Abundant Life is a movement dedicated to seeing lives changed by Jesus. Our vision is to do this by being living proof of a loving God to a watching world. The theme verse for our church is John 10:10.
- “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Jesus came to give us life abundantly, but oftentimes other things stand in the way of us living the abundant life. Living in a relationship with Him requires us to surrender our lives fully to Him. That’s the goal of our next two-year campaign, the A-Life. As you read about the vision for the A-Life, we challenge you to ask yourself, “What am I pursuing instead of Jesus that is preventing me from living the abundant life in Christ?”
Goals of the A-Life Discipleship Journey
We have two goals for our church family during the A-Life Discipleship Journey. These goals will challenge you to grow in your relationship with God, live sacrificially, and practice radical generosity. As you read through these goals for the A-Life, we encourage you to ask God what He is calling you to give and do. We believe that as we live generously and sacrificially, we will witness a revival in every area of our church.
Primary Goal: 100% engagement
Our goal is for 100% of people who call Abundant Life their church home to take their next step in all six of our core values. Our core values are…
- Serving
- Evangelism
- Discipleship
- Worship
- Generosity
- Community
No matter how long we’ve been walking with Jesus, we all have a next step. During the A-Life Discipleship Journey, we will come alongside everyone who calls Abundant Life their church and help them take their next steps in these areas. Which core value do you feel God is calling you to grow in?
Secondary Goal: $64 million over two years
We believe that God will provide our church with $64 million over the next two years so that, as a church, we can live the abundant life in Jesus by expanding our ministry and care to those here in Kansas City and around the world. These funds will support three ministry initiatives:
- Church Life: $30 million
We will continue to be a church that remains steadfast in glorifying God through worship and word by declaring the gospel and making disciples.
- Eternal Life: $21 million
We will be a multiplying church by launching new campuses, evangelizing, sending out missionaries, and planting churches.
- Compassionate Life: $13 million
Our awareness of the needs of ‘the least of these’ will motivate us to take action and support those in need.
Breaking Down the Initiatives
The three initiatives help us set clear goals for what we are praying for and expecting God to accomplish during the A-Life Discipleship Journey. Let’s take a deeper look at what these initiatives cover:
Church Life
The church life initiative focuses on how Abundant Life can continue to see lives changed by Jesus by being living proof of a loving God to a watching world. This includes investing in 5 ministry areas of our church:
- Next-Gen Ministries
We are committed to deepening our investment in the next generation by renewing our focus on children, students, and young adults.
- Senior Adults
Through our ministry to Senior Adults, we want to empower them to live on mission during what can be the most spiritually fruitful season of their lives.
- Groups
We are passionate about helping people find true, biblical community. Through connect and community groups and a variety of other ministries, we will be focused on providing easy onramps to help members “find their people.”
- Discipleship
Discipleship is at the core of our A-Life two-year journey. We believe God will give us provisions so we can go and make disciples.
- Campus Operations
Operations is an all-encompassing area that includes everything necessary to carry out weekly ministry at our five current campuses.
Eternal Life
We will seek to see lives transformed by Jesus and disciple all nations through each of us committing to ‘finding our one,’ planting churches, sending out missionaries, and developing future leaders.
- Find Your ONE
We challenge you to prayerfully ask who ‘the one’ is in your life who needs to surrender to Jesus, and seek every opportunity to share the gospel, love on them, and disciple them.
- New Campuses
We will officially open our campus in Johnson County, Kansas to the public and launch another campus in the Kansas City metro.
- Church Plants
Through strategic partnerships, we will plant 200 churches in the next two years as part of our greater goal to plant 1000 churches in North America over the next 10 years.
- Global Missions
We will obey God’s call to minister to the nations through equipping and sending missionaries and building Compassion Centers in Peru and Tanzania.
- Prison Ministry
We will launch our first prison campus at Tipton Correctional Facility to minister to those who are behind bars.
- Abundant Life Online
We will launch a total of 100 Church Houses nationally and globally, grow our online platforms, and offer a “subscription service” to existing churches that need support to make their church experience more impactful for the kingdom.
- Residency Program
Through our residency program, we will prepare 75 counseling, church-planting, and ministry residents, with the hope that some will go on to plant churches across the nation and the world.
Compassionate Life
We will enhance ministry initiatives to “the least of these” through launching new ministries, growing current ministries, and partnering with local organizations. The ministry efforts covered under the Compassionate Life initiative are:
- Foster Families
We plan to create Care Communities for 100 foster families, help place 1,000 children in loving foster homes, equip 200 Abundant Life families to become licensed foster parents, and mentor 100 young adults who have aged out of foster care.
- Special Needs
We strive to extend passionate care to individuals with special needs through hosting a “Night to Shine” prom, two annual SOAR camps, helping facilitate clinical and therapy services for autistic children, and establishing buddies and mentors for the special needs children with our Abundant Life Kids Ministry.
- Recovery
We will expand our Re:generation 12-step Christ-centered recovery program to every campus, including our prison campus.
- Abortion
We will be steadfast in our efforts to stop the practice of abortion in our cities, states, and this nation and seek to bring healing and restoration for those who have made the choice of abortion in their past.
- Human Trafficking
We seek to increase our focus on helping to rescue people, especially children, from human trafficking around the world and help survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation heal from their trauma and begin again.
- Poverty & Refugees
We will continue providing necessities to local families through our food pantries. In addition, we seek to expand our influence and partnership with refugees in East Kansas City through the Welcome Center and Agape Pamoja.
- Mental Health
We will increase our impact on mental health by partnering with agencies to help those struggling and launch Abundant Life Counseling Centers at the Johnson County and Independence campuses and Hill City Church in Springfield, MO.
The A-Life Challenge
We are challenging everyone as a church family to fully explore the truth of the Lord our God and to deepen their relationship with Christ in the following ways:
- Surrender: Is He the one thing in your life that drives all things?
- Faith: How can you enter into a deeper dependence on His plan instead of yours?
- Generosity: How can you challenge yourself to a new level of generosity?
As we walk through the A-Life Discipleship Journey, we encourage you to prayerfully contemplate your answers to these questions. As the Lord reveals the areas you need to grow, share those convictions with your community group, family, or mentors. Processing with trusted people and seeking accountability can also help deepen your relationship with the Lord as you seek to live an abundant life.
Reflection
As you follow God’s call to live the abundant life, we challenge you to reflect on four specific areas of your life:
Who are you discipling and teaching to follow Jesus?
How does your lifestyle reflect thankfulness for God’s provision in your life?
Does your financial giving bring you closer to God?
What kind of a legacy are you leaving for your family?
We pray these questions will become a catalyst to help you deepen your relationship with God around the spiritual discipline of generosity—giving away what God has given us.
Start Living Life Abundantly!
No matter where you are in your relationship with Jesus, we know He has more for you. We pray that the most life-changing and impactful days of your life are ahead, and we are honored to walk alongside you as you continue to deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Join us for the next A-Life Vision Gathering on February 16, 2025! You will hear Pastor Phil’s heart for the A-Life Discipleship Journey and learn more about the vision for the next two years. As we believe in God to move powerfully, will you join us in prayer, and contemplate how God might want to deepen your relationship with Him through surrender, faith, and generosity?