Growth Track SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 THE CHURCH AT BRADENTON TCAB.CHURCH CONTACT@TCAB.CHURCH WELCOME TO TCAB! Growth begins with CONNECTION- connection with God and with others. Thank you for signing up and attending Growth Track! Here’s what you can expect from our time together… A Pastoral Staff member, Elder, or Team leader will give a very brief summary of the sections found in this guide. You will then have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have as we move from section to section. We look forward to this being more like “good friends having a conversation” than a leader giving a presentation. Be thinking of what you would like to hear more about or have more clarity on and we will talk about it together! Again, THANK YOU for letting us connect with you through this Growth Track experience! On Mission with you, Pastor Tom OUR MISSION We believe our Mission has already been defined in The Great Commission Jesus gave us. (see Matthew 28:16-20) We go about our Mission by living out the Great Commandments. (see Matthew 22:36-40) Our Mission is to make disciples who We put this into a simple statement... make disciples and grow strong families! The question is, “How is this being lived out for us at TCAB?” We have felt the Holy Spirit leading us to connect with our Manatee County Community in a way that grows strong families! What will this look like? To be honest, we aren’t sure just yet. We will be “asking, seeking, and knocking” together to find out! For now, here are some ways we are already living it out... Sunday Worship TCAB Family Experiences Connect Groups and future Home Groups TCAB Kids, TCAB Students, Worship Ministry, Prayer Ministry, Guest Services, and more! "Say Yes" volunteer initiative Sunshine ELC/Daycare and Sunshine Academy Bridge-a-Life Solve Maternity Homes F.E.L.T. (Feeding Empty Little Tummies) Manatee County Foster Care Christian Care Alliance (formerly Manatee Religious Services) Church of God Church Plants in Sarasota, FL and Johnson City, TN Missionaries to France - Tyler & Lindsey Smith 2 "Compassion International" children sponsored TCAB Benevolence Fund TCAB Outreach Ministry TCAB Ministries, facilities, and staffing TCAB partnership with Sunshine Academy and Early Learning Center Warner Southern University Church of God Florida and National Ministries Budgets SUNSHINE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY AND EARLY LEARNING CENTER Central to TCAB’s Mission is meeting the unique educational and childcare needs of our Manatee County and West Bradenton neighbors. Sunshine Early Learning Center (ELC) provides safe, affordable, Christ- centered care for children from infant - VPK. Janet Hamstra serves as our Director and leads a team of compassionate and well-trained staff. Sunshine Academy provides excellence in education from 1st - 8th grades. With an emphasis on the Arts, both gifted students and those needing more focused instruction in a relational setting are both encouraged and challenged. Gary Johnson serves as our Principal and also leads a team of compassionate and well-trained staff. The Sunshine Board of Directors is made up of seven TCAB members who serve to equip, encourage, and guide both of these as ministries central to the mission of TCAB. There is a very real and growing sense of community among our Academy, ELC, and TCAB families as we seek to not only meet the needs of these families but to engage them in the TCAB Mission God is unfolding. OUR VALUES Values help define how we go about life and leadership. They represent the culture we are creating together as we seek to make disciples who make disciples of Jesus Christ! AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIP Am I sharing and making it easy for others to share with authenticity? (see Ephesians 4:15-16) GIVING MY BEST Am I honoring the Lord by battling mediocrity? (See Colossians 3:23-24) COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY Am I actively seeking connection with my neighbors? (See Ephesians 5:15- 16) PURPOSED GROWTH Am I growing and encouraging others to grow spiritually? (See 2 Peter 3:17-18) OVERWHELMING GRATITUDE Am I living with awareness of God’s goodness? (See 1 Thessalonians 5:16- 18) OUTRAGEOUS GENEROSITY Am I giving sacrificially of my time and money? (See Matthew 6:19-21) OTHERS FIRST Am I battling entitlement and territorialism? (See Matthew 20:20-28) DEVOTED UNITY Am I aligning myself and others around our mission, strategy and beliefs? (See John 17:20-26) WHAT WE BELIEVE The What We Believe statements represent the essential beliefs of The Church at Bradenton. You can find these at tcab.church/beliefs. These beliefs are drawn from our Wesleyan holiness heritage with reference to ancient Christian statements such as those represented in The Apostles and Nicene Creeds. The Ultimate authority is contained within and we submit to the Holy Scriptures (The Bible). TEAM STRUCTURE To understand our structure it is helpful to know a little about our history as a local church! Check out the history booklet we have made available to you. What you will see is that this has been and is the Family of God! We believe the New Testament model for the Church is one where Jesus Christ is the Head and fellow Pastors and Elders partner with Deacons (we call “Team Leaders”) who lead God’s people to carry out His Mission. Let’s take a little closer look at how we are structured as a reflection of the New Testament Church… Pastors, Elders, and Team Leaders serve in partnership. There is a mutual cooperation between each leader and group. Ultimately, the Pastoral Staff and Team Leaders, along with active members, submit to the authority of the Elders. The Elders, in return, hold the Pastoral Staff and Team Leaders in the highest regard as we serve together. WHO CHOOSES LEADERS AT TCAB? Pastoral Staff members are recommended to the Elders by the Lead