A Special Announcement
In 2004 a small group of people came together to plant a church with the idea of reaching people in Lakeland with the love and hope of Jesus Christ. Since that humble beginning the church has gone through 2 names, seen it's share of ups and downs, faced opportunities and challenges with equal intensity, saw 350+ baptized, fed thousands of impoverished folks, provided shelter and housing for 500+ displaced people, developed 13 missionaries and church planting pastors, was a relief shelter in times of bad weather or disasters, helped 80+ homeless people permanently get off the streets, loved on those affected by the Pulse Nightclub shooting, was directly involved with 2 church plants in Florida, partnered with area rehab centers to get dozens of addicts clean and sober, and through the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention financially supported countless ministries, church plants and missionaries throughout the world. To say that it's been quite a ride would be an understatement! We have truly seen God move in our midst.
However, over the past 12 months God began to move Impact! Church - and the leadership - into a time of transition. It saw some lay leaders, church members and even staff move on to other churches and other callings. At the same time many of our homeless neighbors began to leave the area and resettle in places outside of the city limits. Reaching the people Impact! was called to serve became more difficult and demanded a more mobile option of ministry. It also became increasingly expensive and difficult to fund the vision and ministry of the church. Worship attendance began to drop, developing new leadership slowed to a crawl, financial donations began to dip and it was clear that God was moving Impact! to a time of reflection and prayer.
This past Spring the Elders of Impact! Church - after much prayer, Bible study, seeking outside counsel and in accordance with our bylaws - voted to sell our property and redefine how the church would serve the community of Lakeland in the future. In May of this year we stopped holding Sunday worship services. In July we suspended our weekly Bible studies for the remainder of the summer. This past Wednesday (August 1, 2018) we completed the sale of all of our buildings and property to the City of Lakeland's Community Redevelopment Agency. In essence, Impact! Church no longer exists in the form that it once was,
Over the next few months a small remnant of the leadership and congregation of Impact! Church will launch of mobile ministry to continue taking food, water, clothing and essential needs to the homeless and impoverished of Polk County. We will be able to provide a more strategic and concerted effort to help those folks in the margins in a way we could not before as a fully functioning church. There will still be Bible studies, though they will be held in homeless camps, Section 8 housing complexes and migrant farm worker villages throughout the county. At times we will partner with other area churches to complete projects for folks in need and conduct the occasional outdoor worship service. While the desire to help spread the hope and love of Jesus Christ to hurting people is still our calling, it will not be done within the context of a traditional functioning church. There will be no children's ministry, set worship band, regular preaching pastor, youth ministry or even a building. Instead it will be loving on our neighbors in need and sharing the love of Christ with them one-on-one wherever they may be.
Below we have provided a Q&A section to help answer some of the questions our church members and friends of the church have been asking. If you have more specific questions not addressed below, please feel free to contact us by email. In the meantime, we would appreciate any prayer support you can provide as we move forward into this time of transition.
Finally, we wanted to say thank you to the hundreds of people - both within Polk County and outside - that made Compass Point/Impact! Church possible. Your commitment to Christ and the Church forever changed lives. Marriages have been restored, families have been reunited and souls have been saved because of God working through your faithfulness. While this may be the end of the road for our church as we know it, there is still a mighty horizon ahead - and much work to do for the cause of Christ. Stay strong and stay faithful to God's calling in your life. You have truly loved God, loved people and definitely made an impact!
However, over the past 12 months God began to move Impact! Church - and the leadership - into a time of transition. It saw some lay leaders, church members and even staff move on to other churches and other callings. At the same time many of our homeless neighbors began to leave the area and resettle in places outside of the city limits. Reaching the people Impact! was called to serve became more difficult and demanded a more mobile option of ministry. It also became increasingly expensive and difficult to fund the vision and ministry of the church. Worship attendance began to drop, developing new leadership slowed to a crawl, financial donations began to dip and it was clear that God was moving Impact! to a time of reflection and prayer.
This past Spring the Elders of Impact! Church - after much prayer, Bible study, seeking outside counsel and in accordance with our bylaws - voted to sell our property and redefine how the church would serve the community of Lakeland in the future. In May of this year we stopped holding Sunday worship services. In July we suspended our weekly Bible studies for the remainder of the summer. This past Wednesday (August 1, 2018) we completed the sale of all of our buildings and property to the City of Lakeland's Community Redevelopment Agency. In essence, Impact! Church no longer exists in the form that it once was,
Over the next few months a small remnant of the leadership and congregation of Impact! Church will launch of mobile ministry to continue taking food, water, clothing and essential needs to the homeless and impoverished of Polk County. We will be able to provide a more strategic and concerted effort to help those folks in the margins in a way we could not before as a fully functioning church. There will still be Bible studies, though they will be held in homeless camps, Section 8 housing complexes and migrant farm worker villages throughout the county. At times we will partner with other area churches to complete projects for folks in need and conduct the occasional outdoor worship service. While the desire to help spread the hope and love of Jesus Christ to hurting people is still our calling, it will not be done within the context of a traditional functioning church. There will be no children's ministry, set worship band, regular preaching pastor, youth ministry or even a building. Instead it will be loving on our neighbors in need and sharing the love of Christ with them one-on-one wherever they may be.
Below we have provided a Q&A section to help answer some of the questions our church members and friends of the church have been asking. If you have more specific questions not addressed below, please feel free to contact us by email. In the meantime, we would appreciate any prayer support you can provide as we move forward into this time of transition.
Finally, we wanted to say thank you to the hundreds of people - both within Polk County and outside - that made Compass Point/Impact! Church possible. Your commitment to Christ and the Church forever changed lives. Marriages have been restored, families have been reunited and souls have been saved because of God working through your faithfulness. While this may be the end of the road for our church as we know it, there is still a mighty horizon ahead - and much work to do for the cause of Christ. Stay strong and stay faithful to God's calling in your life. You have truly loved God, loved people and definitely made an impact!