River City Annual Report
“Making disciples, who make disciples through living out
TWENTY TEN Exceedingly More
the Gospel.”
He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21). In 2010, Godʼs hand was far out ahead of us at River City Church. As a community of faith, on Jesusʼ mission - we saw people come to Jesus; people baptized; people commit to community; people relishing in the depths of the Scriptures; people repenting of sin; people singing their guts out to the glory of God; and finally people intentionally carving out time, energy, and resources to bless others in our city. Many times when people ask how our 1.5 year old church is doing, it revolves around the question: “How many people are showing up on Sunday mornings?” What has been exceeding our expectation is the commitment that church isnʼt just a gathering that takes place on Sunday morning in a building, but is also a scattering of Godʼs sons and daughters in our city, for His glory as we seek to be Godʼs vessel, carrying the message of Christ in our hearts and on our lips into the culture around us. There is no such thing as a Christian who isnʼt a missionary, and @ River City, we are all at a different point with deconstructing and reconstructing what it means to live a life that loves Jesus and takes it as our responsibility to make disciples. What an encouragement to be in this together! Committing to Jesus Church and Jesus Mission for His Glory.
In 2010 we started the year with some good momentum as we studied in Nehemiah. We then studied over the summer in a series called “Living on Mission” carrying us over into fall where we studied the book of Ephesians seeing that “Foundations of the Gospel lead to implications of the Gospel”. We saw momentum in the winter months, and then went into a time we called “holding the fort” where over the summer, as a church we saw new people come into our community. We had experienced some growth in the spring and going into summer - we wanted to hold the fort, hold the line, and be ready for some anticipated growth in the fall - which God brought in a way that was exceedingly more than what we had expected!
RIVER CITY CHURCH 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
In the early months of 2010, the need was evident that our current space @ 222 Broadway, meeting in a small jazz venue was getting a little “too full” with the 75 seats that we had there to gather on Sunday evenings. Three to Four other locations were available in the downtown area that we considered, but one location stuck out as a prime location (323 Main Ave.) where our seating could potentially be tripled, our visibility to the community greatly enhanced (we were meeting in a room hidden at the back of a hallway in between a coffee shop and a bar), and this location would be ours during the week (housing offices). By Godʼs grace on Easter weekend we moved into our current location in downtown Fargo.
TWENTY TEN Numbers Aren’t Everything Borrowing a phrase from Mark Driscoll, the founder of Acts 29, the church planting network we are a part of, “We do not attach a moral value to size, but we do acknowledge attendance trends so that we can best care for however many people God entrusts to us. These numbers represent people made in Godʼs image and likeness, people whom Jesus died for, people who have sinned and have been sinned against. We want to plan for their conversion, care, and commissioning so that we can serve them as best as we are able.”
A Year In Focus
2009
2010
Average Attendance (Sunday Gathering)
65
130
Missional Communities
3
6
Missional Communities Attendance
45
100+
Baptisms
0
11
Core Team Members
16
57
* Note: In November and December, our average Sunday gatherings were 225. Average giving was also up in November and December as the Lord has provided as we seek to become a sustainable church in 2011.
RIVER CITY CHURCH 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
Generosity: A response to God’s Grace A Year in Focus
2010
Total Tithes/Offerings
$103,135
Total Income
$114,048
Total Expense
$156,621
Net Gain/Loss
-$42,573
Total Given to Church Planting
$10,064
Total Monies Available 12/31/2010
$56,744.78
In 2010, we did show a net loss at the end of the year. However, as we moved into a new worship space - we anticipated some large one time purchases to get us up to speed in a new worship location (examples include: sound equipment, projector, etc.). Our weekly need to be a sustainable church is around $3,000/week. In November and December we hit very close to that number. As we move into 2011, if we want to have more influence for the Gospel in our city, if we want to reach and equip more people in the Gospel we need to continue to be generous as a response to Godʼs grace He has so freely given to us.
TWENTY TEN Evidences of God’s Grace Charlie Hogstad # #
#
#
#
John Farris
Came to River City in June 2010!
!
!
!
