lives together. This looks like engagement of volunteers to do the work of the church, participation in community groups, and serving our neighbors. Building a strong congregational life is a process.

God has revealed the need to improve our methods of helping members identify their spiritual gifts. Doing so will encourage and nurture healthy volunteerism and development of leaders. So many important avenues of service exist at New Life, Sunday and beyond, and the vision of “presenting everyone mature in Christ” could not come to fruition without every member making the commitment to serve the church and glorify God with his or her gifts and talents.

Most importantly, we will be working on a model of discipleship to further the vision of New Life. How do we present everyone mature in Christ in an organized, focused, and meaningful way, and what does that look like in reality? We will endeavor to address these important questions related to our congregational life, in part, by calling a full-time Pastor of Congregational Life in 2019. We ask for you to join us in prayer for God to bring us a beautiful fit for New Life.

04. Congregational Life

04. Congregational Life

We are a family at New Life, growing into maturity in Christ so that we can extend encouragement, forgiveness, and love to one another. Being a family also means that we are not isolated “living stones.” Brick by brick, God builds us together in mutual interdependence with the purpose of deepening our lives together. This looks like engagement of volunteers to do the work of the church, participation in community groups, and serving our neighbors. Building a strong congregational life is a process.

God has revealed the need to improve our methods of helping members identify their spiritual gifts. Doing so will encourage and nurture healthy volunteerism and development of leaders. So many important avenues of service exist at New Life, Sunday and beyond, and the vision of “presenting everyone mature in Christ” could not come to fruition without every member making the commitment to serve the church and glorify God with his or her gifts and talents.

Most importantly, we will be working on a model of discipleship to further the vision of New Life. How do we present everyone mature in Christ in an organized, focused, and meaningful way, and what does that look like in reality? We will endeavor to address these important questions related to our congregational life, in part, by calling a full-time Pastor of Congregational Life in 2019. We ask for you to join us in prayer for God to bring us a beautiful fit for New Life.

05. Internship Program

New Life’s strong relationship with Westminster Seminary California is one of the things God has provided to set us apart from other churches. The opportunity to train, shape, and equip future pastors, missionaries, professors, and lay leaders is a remarkable gift He has given us. Not only do our interns receive the opportunity to serve and grow at New Life, but we as staff, leaders, members, and attenders learn from their valuable experiences and knowledge as they teach adult Sunday school classes and fill the pulpit, among a variety of other responsibilities that they take on at New Life.

Pastor Kevin, Dr. Julius Kim, Pastor Robin, and Pastor Ted are working to expand and improve the internship program. God is inspiring in us a vision for a world-class internship program that (1) develops ministerial gifts and confirms ministerial calling for the interns, (2) serves the real ministry needs of New Life, and (3) meets the field education requirements of Westminster Seminary California for graduation. The internship program, as it exists and how it will grow, is just another example of the mutual benefits we receive from God as stones cemented together in His community at New Life.

Church planting experts say that “the secret to a vibrant Christianity is a pregnant church, culminating in reproduction,” and we believe that. As you know, God has granted us the ability to birth and re-birth four church plants: Mision Vida Nueva with Pastor Juan Arjona in Escondido, Parkside Church with Pastor Michael McBride in downtown San Diego, Ramona Valley PCA with Pastor Andy Schreiber in Ramona, and Resurrection Presbyterian Church with Pastor Rob Novak in downtown San Diego.

Our goals for the existing church plants include working closely with each one to help them grow into independence, both in their leadership and in their finances, while remaining interdependent for glorification of God throughout San Diego County. While weaning existing church plants off of dependence on New Life is a primary goal, they will remain foundational to communicating Christ to the culture of San Diego County and unified with the vision and mission of New Life.

Meanwhile, we will remain open and prayerful about other opportunities for new churches that New Life may consider partnering with or planting. As God continues to grow us, we believe He will put us in an even better position to birth, support, and collaborate with more church plants. Please continue to pray with us for our brothers and sisters at our four church plants for membership and financial growth as well as for their part in the growth of God’s kingdom. Also, please continue to pray that God would give us opportunities to faithfully plant or partner with more gospel-centered churches throughout San Diego in His name and as is His will.

06. Church Plants

06. Church Plants

Church planting experts say that “the secret to a vibrant Christianity is a pregnant church, culminating in reproduction,” and we believe that. As you know, God has granted us the ability to birth and re-birth four church plants: Mision Vida Nueva with Pastor Juan Arjona in Escondido, Parkside Church with Pastor Michael McBride in downtown San Diego, Ramona Valley PCA with Pastor Andy Schreiber in Ramona, and Resurrection Presbyterian Church with Pastor Rob Novak in downtown San Diego.

Our goals for the existing church plants include working closely with each one to help them grow into independence, both in their leadership and in their finances, while remaining interdependent for glorification of God throughout San Diego County. While weaning existing church plants off of dependence on New Life is a primary goal, they will remain foundational to communicating Christ to the culture of San Diego County and unified with the vision and mission of New Life.

