Life is tough sometimes. There are problems we face, situations that arise, and people that seem to be difficult to deal with or understand from time to time in our life. We face personal battles that leave us feeling overwhelmed now and then. That’s why it’s important to turn to God for strength to stand. As temptations arise, we need to know how to rise above. It’s in the Lord. Our strength is in Him. We find power through prayer, through His Word, the Holy Bible. We find the ability to conquer fear through faith. His power is stedfast, and as we seek Him and His ability to help us, we will not be overcome by evil.

Don’t fear. Do not be dismayed. Know that God is strong and able to help you in your time of need, in your time of uncertainty, chaos, or trouble. Stand firm in His power, and stand on His Word. God is with you always!

Happy New Year!     Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you” says the Lord, “they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

How do we as believers carry out such a great commission? One way, in particular, is through Church Planting. How better to reach out to people with the gospel, than to invite them to go hear the good news, and to learn how to live according to the teachings of Christ (otherwise known as DISCIPLESHIP). With so many in our current culture that are unchurched; the need is great for evangelism and discipleship! The harvest is great, and the laborers are few. Jesus told us this in Luke 10:2 as He described the need for prayer, and for laborers to be sent to gather the harvest of souls.

Our prayer is that Solid Rock Church will be established in this city of Medina to be a praying church, a harvesting church, and a sending church that fulfills the Great Commission with great conviction. To God be the glory!

1. Empowering Leadership- This will be accomplished at our Wednesday night Leadership services. Even now this service is dedicated to strategic prayer/ planning, and preparation for our launch in September. We will make a goal of training up leaders, and delegating responsibilities to them, that the work of the ministry is done without the burden falling solely upon the Senior Pastor. Exodus 18:13-27 and Eph. 4:11-16 are the passages of scripture that we will be diligent to obey, so that everyone in the body is using their gifts of service as God intended, thus all needs can be met with no one being overwhelmed.
2. Gift-based ministry- We will help every attendee along in a process that will move them into church membership. Then they will be interviewed and given a spiritual gifts test. We will make every effort to involve them in some type of ministry that compliments their unique gift mix. We will continue education and mentoring so that each member can fully develop into a mature Christian. Rom. 12, I Cor. 12, and Eph 4:11-13 are scriptures that cover these various areas of gifting; service, spiritual, and ministry gifts. Everyone has a place in the body of Christ. We will endeavor to create a context at Solid Rock Church where everyone is aware and active in their giftedness!
3. Passionate Spirituality- We believe that our faith should be lived out in commitment, enthusiasm, and as John the Baptist would say, with “fire”. We believe that a Church that expresses it’s faith with passion will experience success. Peter said, ”Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God”. We must be a church that is vibrant and spoken of as “being alive!” Praise must carry an expression of noticeable zeal. Worship must be a heart moving experience. The Word of God must be preached with power and conviction, in the authority Christ intended it to be!
4. Effective structures- We understand that, in order to maximize effectiveness in ministry, it requires proper attention to detail. We will develop job descriptions, policies, a ministry handbook, and a strategy for all ministries at Solid Rock Church. In order to maintain excellence and ensure progress in the attainment of our goals, we will have periodic evaluations of all ministries and personnel in order to better understand how we can support and resource our workers to continue their skills development, develop maturity of character, maintain accountability, and to strengthen purpose that leadership has defined for that ministry. Organization, planning, and management will be treated with high priority. We are committed that both Leadership and Management should be in good communication in what we do as an organization. We will eventually hire an Administrative Assistant who will work to help keep us on track concerning these priorities of Leadership accountability.
5. Inspiring Worship Service- David declared “I was glad when they said unto me; Let us go into the house of the Lord” Psa. 122:1. We are committed to our services being filled with a sense of life and energy. Inspiring Worship brings positive changes in the lives of individuals. Our prayer is to nurture an atmosphere that values the presence and power of God. We believe that men and women can experience repentance, find salvation, restoration, healing, and encouragement in an atmosphere of peace, love, and joy.
6. Holistic Small Groups- Small group meetings in the homes of our members, as well as other locations throughout the town and in the surrounding area, will be a primary ministry of Solid Rock Church. We believe people must have a smaller group (12-20) in which they can share the intimate details of their lives for support, nurturing, and development. In these settings friendships will grow between our members helping to ensure healthy relationships with one another. The ministry of congregational care and counseling will be administrated with an emphasis on assimilation of new attendees, and their activation to service within these groups. We are now developing our launch team in this setting. Our plan is to launch the Church with three or more groups at the time of our launch date.
7. Need-Oriented Evangelism- Our community needs are in the areas of ministry to small children and youth. With the population boom here, there are a large number of young families and a need for activities and attention. This gives us an open door of opportunity to reach these children and then their parents by partnering and supporting our three schools here (Medina Elementary, Medina Middle, and South Gibson High). The community welcomes opportunities for positive outreach to its youth.
8. Loving Relationships- Solid Rock is intentional about making the main thing the main thing. Love is ultimately the highest goal of our Church in all that we do. We will emphasize this great commandment over and over through every ministry and in every position of service that we have. Our purpose is to be known in the community as a people who have a genuine love towards God and who express His love to the people of Medina. Matt. 22:36-40

Dear Friends of Solid Rock Church,

It is with great excitement that I announce to you the launch of Solid Rock Church – a new Church in Medina Tn. We will be launching Solid Rock Church in the fall of 2009.

Medina is a quickly growing bedroom community of Jackson, Tennessee. Since the 2000 Census the population growth has exceeded 96%! Growth at this pace is projected for the foreseeable future (Medina Market Data provided by Medina Mayor’s office). A website that will help familiarize you with our area is ww.cityofmedinatn.org . As young families continue to move into this area the percentage of population thirty four and younger is at over 44%, and rising. (Demographics Research and Church Network of the Assemblies of God)

An Assembly of God Church that endeavors to reach and train this group for Christ’s glory is desperately needed, now!  We sense God’s divine call to this assignment, with His help, and yours we are confident that great things will be accomplished!

Our call to this opportunity~

In late July of 2008, while studying the Holy Spirit spoke these words to my heart “fresh start”. As I pondered what the Spirit of the Lord was saying to me I sensed the repetitive words “new beginnings, new beginnings,  new beginnings”. My wife and I began to pray intensely for further understanding of what God was calling us to do. As we prayed together, separately, and with our Church family, God gave us clarity. God was calling us to a new beginning in a new place in the Tennessee District. God was calling us to a new church from Christ Victory Assembly in Salina (KS) to Solid Rock Church in Medina. Lastly, God was changing our function in the body of Christ from the ministry of Church Revitalization to the ministry of Church Planting.

We contacted the Tennessee District of the Assemblies of God, and to our delight, Medina was a target area. We moved March 6, 2009, purchasing a home in this wonderful community, and started meeting with core members March 21, 2009. This move is bringing my family and I back to the area we are originally from. In our hearts, we have committed to this church plant as our career work, if the Lord wills. We are excited about what God is doing in Medina!!!

Thank you for your prayer and consideration in partnering with Solid Rock Church.

Sincerely,

Mike Johnson, Lead Pastor