Senior, NDSU, baptized @ River City Oct. 31, 2010
For us, weʼve been pushed beyond our comfort level in many different areas. God has proven Himself faithful in that in every area weʼve been pushed, weʼve seen Him work which has been a huge blessing to our family. Weʼve gone beyond focusing on ourselves to seeking ways to bless others in Jesusʼ name. Thatʼs not something weʼve done as a married couple or family in the past, so we were initially scared but now weʼve been drawn closer and closer to Him through what Heʼs been doing at RC. By ministering to others, we have a new focus on the Word to not only refine ourselves but help others see Jesus more clearly as well.
Eric Sinner# #
#
#
23, baptized @ River City October 31, 2010! !
!
God has worked in so many different areas of my life this year. One big area is sharing my faith with people that don't know how the Gospel has changed my life. An area of my life that God has blessed me in is the great community that is present at River City. It is truly a blessing for a young guy that is a new Christian.
I've been blessed to hear how others are seeing River City. I've heard from others who have visited that the gospel message was clearly evidenced more so than they usually find in christian community. They specifically mentioned how welcome they felt and that they would feel comfortable bringing any friend or family into the sunday service. When I ask about someone's experience at River City they'll typically mention two things: First, I hear of the "simplicity" of sunday's service and missional community being nice and welcoming. But, the second and much more important thing they tell me is that they hear the message of what Christ has done for them every week. Whether in MC, sunday's service, or just interacting with other believers, attendees of River City consistently hear and see the gospel of Jesus Christ carried out.
RIVER CITY CHURCH 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
TWENTY TEN Churches Planting Churches As a church planting church weʼve committed to giving 10% of our internal giving and sending it out to help plant more churches for the sake of the Gospel going forth in our nation and around the world. In 2010, we sent a little over $10,000 out to multiple missionaries and church planters. We support monthly Kevin and Robin Olson, who serve indigenous church planters in Cambodia among the Brou people, as well as Matt and Erin Castangna, who work with New Tribes Missions in the Philippines planting Tribal Churches. In addition to these monthly support commitments, River City has also been supportive in three other church plants. Providence Church in Austin, TX, Christ Fellowship Church in Baltic, SD, and Vox City Church in Cape Town, South Africa.
http://www.ntm.org/wp/matt_castagna/
http://www.rccdells.com/#/christ-fellowship
http://voxcc.com/
http://www.providenceaustin.com/
RIVER CITY CHURCH 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
TWENTY TEN Exceedingly More
the Gospel.”
He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21). In 2010, Godʼs hand was far out ahead of us at River City Church. As a community of faith, on Jesusʼ mission - we saw people come to Jesus; people baptized; people commit to community; people relishing in the depths of the Scriptures; people repenting of sin; people singing their guts out to the glory of God; and finally people intentionally carving out time, energy, and resources to bless others in our city. Many times when people ask how our 1.5 year old church is doing, it revolves around the question: “How many people are showing up on Sunday mornings?” What has been exceeding our expectation is the commitment that church isnʼt just a gathering that takes place on Sunday morning in a building, but is also a scattering of Godʼs sons and daughters in our city, for His glory as we seek to be Godʼs vessel, carrying the message of Christ in our hearts and on our lips into the culture around us. There is no such thing as a Christian who isnʼt a missionary, and @ River City, we are all at a different point with deconstructing and reconstructing what it means to live a life that loves Jesus and takes it as our responsibility to make disciples. What an encouragement to be in this together! Committing to Jesus Church and Jesus Mission for His Glory.
In 2010 we started the year with some good momentum as we studied in Nehemiah. We then studied over the summer in a series called “Living on Mission” carrying us over into fall where we studied the book of Ephesians seeing that “Foundations of the Gospel lead to implications of the Gospel”. We saw momentum in the winter months, and then went into a time we called “holding the fort” where over the summer, as a church we saw new people come into our community. We had experienced some growth in the spring and going into summer - we wanted to hold the fort, hold the line, and be ready for some anticipated growth in the fall - which God brought in a way that was exceedingly more than what we had expected!
RIVER CITY CHURCH 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
In the early months of 2010, the need was evident that our current space @ 222 Broadway, meeting in a small jazz venue was getting a little “too full” with the 75 seats that we had there to gather on Sunday evenings. Three to Four other locations were available in the downtown area that we considered, but one location stuck out as a prime location (323 Main Ave.) where our seating could potentially be tripled, our visibility to the community greatly enhanced (we were meeting in a room hidden at the back of a hallway in between a coffee shop and a bar), and this location would be ours during the week (housing offices). By Godʼs grace on Easter weekend we moved into our current location in downtown Fargo.