Meanwhile, we will remain open and prayerful about other opportunities for new churches that New Life may consider partnering with or planting. As God continues to grow us, we believe He will put us in an even better position to birth, support, and collaborate with more church plants. Please continue to pray with us for our brothers and sisters at our four church plants for membership and financial growth as well as for their part in the growth of God’s kingdom. Also, please continue to pray that God would give us opportunities to faithfully plant or partner with more gospel-centered churches throughout San Diego in His name and as is His will.

07. Christian Education

Children at New Life have been and will continue to be exposed to the Gospel each Sunday and Wednesday as part of a variety of children’s ministries for all ages. Many leaders have faithfully and sacrificially offered themselves up as “living stones” in the foundation of children’s ministries at New Life for many, many years. Through Sunday morning children’s church, Gibborim and Girls of Faith, and the Youth and Family Ministry, kids are learning how to see Jesus in all Scriptures, being equipped to defend their faith, and receiving encouragement and accountability to live a life of obedience and purity.

It is difficult to imagine these ministries without those who helped develop and build them up. We know that these are big shoes to fill. Their years of service have been instrumental in the lives of children and their families, being used by God to grow love for Him and lives that reflect who He is to the culture. Thankfully, their dedication lives on in the work God has done in and through them as well as in the work they will continue to do for New Life. With growth and new ministry opportunities, however, comes big transition.

Irene Lee began as Children’s Director on October 1, 2018, working closely with past as well as present leaders and volunteers to build on the years of hard work and sacrifice that leaders have poured into those ministries. Our search for a new Director of Christian Education has recently concluded with the hiring of John Kong.

Crisis and suffering occur in our lives frequently as broken humans living in a broken world. God has blessed us with faithful and supportive counseling resources at New Life to provide to those in need and going through crisis. In order to present everyone mature in Christ with biblical and respectful guidance, we will launch the New Life Counseling Center. This is a very exciting part of the five-year plan for all of us!

Additionally, it is our hope and Westminster Seminary California’s hope that, in the near future, we would partner together in the training and development of future counselors through the New Life Counseling Center. Counseling courses are taught at the seminary and, in turn, practicums and observations would take place at the New Life Counseling Center in order to further student growth into biblical counselors and to meet the variety of counseling needs in the community and of those at New Life. Your diligent prayer for transitions, the launch of the New Life Counseling Center, and furthering of this ministry are vital and so appreciated.

08. Counseling Center

08. Counseling Center

Crisis and suffering occur in our lives frequently as broken humans living in a broken world. God has blessed us with faithful and supportive counseling resources at New Life to provide to those in need and going through crisis. In order to present everyone mature in Christ with biblical and respectful guidance, we will launch the New Life Counseling Center. This is a very exciting part of the five-year plan for all of us!

Additionally, it is our hope and Westminster Seminary California’s hope that, in the near future, we would partner together in the training and development of future counselors through the New Life Counseling Center. Counseling courses are taught at the seminary and, in turn, practicums and observations would take place at the New Life Counseling Center in order to further student growth into biblical counselors and to meet the variety of counseling needs in the community and of those at New Life. Your diligent prayer for transitions, the launch of the New Life Counseling Center, and furthering of this ministry are vital and so appreciated.

09. Disabilities Ministry

This currently small but valuable ministry at New Life supports members of our church with physical and mental disabilities. The disabilities ministry will continue to grow in importance in the years to come, as we reach our neighbors with disabilities and as our own core members grow older.

We sense God wanting to grow us in our ability to welcome and integrate people with physical and mental disabilities more meaningfully. We desire for them to be vital members of our congregation and community. We
want to also support, serve, and encourage our elderly members well as they potentially transition from being able-bodied to needing more assistance or being disabled.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to New Life staff if you are interested in serving within this ministry. Please, also, do not hesitate to contact New Life staff if you need support for yourself or a family member with
a physical or mental disability, or as you or a family member transitions from independence to requiring an interdependent team of supportive church family members.

New Life and its members have always been eager to participate in spreading the news of God’s amazing grace globally. With our prayers, giving, and personal encouragement, we support those who are carrying
the message of new life in Christ to distant places and different cultures.

We have embraced Mission to the World’s 1% Challenge. First, we want to give our people more exposure to different parts of the world by sending them out on short-term missions trips with the hope that seeds of global passion will be sown and lead to God growing them for full-time missionary service. Second, we want to grow deeper in our partnerships with missionaries and ministries after prayerfully considering where and how
God is calling us to lay deeper roots. It is our joy and privilege to join with other believers and churches in supporting global missions and organizations for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

This requires your help as well. God is calling us to form a team that will help us think through and strategize priorities as we consider human and financial resources that He has given us. Global, long-term missions are daunting, but God’s spiritual house includes those outside New Life’s walls and the many nations where people are hungry to know Him.

10. Global Missions

10. Global Missions

New Life and its members have always been eager to participate in spreading the news of God’s amazing grace globally. With our prayers, giving, and personal encouragement, we support those who are carrying
the message of new life in Christ to distant places and different cultures.