Pastor with much prayer and in close consultation with the Pastoral Staff. Elders then approve the Pastoral Staff member and they are presented to the congregation. Elders are recommended with much prayer and in close consultation between the Pastoral Staff and Elders. The Elders then approve and recommend new Elders to the congregation for a simple majority ratification. Team Leaders are recommended and approved by the Pastoral Staff with prayer and consultation with the Elders. Team Leaders are then empowered to create a team that carries out their role in harmony with the Mission, Values, and Beliefs of TCAB. WHERE IS THIS GOING? We want to partner with people to grow in a personal relationship with Jesus and, ultimately, for each one of us to grow in Him and make disciples who make disciples of Jesus. Sometimes we call this discipleship. This isn’t a destination; it’s a relational process. Together, we will seek to grow in this relational process in the context of the unique mission God has given us as a TCAB family. DO YOU KNOW JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR? You can attend church the rest of your life and it only be religion. Make Jesus the Lord of your life if you haven’t already! We would love to talk with you more about this! When it comes to life in Jesus, we believe this is done best in groups. Reflecting the New Testament model of group life (Acts 2:42-47), our goal is that everyone be connected to a group of growing followers of Jesus who “one another” one another and serve our community as a witness for Him. HOW DO I CONNECT? We are better, together. The only thing better than meeting together as a large group, is really learning, growing and caring for one another in smaller groups! Here’s how group life works in a practical way here at TCAB. Feel free to sign-up at the Connect Group kiosk in the lobby during our sign-up period or sign-up online at tcab.church/connectgroups Connect Groups meet for 6-8 weeks throughout the week and may include video studies, book studies or just simply walking through a particular book of the Bible, together! (HOW DO I CONNECT? CONTINUED) Our vision for groups begins with Connect Groups and will include growing into more and more Home Groups. Connect Groups promo and sign-up comes around each Fall, Winter and Spring! It is in these groups and clusters that we really live out the Gospel of Jesus and “one another one another,” as we like to say while serving our community and partnering in the Mission and Values of our TCAB family. These Connect Groups and Home Groups will also be one of the very best ways to introduce people to Jesus and our local TCAB family. HOW DO I SERVE? Serving begins by connecting. Connecting leads to growing. And, connecting and growing is what brings us together for Growth Track! We ask every team leader, team member, Elder and Pastoral Staff member to attend Growth Track prior to serving on any team. This way, we all share the same understanding of the Mission and Values unique to TCAB and how it is we live those out together! Then… just “Say YES!” The "Say YES!" initiative is our way of giving our TCAB Family the opportunity to serve the Lord by serving others in a variety of areas. Check out the opportunities described on our website at https://www.tcabradenton.com/yes The Apostle Paul explained how the church serves in this way… "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13 Volunteers are always encouraged to partner with us as we serve our community. This may look like donating supplies for a community partner and then joining others in delivering them, or showing up and working at a campus work day, or any of the many opportunities we all have to serve. Ultimately, it looks like serving with your connect or home group, impacting your neighborhood for Jesus by serving together. Serving (as a team member or team leader) begins by setting the example in experiencing worship consistently, engaging in group life, and in completing our Growth Track. We let the Holy Spirit lead our Pastoral Staff, Elders, and Team Leaders from there, gathering team members as needs arise and/or people grow passionate about serving others. (HOW DO I SERVE? CONTINUED) Giving is also fundamental to our faith as followers of Jesus. We believe and encourage everyone to tithe and give. Tithe simply means 10% of our income and then giving in support of missions or other initiatives. Jesus is clear that our heart follows our treasure, and not the other way around. See Malachi 3:6-12; Matthew 6:19-21; Matthew 23:23. One thing is certain: it takes all of us to carry out the Mission Jesus has given us. Then, the example continues as we serve as a volunteer on a consistent basis. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20, ESV WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? Great question. We believe growing in the Lord with the local church isn’t so much a destination; it’s a process and we only finish it when Jesus calls us home or comes again! We are all very much “on our way” as followers of Jesus and, together, we are “on our way” as a TCAB family. Until then, here are some practical steps: Make friends! (See Proverbs 18:24) "Say Yes!" by signing up to serve as a volunteer Get involved in a Connect Group Keep worshipping with us! Let's keep growing into the Mission God is just now revealing to us with your TCAB Family! Thanks, again, for experiencing Growth Track with us and letting us get to know you better! Did you think of something to ask later? Email us at contact@tcabradenton.com or email one of the pastors below about a particular ministry area. TOM PELT Lead Pastor tom@tcab.church WILLIAM SALLEE Worship Pastor william@tcab.church SARAH COPEMAN Children's Pastor sarah@tcab.church ANDREW PELT Youth & Young Adults Pastor andrew@tcab.church
Enter the password to open this PDF file:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-