The Franklin Street Missionary Baptist Church is to be a loving and supportive Christ- Centered congregation. It is to be a place were the joys and blessings of Jesus Christ are spread thus bringing children, young people, and adults to a vital and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
This should be achieved through prayer, Christian discipleship, fellowship, service and growth. This shall be accomplished through Bible-centered preaching, age appropriate teaching, the development and use of spiritual gifts, evangelism and committed service to God, the utilization of cutting-edge technology, His church and the community.
• Leadership
The church will continue to be led by a senior pastor whose primary role will be to discern and cast vision, equip the church’s staff and congregation, preach and teach. The staff will assist by providing leadership and administrative oversight for the church. The staff will exist primarily to equip the laity to do ministry.
• Evangelism and Missions
As a Missionary Baptist Church, we believe that the Gospel must be carried out beyond the four walls of the church. Therefore we will be committed to supporting fiscally and physically local and foreign missions. Furthermore, we shall engage in serving our direct community through evangelism efforts, funding the Food Bank, providing gifts for Angel Tree, developing young people through mentorship and job preparation.
• CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
The Christian Education ministry of the church exists to teach Biblical truths and history, doctrinal beliefs, and theological understanding. This should be done in a relevant and practical manner. A progressive system of study should be in place, ultimately giving the believer a since of progression and accomplishment.
• WORSHIP
The worship of Franklin Street be God directed and focused. This should be done with the utmost reverence and excellence through corporate prayer, scripture reading, sacred arts and preaching. This can be accomplished with a balanced theological perspective of God’s immanence and transcendence; intellectual admiration and emotional awe; external expressions of praise and internal reflection, through acts of encouragement and fellowship, through careful planning and Spirit-led spontaneity. skilled and authentic displays; and a blend of traditional and contemporary approaches.
The music utilized in worship should cover a broad spectrum of musical genres to include hymns, spirituals, anthems, traditional gospel, contemporary gospel, and praise and worship.
• YOUTH MINISTRY
Today’s youth and children are faced with challenging choices, peer pressures, and decision making that many adults can not fathom. It is important that the Franklin Street develops and maintains a thriving youth and children’s ministry that is built on trust between church leadership, parents and our young people to help guide them to make proper choices for kingdom living and model citizenship. This should be accomplished through age appropriate teaching, employment of technology, energetic and creative worship, promoting scholarship, and through community and worldwide missions and evangelism. It is of the utmost importance that the taboo issues facing our young people be met head on with cutting-edge ministry.
• HEALTH & WELLNESS
Franklin Street will always maintain the primary responsibility to foster Christian worship. However, the twenty-first century church must add to this responsibility the obligation of encouraging congregants to care for their personal temples–the body. In order to aid congregants to live according to Romans 12:1, the church must add promoting the health and healing of the church community as a priority.
A holistic approach to health will encourage individual physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well being, in context of one’s relationship with God, family, and community. The health and wellness ministry ideally provides biblically sound ministry that equips people with the tools to become physically and mentally healthy. Initial step include developing and operating a community garden, and promoting individuals obtain regular exercise. Our ultimate goal should be to establish a Christian counseling center and physical wellness clinic for our congregants, the community we serve, and the economically disenfranchised.
• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Franklin Street adheres to the scriptural teaching that tithing is the main source of income for the church. We also affirm that Kingdom Enterprise is essential to the twenty-first century church, especially given the current economy, as a means of ministry. We believe that the church must develop and operate businesses, first and foremost as a ministry, to create and provide jobs, prevent recidivism, prepare entrepreneurs, and provide second chances. With the alarming rate of unfair credit practices, As a church we envision that the local church should operate a Credit Union to serve its congregants, and to teach fiscal responsibility.
In addition, the following low risk service enterprises serve as the core enterprises as an outreach for the local church: Child Development Center, Catering/Restaurant, Landscaping, Christian Book and Supply Store, Barber/Cosmetology Training Salons, and General Labor/ Temporary Staffing.