We have embraced Mission to the World’s 1% Challenge. First, we want to give our people more exposure to different parts of the world by sending them out on short-term missions trips with the hope that seeds of global passion will be sown and lead to God growing them for full-time missionary service. Second, we want to grow deeper in our partnerships with missionaries and ministries after prayerfully considering where and how
God is calling us to lay deeper roots. It is our joy and privilege to join with other believers and churches in supporting global missions and organizations for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

This requires your help as well. God is calling us to form a team that will help us think through and strategize priorities as we consider human and financial resources that He has given us. Global, long-term missions are daunting, but God’s spiritual house includes those outside New Life’s walls and the many nations where people are hungry to know Him.

11. Preaching Institute

New Life is committed to Christ-centered and Gospel-centered preaching. It is only that kind of preaching that will help achieve God’s mission for New Life in presenting everyone mature in Christ. God enriches our relationships with Him through the knowledge we gain about Him in our study of the Word and through preaching in Gospel-centered churches all over the world.

We have a vision to partner with Westminster Seminary California in opening up access to the power and beauty of Christ-centered preaching. We want to see pastors locally, nationally, and even globally have the ability to access, learn, and employ life-changing, Christ-centered preaching. We have a vision for a preaching institute that would generate online content, host conferences and publish books that would equip pastors to preach Jesus Christ and his gospel from all the Scriptures.

There are God-centered and wonderful local outreach programs in our community, such as Alternatives Medical Clinic and Solutions for Change. We are currently involved with some, but we at New Life would love to do so much more.

The recent purchase of a second home, contiguous with the church property, is a remarkable gift from God that He will use in a variety of ways at New Life. It will, Lord willing, house the New Life Counseling Center that He will equip, but we would love to extend the Alexander home to more populations in our Escondido community. One of these uses may be an after-school program for children during times that do not overlap with counseling sessions. We are also excited to partner with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), a unique college campus ministry, and with Westminster Seminary California to launch a new RUF chapter at California State University, San Marcos.

With the Alexander home, there will be so many opportunities to continue looking forward and looking within our community for opportunities where God might want us to serve Him joyfully and meaningfully. We pray for God to allow increased discipleship and connection, sharing of the Gospel, and glorification of Christ through the Alexander home and other local outreach partnerships.

12. Local Outreach

12. Local Outreach

There are God-centered and wonderful local outreach programs in our community, such as Alternatives Medical Clinic and Solutions for Change. We are currently involved with some, but we at New Life would love to do so much more.

The recent purchase of a second home, contiguous with the church property, is a remarkable gift from God that He will use in a variety of ways at New Life. It will, Lord willing, house the New Life Counseling Center that He will equip, but we would love to extend the Alexander home to more populations in our Escondido community. One of these uses may be an after-school program for children during times that do not overlap with counseling sessions. We are also excited to partner with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), a unique college campus ministry, and with Westminster Seminary California to launch a new RUF chapter at California State University, San Marcos.

With the Alexander home, there will be so many opportunities to continue looking forward and looking within our community for opportunities where God might want us to serve Him joyfully and meaningfully. We pray for God to allow increased discipleship and connection, sharing of the Gospel, and glorification of Christ through the Alexander home and other local outreach partnerships.

Congregational Meeting

January 27, 2019

Building community, a spiritual stone house, is at the heart of New Life’s five-year plan. As we build up our community with God’s ultimate will in mind, we will know a deeper experience of his joy. When you sit around the dinner table with family, friends, and loved ones, it is not perfect. No gathering of imperfect people can possibly be perfect. However, joy is unstoppable. It infiltrates conversation, reminiscing on memories, and hopes for the future with each other. The future could include marriage, new babies and family members, and growth that includes more friends because of the impact you have had on the people around you through the Holy Spirit. This may cause dynamics to change and maybe your family does some things differently to accommodate for the growth and adjustments that are necessary to show love to one another.

But the joy only gets better. It only grows deeper.

Now, think about the countless people that drive by every single day on I-15, many if not all of them needing to hear the Gospel. Apostle John in 1 John 1 said that they proclaimed the gospel so that they could experience fellowship with Jesus but also with new people. When new people were brought into fellowship, their joy was complete. This is what we pray for God to provide at New Life as we faithfully preach, teach, and live out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Just like adding chairs around the dinner table, providing more food, and allowing for more time and space at family gatherings, God will provide new people at New Life to experience the fellowship He has already gifted us with each week. We will do things differently for these people, we may rub shoulders with unfamiliar and new members, and we may make sacrifices for long-term gain. God promises to honor our sacrifices, however, and He will bring joy to all as we become cemented together as diverse, living stones in the beautiful house He is building for His glory. We are confident that this five-year plan equips us to not only embrace new people, make changes to existing ministries and ways of worshipping God, and expand our reach to organizations and our community, but it also will continue to deepen our family life and maintain the family “feel” that we treasure at New Life.

God has answered our prayers, as He promises He always will. He will continue to grow our church in a way that glorifies Him if we faithfully approach Him in prayer and humility, knowing that He is the Giver of all good things and if our will for New Life is aligned with His will. As we begin a new year and begin implementing this five-year plan, we hope you will join with us in prayer, giving, patience, and encouragement as we are led by the Holy Spirit in what is sure to be a dynamic-changing but beautiful time of transition, change, and Gospel-centered growth.