CHURCH IN THE NOW - VISION, MISSION AND GOALS

Church In The Now, Vision, Mission and Goals

Vision: Church In The Now was originally founded on a concept taken from Psalm 2:8 in the KJV, which says: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” More recent and better translations say, “Ask of Me and I will give you the nations…,” but CITN embraced the more archaic term “heathen” for the simple reason that this house was/is to be a place of human recovery for those who have not been reached by the conventional church…those who have been overlooked…those who have slipped through the cracks. Jesus gave an illustration about the king who told his stewards to go into the streets and compel the unwanted ones to come to his banquet after the original invitees had declined his invitation, and CITN has answered the call to become those stewards carrying out that mission.

The rest of the verse says, “…and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession,” which speaks to the bigger vision of being an international church with a global pulpit. CITN’s official motto, REAL PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE REAL GOD IN THE REAL WORLD®, embodies the full spectrum of the verse’s meaning and continues to become a reality for this community of truth-seeking believers...this non-traditional, inter-denominational, multi-cultural embassy of Christ.

Mission: The mission of Church In The Now is to be salt and light…to make a positive impact on the Metropolitan Atlanta area first by creating a relevant, city-wide family center in which all are welcome…a place where all individuals and families can grow and flourish in their own faith and discover God's unique plan and purpose for their lives.

CITN is also committed to making a positive impact on the world by continuing to serve as a world-wide Christian outreach center helping people in other nations experience the same thing.

The essence of this mission is captured in these words: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, The Message).

Goals:

1. To maximize the physical campus and facilities to their full potential, creating an accessible event and convention center for the Metropolitan Atlanta area.

2. To reach every age group with the Gospel, presented in an unconventional and organic way, and to realize the possibility of reaching the fullness of the church’s demographics through teaching, books, CDs, DVDs, Schools of the Bible, missions, and every other specialized ministry outreach offered by the church.

3. To be involved in community ministries that fulfill the Gospel in tangible ways…to help the homeless and indigent, the elderly, at-risk youth, battered women and women with crisis pregnancies, families in crisis, and to have a relevant impact on problems such as crime, poverty, drug abuse and youth violence.

4. To partner with the educational system in building a network that will enhance the culture of learning and make more educational options available for local youth.

5. To explore the potential of media in order to find ways in which the Gospel may be presented in new and untapped venues.

6. To become a Ministry of Reconciliation in every sense of the word.

7. To fulfill the prophecy spoken over CITN many years ago that this church would do something that has never been done before, for which there is no model or precedent, and to continue to discover every day what that is and what it can be.