A new vision for a new generation.
Imagine a world where we are more empathetic, understanding, and responsive to the needs of others because of the friends we have and are continually developing.
Imagine a church where we could do that in a safe community that understands that we are all on a journey together.
Imagine a network of organizations, leaders, and visionaries launching initiatives that multiply our impact.
This is the 3CFuture.
At LifeChurch Auburn Hills we call this vision the 3CFuture, where committed, cross-cultural, Christ-centered friendships become the building blocks for initiatives that will shape the next generation of Christ followers, including ministries, churches, businesses, and even schools.
The Roadmap: Building for the 3CFuture
In order to achieve our goal of building a 3CFuture, we have a few important milestones on our roadmap from the present day until we can launch the 3CNetwork, the foundation for new 3C churches, ministries, and even schools. Follow along the our past and future roadmap and learn how you can help make it a reality.
Regular Attendance: 40
LifeChurch Auburn Hills gathered for the very first time in August of 2018, beginning its work of bringing together the diverse community in and around Auburn Hills on a mission to make disciples of all nations.Â
Regular Attendance: 120
LifeChurch Auburn Hills launches with preview services and weekly gatherings beginning in early 2019, establishing a launch team of 50 families with a strong outreach amongst university students, local schools, and the international community.
Regular Attendance: 155
Regular small groups: 10
Baptisms: 12
Within 18 months of its inception, LifeChurch is named Church Plant of the Year by the Great Lakes Conference of the Evangelical Covenant. With our commitment to diversity, outreach, and developing 3C Friendships, the church was growing in both health and size thanks in part to the additions of a children's arts program, ESL outreach, and strong community presences.Â
Regular small groups: 10
Baptisms: 12
In spite of months of COVID-19 related interruptions, LifeChurch continued to grow with new launch team members joining the team. We launch the 3CFuture campaign to help our launch team members and beyond understand the road to becoming the faith community that God has designed us to be, one that launches new churches, ministries, and more in the coming decades.
Small groups goal: 20
Funds needed: $350,000 annual giving
In order to get to the next goal of moving beyond the "church plant" status and becoming a formal member church within the Evangelical Covenant Denomination, we at LifeChurch need to increase the number of core launch team members and annual giving to be able to sustain our current work. Our goal in 2021 is to increase our giving from around $200,000 to $350,000 as we almost double our launch team membership in preparation for becoming a member church.
Small groups goal: 24
Funds needed: $400,000 annual giving
After signing our original agreement with the Evangelical Covenant Church in December 2018, spring of 2022 is the soonest we can become a member church of the Evangelical Covenant denomination. Becoming a member church means that we can start having official members, appoint our own elders, and have our own congregation give voting input into the life and ministry of the church. This step is critical for the future so that we have a strong foundation who have ownership in the development of the 3CFuture. In order to become a member church, we must prove that we are financially able to sustain our ministry from the regular giving of our launch team members.
Small groups goal: 40
Funds needed: $450,000 annual giving
After 2 years of pushing hard to grow our core team and becoming a member church, 2023 will be all about doing the hard work of developing curriculum for a 3CFuture. The goals for 2023 will be to shepherd the new members we gained in the previous 2 years, ensuring every one has a small group to be a part of, as well as writing a book, developing videos, and creating an overall educational platform for how to develop 3CFriendships.Â
Small groups goal: 40
Funds needed: $500,000 annual giving
In preparation for the final step of building the foundation for the 3CNetwork, we want to ensure we have an inaugural class of leaders who are ready to launch new initiatives. In addition to continuing to grow the base of the church in 2024, LifeChurch will be training existing leaders from within the church (such as Young Adults leader Audrey Smith, pictured here) as well as recruiting candidates for our 3CLeader Development Intensive, ensuring there are 3-5 candidates ready to launch initiatives as part of the 3CNetwork.Â
All in all, the 3CNetwork is our vehicle to bring about the 3CFuture. We believe a fully staffed network with materials, curriculum, leadership development, and its own financial infrastructure to launch new initiatives is the key to establishing initiatives like churches, ministries, and even schools that will help foster 3CFriendships: committed, cross-cultural, Christ-centered friendships. With the 3CNetwork there to support them, these 3CFriendships now have the chance to blossom into the next generation of faith communities that we believe will change the world.Â
We need your commitment to help us build the 3CFuture.
Working toward a dream of multiple church plants, ministries, and even schools in the future is no small goal, and it all starts with ensuring LifeChurch Auburn Hills is the solid foundation on which to build a movement. It all starts with making sure that our church continues to be a place where 3CFriendships can thrive, 3CLeaders can grow, and the 3CNetwork can have its roots. Together, we can be the building blocks for this new movement.
Why $500,000 annually?
At LifeChurch Auburn Hills, we budget for 9 key areas.
Personnel
The average growing church in the United States devotes 45-60% of its budget to personnel and staff. At LifeChurch we are the same, investing in quality leadership before anything else.
Administrative
Our administrative budget line covers everything from accounting fees to office supplies to liability insurance and digital infrastructure, as well as all of our payment processing fees.
Outreach
Meeting new people and helping them learn about LifeChurch is key for growth. Through events, advertising, and promotional materials, we help people hear about us and come to a Sunday service.
Worship Design
We use the term worship design to describe everything that happens on a Sunday. This includes costs associated with rent, LifeKids, LifeStudents, First Impressions, signage, music, and tech.
Connections
Connections is our process of helping a first-time visitor become a fully-devoted follower of Jesus. We do this through activities like welcome lunches, one-on-one follow up, and more.
Small Groups
We want to help people find a close community to journey with Jesus together. We invest in this by hosting Wednesday night community groups as well as support and curriculum to all groups.
Leadership
Development
In order to build the kind of leaders who can lead a growing church that plants other churches and community initiatives, we need to invest in people through assessments, training, and education.
Mission and
Ministry
Accomplishing our 2040 vision of 10 church planters, 20 community initiatives, and 30 global missionaries requires funds for strategic planning, residencies, and grants for leaders in whom we are investing.
Financial
Stewardship
We want to ensure our church is giving all that it can to help accomplish our goals as well as the goals of the larger church through giving to our denomination, conference, and church planting.
$500,000 allows us to build the foundation we need to launch others well.
For the first few years of our existence, LifeChurch has relied heavily on the goodwill of many people for its staff functions, large purchases, and more, as many church plants do. Yet, in order to become a church that launches new movements, we need to ensure we are on a firm foundation, and that starts with having a consistent staff who can continue to build 3CFriendships, clarify the process for others, and eventually, write books, make videos, and create other materials for others who want to launch initiatives within the 3CNetwork. In addition to our staff, we need to ensure all other areas of the church remain healthy and growing so that we can sustain leaders and their families as they prepare to launch their own 3CFriendship forming initiative.Â
Here's how you can help be a part of the 3CFuture!
Pray
Ask God how he is asking you to participate in the #3CFuture, from prayer to financial giving to .
Invite
Helping more people become a part of what God is doing at LifeChurch Auburn Hills is the first and most important way to help us build the #3CFuture.
Give
Begin making a one-time or recurring gift to LifeChurch Auburn Hills, or increase your current giving in order to help us build #3CFriendships.
Help us by making a pledge for annual giving through 2025.
You can help us budget for our goals by filling out this form with your pledge.Â