About American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin

Together Living Faithfully Through Christ Today

Ephesians 3:18-19
“I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” NRSV

“And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” The Message

Our Mission and Vision

Mission Statement

ABC of WI is a fellowship of persons, churches and organizations drawn together in the love of God as known in Jesus Christ. We affirm our diversity of culture, gender, and theological perspectives as gifts for ministry. We covenant to share the gospel of Christ, encourage each other in our faith, and share our resources in witness and mission.

2017-2020 Vision

ABC/WI Constituency
Together Living Faithfully through Christ Today

Ministry of ABC/WI Regional Office
To become an effective resource that compels and equips our ministers and ministries toward rootedness, collaboration, growth, and transformation for the sake of a relevant and engaging Christian witness in Wisconsin and beyond.

Commentary

With the region’s mission statement as a foundation and two years of interactions with the various individuals and groups within our region, these vision statements speak of both current concerns as well as the needed direction for the coming years.

The vision statement for the ministry of the ABC/WI regional office has been instrumental in redesigning the staffing model and will guide and prioritize the efforts of the regional staff, leaders, and volunteers who work on behalf of ABC/WI, with a goal to foster engagement among our ministers and ministries toward our common mission.

Our common mission is categorized into four areas of ministry: Church and Ministerial Resourcing, Education, Camping, and The POST. Each of these areas includes objectives in the four imperatives named in this vision.

– Rootedness – to foster a clear sense of belonging and affinity by keeping in the forefront our commonality in and centrality of Christ and educating on the particular heritage and current efforts that define an American Baptist framework and perspective

– Collaboration – to serve as a hub that seeks and creates opportunities for fellowship and synergy in mission among our members and partners

– Growth – to encourage and equip for spiritual, discipleship, and ministry growth through education, skill-building, and sharing of best practices; to foster numerical growth and/or increased impact through evaluation of our covenantal relationships and programmatic efforts with intent toward pruning and expansion

– Transformation – to promote God-directed community engagement, innovation, and ministerial experiments that would positively affect institutional and societal cultural change toward more genuine Christ-like reflection

The vision statement for the ABC/WI constituency is an expression of the values inherent in our mission statement:

  • Together – acknowledging we associate for missional purposes that can be better pursued and achieved together rather than apart
  • Living – an act of receiving and sharing the abundant life we have been given and called to through our faith; an intentionality to live with the fullness of Christ
  • Faithfully – trusting that each person and entity can determine and contribute their unique God-given gift and role to our diverse fellowship
  • Through – a prepositional word that indicates a starting point, a journey, and progression
  • Christ – the source of our fellowship, the reason for our motivation, and our strength to work toward our common mission
  • Today – the directive for relevance, not existing in the past or idly waiting for the future, but ministering in the present

JOIN US IN THIS JOURNEY…

The Executive Summary of the 2017-2020 Region Strategic Plan can be viewed HERE.

About American Baptist Churches USA

Serving as the hands and feet of Christ

ABCUSA Focus Statement

American Baptist Churches are missional congregations that nurture devoted disciples of Jesus Christ who live their lives in mission and ministry for the healing of the world through the love of God.

ABCUSA Mission Statement

American Baptists are a Christ-centered, biblically grounded, ethnically diverse people called to radical personal discipleship in Christ Jesus. Our commitment to Jesus propels us to nurture authentic relationships with one another; build healthy churches; transform our communities, our nations and our world; engage every member in hands-on ministry; and speak the prophetic word in love.

As a people of prayer, purpose, and passion, we are in the forefront of creating a community of faith where people of every race, nationality and culture gather as one in worship, service and work.

The heart of the gospel is God’s redemptive love. In our life together, the world will see the power of forgiveness to overcome alienation, the strength of love to transform hate, the power of grace to break the bonds of guilt, the triumph of hope over despair, and the victory of faith over doubt.

Through the cross of Christ we embrace the world as neighbor. Our vision for mission energizes a multitude of servant ministries of evangelism, discipleship, leadership, new church development, social justice, healing, peacemaking, economic development and education. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we work together in mutual submission, humility, love, and giving that the gospel might be preached and lived in all the world.

“Write the vision, make it plain…” Habakkuk 2:2

ABCUSA Resources

We Are American Baptists

Somos Bautista Americanos

10 Facts You Should Know About American Baptists - Brochure

10 Factores sobre los Bautistas

10 Facts - Descriptive

10 Facts - Bulletin Insert

American Baptists - A Brief History