To the Nova Church
  EXPLORING MEMBERSHIP Group

This 4 week class is designed to introduce
              participants to:
    5.Biblical Discipleship – 2 weeks
 6.Nova Church Membership – 2 weeks
Who are Southern Baptists?
   The organizational structure of the SBC was the brain-
  child of Richard Furman;

 He was instrumental in the founding of the Charleston
 Baptist Association in 1792 and the South Carolina Baptist
 Convention in 1821;

 Furman died in 1825, 20 years before his vision for a
 unified organization of Baptists in America was fulfilled;

 The SBC was formed in Augusta, Ga. in 1845
Who are Southern Baptists?
   The purpose statement adopted by the original 236
  messengers established the SBC “for the purpose of
  carrying into effect the benevolent intentions of our
  constituents by organizing a plan for eliciting, combining,
  and directing the energies of the who denomination in one
  sacred effort – for the propagation of the gospel . . .”

 That ‘plan’ became a reality 80 years later with the
 adoption of “The Cooperative Program;”

 The CP allows the 45,000 churches of the SBC to support
 over 10,000 career missionaries and 6 seminaries;
Who are Southern Baptists?
 There are 42 State Conventions, 1,125 local Associations,
 45,000 churches and over 16 million members making it
 the largest protestant denomination in the country;

 Over 5,000 career missionaries serve in the United States,
 Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and
 American Samoa as North American Mission Board
 missionaries or church planters;

 Over 5,000 career missionaries serve in 153 other nations
 around the world ;
Who are Southern Baptists?
 By design, every Southern Baptist Church is a fully
 autonomous body. A church “cooperates” by choice, but
 no ecclesiastical hierarchy exists to issue mandates;

 Each church decides what portion of their funds are
 forwarded to the Cooperative Program. Currently Nova
 Church is giving 5% of undesignated funds to the CP.
 Some churches give as much as 25%;

 Funds are forwarded to the state Baptist convention,
 which keeps a portion for missions within the state. The
 rest is forwarded to the national convention for dispersal;
Who are Southern Baptists?
 SC Baptists are working toward a 50/50 split, beginning
 this year;

 This kind of giving allows Southern Baptists to support
 Missions, Education, & Benevolence. We fund colleges,
 seminaries, & Bible institutes. We fund children’s homes,
 homes for the aged, and hospitals. We fund crisis
 pregnancy centers, disaster relief ministries, & counseling
 services;

 One missionary is quoted as saying, ‘The sun never sets on
 your Cooperative Program dollars at work.’
Who are Southern Baptists?
 www.sbc.net

 www.namb.net

 www.imb.org

 www.wmu.com

These websites can provide most of the information needed to
  clearly understand the vision, purpose, plan, & work of
  Southern Baptists around the world.
Who are Southern Baptists?
 Locally, Southern Baptist Churches choose to cooperate in
 local Baptist Associations. There are 1,125 local Baptist
 associations nationally;

 Some, but not all, associations benefit from Cooperative
 Program funding. Colleton Baptist Association receives
 NO CP funding;

 Local associations are comprised of autonomous churches
 joining together to accomplish missions that most churches
 could not do alone;
Who are Southern Baptists?
 Local Baptist Associations depend on the direct missions
 gifts from member churches;

 Nova Church currently gives 5% of undesignated funds to
 the Colleton Baptist Association;

 Our local association helps to support: ABC Regional
 Hispanic Ministry, Covenant Counseling Center, Colleton
 Christian Women’s/Men’s Job Corps;

 Our Association consists of 31 cooperating churches, all of
 which average less than 200 in attendance;
Who are Southern Baptists?
 Southern Baptists practice baptism by immersion as an
 ordinance. This means that baptism is symbolic as a
 representation of death to sin & self and resurrection to a
 new life in Christ;

 Southern Baptists view communion/Lord’s Supper as an
 ordinance – the drink symbolizing the blood of Christ and
 the wafer/bread symbolizing the body of Christ. This
 ordinance is served as a memorial to the sacrificial death
 of Christ;

 Southern Baptists view the Bible as the inspired word of
 God without error & authority for issues of faith and life;
What is the Nova Nation?
 Nova Church launched on January 8, 2012, after being
  birthed by God in August of 2011;

 Nova’s “Rules of Order” are contained throughout a book
 called “The Bible;”

 To be a part of Nova’s leadership constellation, one must
 be comfortable with servanthood;

 Nova’s 11 core values reveal the priorities of the church
  community;
What is the Nova Nation?
 Nova’s vision can be stated succinctly as ‘Removing
 Barriers, Building Bridges, and Sharing the Love of
 Christ.’