TWENTY TEN Numbers Aren’t Everything Borrowing a phrase from Mark Driscoll, the founder of Acts 29, the church planting network we are a part of, “We do not attach a moral value to size, but we do acknowledge attendance trends so that we can best care for however many people God entrusts to us. These numbers represent people made in Godʼs image and likeness, people whom Jesus died for, people who have sinned and have been sinned against. We want to plan for their conversion, care, and commissioning so that we can serve them as best as we are able.”
A Year In Focus
2009
2010
Average Attendance (Sunday Gathering)
65
130
Missional Communities
3
6
Missional Communities Attendance
45
100+
Baptisms
0
11
Core Team Members
16
57
* Note: In November and December, our average Sunday gatherings were 225. Average giving was also up in November and December as the Lord has provided as we seek to become a sustainable church in 2011.
RIVER CITY CHURCH 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
Generosity: A response to God’s Grace A Year in Focus
2010
Total Tithes/Offerings
$103,135
Total Income
$114,048
Total Expense
$156,621
Net Gain/Loss
-$42,573
Total Given to Church Planting
$10,064
Total Monies Available 12/31/2010
$56,744.78
In 2010, we did show a net loss at the end of the year. However, as we moved into a new worship space - we anticipated some large one time purchases to get us up to speed in a new worship location (examples include: sound equipment, projector, etc.). Our weekly need to be a sustainable church is around $3,000/week. In November and December we hit very close to that number. As we move into 2011, if we want to have more influence for the Gospel in our city, if we want to reach and equip more people in the Gospel we need to continue to be generous as a response to Godʼs grace He has so freely given to us.
TWENTY TEN Evidences of God’s Grace Charlie Hogstad # #
#
#
#
John Farris
Came to River City in June 2010!
!
!
!
Senior, NDSU, baptized @ River City Oct. 31, 2010
For us, weʼve been pushed beyond our comfort level in many different areas. God has proven Himself faithful in that in every area weʼve been pushed, weʼve seen Him work which has been a huge blessing to our family. Weʼve gone beyond focusing on ourselves to seeking ways to bless others in Jesusʼ name. Thatʼs not something weʼve done as a married couple or family in the past, so we were initially scared but now weʼve been drawn closer and closer to Him through what Heʼs been doing at RC. By ministering to others, we have a new focus on the Word to not only refine ourselves but help others see Jesus more clearly as well.
Eric Sinner# #
#
#
23, baptized @ River City October 31, 2010! !
!
God has worked in so many different areas of my life this year. One big area is sharing my faith with people that don't know how the Gospel has changed my life. An area of my life that God has blessed me in is the great community that is present at River City. It is truly a blessing for a young guy that is a new Christian.
I've been blessed to hear how others are seeing River City. I've heard from others who have visited that the gospel message was clearly evidenced more so than they usually find in christian community. They specifically mentioned how welcome they felt and that they would feel comfortable bringing any friend or family into the sunday service. When I ask about someone's experience at River City they'll typically mention two things: First, I hear of the "simplicity" of sunday's service and missional community being nice and welcoming. But, the second and much more important thing they tell me is that they hear the message of what Christ has done for them every week. Whether in MC, sunday's service, or just interacting with other believers, attendees of River City consistently hear and see the gospel of Jesus Christ carried out.
RIVER CITY CHURCH 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
TWENTY TEN Churches Planting Churches As a church planting church weʼve committed to giving 10% of our internal giving and sending it out to help plant more churches for the sake of the Gospel going forth in our nation and around the world. In 2010, we sent a little over $10,000 out to multiple missionaries and church planters. We support monthly Kevin and Robin Olson, who serve indigenous church planters in Cambodia among the Brou people, as well as Matt and Erin Castangna, who work with New Tribes Missions in the Philippines planting Tribal Churches. In addition to these monthly support commitments, River City has also been supportive in three other church plants. Providence Church in Austin, TX, Christ Fellowship Church in Baltic, SD, and Vox City Church in Cape Town, South Africa.
http://www.ntm.org/wp/matt_castagna/
http://www.rccdells.com/#/christ-fellowship
http://voxcc.com/
http://www.providenceaustin.com/
RIVER CITY CHURCH 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
