New Church Life September/October 2016 | Page 23

      such as worship and translation, will continue; the plan addresses opportunities or challenge areas that can enhance our overall ability to serve. After an initial section on General Church mission and values, you will notice six strands to this plan: Education, Outreach, Participation, Communication, Professional Development and International Church. General Church Mission To help people live a heavenly life through the teachings of the Lord God Jesus Christ in His Second Coming. Core Values • Turning to the threefold-Word as the source and foundation for all that we do • Developing people’s faith in the Lord and trust in His providence • Applying principles from the Word to a life of useful service • Sharing the truths the Lord has provided with the next generation and with all who are receptive • Supporting marriage between a man and a woman, and honoring the unique and complementary nature of each sex • Embracing families as an essential part of the Lord’s plan of a heaven from the human race • Helping people hear the call to a better way of living, through the process of self-examination and repentance • Welcoming all who wish to explore these values to participate in the life of the Church Education Strand Goal: Educate and equip children and young people for regeneration and an eternal life of usefulness. Strategy #1: Renew commitment to the use of New Church education by communicating relevance and gathering people together to focus on it. Strategy #2: Update and develop New Church educational materials and make them more readily available. Outreach Strand Goal: Reach out with the truths of the New Church and welcome new people into the life of the Church. Strategy #3: Build traffic to newchurch.org to 800,000 unique visitors per year (currently 400,000) and improve methods of cultivating contacts to become active participants in the General Church. 429