 We seek to engage our context with a ‘Great Commission’
 mentality that seeks to use creative, Christ-honoring
 methods to reach, win, & develop those apart from Christ
 and deploy them into the world as ministers of the gospel
 in everyday life;

 Nova Church will have expectations of members,
 primarily that they strive to live according to the teachings
 of God’s word;
Exploring membership 4
Exploring membership 4
Exploring membership 4

Exploring membership 4

  • 1.
    To the NovaChurch EXPLORING MEMBERSHIP Group This 4 week class is designed to introduce participants to: 5.Biblical Discipleship – 2 weeks 6.Nova Church Membership – 2 weeks
  • 2.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  The organizational structure of the SBC was the brain- child of Richard Furman;  He was instrumental in the founding of the Charleston Baptist Association in 1792 and the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 1821;  Furman died in 1825, 20 years before his vision for a unified organization of Baptists in America was fulfilled;  The SBC was formed in Augusta, Ga. in 1845
  • 3.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  The purpose statement adopted by the original 236 messengers established the SBC “for the purpose of carrying into effect the benevolent intentions of our constituents by organizing a plan for eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the who denomination in one sacred effort – for the propagation of the gospel . . .”  That ‘plan’ became a reality 80 years later with the adoption of “The Cooperative Program;”  The CP allows the 45,000 churches of the SBC to support over 10,000 career missionaries and 6 seminaries;
  • 4.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  There are 42 State Conventions, 1,125 local Associations, 45,000 churches and over 16 million members making it the largest protestant denomination in the country;  Over 5,000 career missionaries serve in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa as North American Mission Board missionaries or church planters;  Over 5,000 career missionaries serve in 153 other nations around the world ;
  • 5.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  By design, every Southern Baptist Church is a fully autonomous body. A church “cooperates” by choice, but no ecclesiastical hierarchy exists to issue mandates;  Each church decides what portion of their funds are forwarded to the Cooperative Program. Currently Nova Church is giving 5% of undesignated funds to the CP. Some churches give as much as 25%;  Funds are forwarded to the state Baptist convention, which keeps a portion for missions within the state. The rest is forwarded to the national convention for dispersal;
  • 6.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  SC Baptists are working toward a 50/50 split, beginning this year;  This kind of giving allows Southern Baptists to support Missions, Education, & Benevolence. We fund colleges, seminaries, & Bible institutes. We fund children’s homes, homes for the aged, and hospitals. We fund crisis pregnancy centers, disaster relief ministries, & counseling services;  One missionary is quoted as saying, ‘The sun never sets on your Cooperative Program dollars at work.’
  • 7.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  www.sbc.net  www.namb.net  www.imb.org  www.wmu.com These websites can provide most of the information needed to clearly understand the vision, purpose, plan, & work of Southern Baptists around the world.
  • 8.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  Locally, Southern Baptist Churches choose to cooperate in local Baptist Associations. There are 1,125 local Baptist associations nationally;  Some, but not all, associations benefit from Cooperative Program funding. Colleton Baptist Association receives NO CP funding;  Local associations are comprised of autonomous churches joining together to accomplish missions that most churches could not do alone;
  • 9.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  Local Baptist Associations depend on the direct missions gifts from member churches;  Nova Church currently gives 5% of undesignated funds to the Colleton Baptist Association;  Our local association helps to support: ABC Regional Hispanic Ministry, Covenant Counseling Center, Colleton Christian Women’s/Men’s Job Corps;  Our Association consists of 31 cooperating churches, all of which average less than 200 in attendance;
  • 10.
    Who are SouthernBaptists?  Southern Baptists practice baptism by immersion as an ordinance. This means that baptism is symbolic as a representation of death to sin & self and resurrection to a new life in Christ;  Southern Baptists view communion/Lord’s Supper as an ordinance – the drink symbolizing the blood of Christ and the wafer/bread symbolizing the body of Christ. This ordinance is served as a memorial to the sacrificial death of Christ;  Southern Baptists view the Bible as the inspired word of God without error & authority for issues of faith and life;
  • 11.
    What is theNova Nation?  Nova Church launched on January 8, 2012, after being birthed by God in August of 2011;  Nova’s “Rules of Order” are contained throughout a book called “The Bible;”  To be a part of Nova’s leadership constellation, one must be comfortable with servanthood;  Nova’s 11 core values reveal the priorities of the church community;
  • 12.
    What is theNova Nation?  Nova’s vision can be stated succinctly as ‘Removing Barriers, Building Bridges, and Sharing the Love of Christ.’  We seek to engage our context with a ‘Great Commission’ mentality that seeks to use creative, Christ-honoring methods to reach, win, & develop those apart from Christ and deploy them into the world as ministers of the gospel in everyday life;  Nova Church will have expectations of members, primarily that they strive to live according to the teachings of God’s word;