The Great Commission Team's mission is to focus on prayer, missions and evangelism, while supporting the churches, pastors, and staff within the Corpus Christi Baptist Association. Seeking Christ's guidance, the team will develop a close relationship with the various churches and pastors to understand their strengths and prioritized needs. Simultaneously, the team will establish an interactive network between the churches and the appropriate resources (either internal or external) to address their prioritized opportunities.
After the start-up period, the team will measure the number of churches and individuals utilizing their services and, as appropriate, use formal feedback and surveys to assess the team's effectiveness.
The Great Commission Team will consist of a core group of 6 to 12 members who are passionate about the mission of prayer, missions, and evangelism. The team will invite diverse members who have an active interest in one or more focus areas. The Great Commission Team leader must approve all members. Members may serve as long as they have a passion for the task.
The team leader will be a recognized leader with a history in either/or prayer, missions, and evangelism involvement, knowledge of community issues, networking capabilities, ability to target, track, measure outcomes, and a commitment to lead and facilitate the team to fulfill the mission successfully. The team leader or assistant will serve as a member of the Administrative Team, adhere to commitments, and interact in a professionally appropriate manner. The team leader or assistant should also represent Christ in testimony and be conscious of the mission's integrity and God's Kingdom.
The assistant team leader will complement the team leader and support the team with encouragement and enthusiasm. The assistant team leader will fill in for the team leader during any absences and take a role in the Great Commission Team's mission and promotion. This person is administrative minded and capable of planning events and organizing people to get the job done. Demonstrate ability to think through the logistics to mobilize the group(s) and individuals to accomplish the mission.
The Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader may also take on the role of one of the three initiative leaders [Prayer, Evangelism or Missions]
The prayer leader will be responsible for initiating and ensuring the spiritual component of the team and the churches. Prayer leaders are those who, through encouragement, can restore confidence and enthusiasm to a group of people. Good prayer leaders are constantly reminding people of their value, of God's love, of the promises of Scripture, and promise that all things are possible through Christ. The fulfillment of the team's mission is to be obedient to God's two greatest commandments, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself…" [Mark 12:30-31]
The Evangelism Leader will be the lead person in coordinating evangelism efforts and practice in the Association’s churches. He/she will be familiar with numerous methods of outreach and promote the churches in adopting a method.
The missions leader will be familiar with the mission opportunities locally, statewide, in North America and through the International Mission Board. The leader will challenge churches to get involved in mission on some level by either praying, giving and/or sending. Smaller churches will be paired with larger churches that are missional.
The team will periodically report to the Administrative Team (at least three times a year). After developing a process for funding projects, the team must establish an annual financial forecast. The team will collaborate with churches and the community to acquire resources available to address issues. In some instances, the team may leverage resources to establish new partnerships or improve current alliances. The team may also initiate recommendations to churches, pastors, ministries, and staff within the Corpus Christi Baptist Association and other related associations, appropriate agencies, and entities. The team will work passionately and may find it necessary to identify and eliminate ineffective commitments
The team is committed to its strategies, goals, and objectives. The unit cannot deviate from the intent of its mission. The team is accountable for financial forecasts and plans to ensure that overspending is not an option. The team will approach initiatives that do not compromise or negatively impact the God we represent, Christ we serve, and the mission we promote.
The Great Commission Team acknowledges the authority set by the Administrative Team and is committed to promoting missions, prayer, and evangelism within the established guidelines and policies. The team has the latitude to work jointly with the Community Impact Team and Leadership Development Team on initiatives and projects that coincide with the same or similar interests. The team is responsible for establishing appropriate roles of authority and empowerment for each project. Functions of management and assignment should ensure the proper checks and balances are present and functional.
The Great Commission Team will work diligently to identify current resources and available support mechanisms within its mission scope. The team will continue to promote and participate in services provided by the Corpus Christi Baptist Association and improve community networks. The team will seek engagement strategies that enhance services through a broader collaboration scope that will ultimately complement local churches, communities, state, and national conventions.
Team operations are critical so that its system will provide services and solutions to church, ministry and mission issues. Team operations involve building relationships, communicating (internally and externally) through planning, prioritizing, skill-building and engaging church and pastor involvement. Positive coordination will develop stronger relationships and brings credibility and confidence in the mission.