These are our core values:

Conciliation

A healthy district will promote and participate in conflict resolution by using Biblical standards. A healthy district will demonstrate the ability to deal with conflict in a Biblical manner. (Matthew 18:15-20, John 13:34-35)

Provide a system to deal with church conflict in the Allegheny District.

• Our Goal — Work with district churches who are in conflict by providing resources to help them work through conflict Biblically.
• Our Goal — See district churches function with the Biblical mandate of love and unity.

Church Planting

Creating a movement of multiplication in the Allegheny District is crucial to being a healthy district. Our goal is to develop, monitor and refine a church planting strategy in the Allegheny District. We acknowledge that church health and district health involves obedience to the Scriptures in the area of church planting. (Acts 1:8)

Monitor The Seven Strategic Church Planting Systems

1. Launch

Create awareness and increase the value of church planting in the district.

• Our Goal – Promote church planting by providing ways every district church can participate in church planting. (e.g., Mother churches, Resource churches, Adoption churches, Support churches.)
• Our Goal — Maintain a Church Planting team in the district that oversees the church planting movement.

2. Recruit

Intentionally identifying areas and leaders for church planting.

• Our Goal — Identify the next five church planting sites in the district each year and blanket them in prayer.

3. Assess

Implement an assessment program in the district to identify the Right Planter, Right People, Right Place, Right Time.

• Our Goal — Provide church planter assessment in the Allegheny District through trained assessors.

4. Coach

Implement a coaching network within the district to encourage, challenge and pray with church planters.

• Our Goal — Provide a church planting coach for each church planter to support, encourage and challenge them.

5. Train

Maintain appropriate training requirements for planters, assessors and coaches.

• Our Goal — Provide Church Planters Boot Camp for all Allegheny District church planters.

6. Support

Develop, maintain and monitor a church planting financial program. Provide funding for Boot Camp, Assessment Training, Coaches Training and other necessary church plant funding.

• Our Goal — Maintain adequate church planting funds that will support an aggressive church planting strategy. We will provide revolving fund in the Allegheny District for church planting.

7. Reproduce Churches

Create a church multiplication movement in the district that sustains long term church planting growth.

• Our Goal — See 10% of district churches planting daughter churches per year
• Our Goal — See church plants reproducing themselves within 3-5 years
• Our Goal — See every district church planning to plant a daughter church every 5 years
• Our Goal — See direct district involvement in Global Church Planting

Stewardship

Healthy districts are districts that manage the resources entrusted by God as good stewards. Stewardship in the district involves accountability for resources given for ministry. Healthy districts are sound in financial stewardship at the district level and individual church level. (1 Corinthians 4:1-2, Matthew 25:21)

Develop and maintain a yearly budget that reflects the needs of the district for ministry operations.

• Our Goal — See every church participating in the fair share program.

Maintain a revolving fund for church planting that will be available for ministries to plant churches.

• Our Goal — See regular giving to the church planting fund by district churches.

Encourage resource sharing among district churches.

• Our Goal — Maintain an atmosphere of interdependence in the district by sharing resources; including people, materials and funding.

Church Health

A healthy district is made of healthy churches. The following areas will be monitored in order to assist local churches in becoming and staying healthy by Biblical standards. Our goal is to see churches in the Allegheny District have Great Commission vision fulfilled in a Great Commandment way. (Matthew 28:18-20; 22:37-40)

Healthy Church Network Groups

We desire to encourage pastors through monthly pastor gatherings designed to en-courage, challenge and equip pastors.

• Our Goal — Provide geographically placed groups led by district Pastors that require minimal travel.

Healthy Church Workshops

We desire to support local churches by providing Healthy Church seminars and resources.

• Our Goal — See 70% of churches doing an annual health check, and 50% of churches measuring above midline in each of the 10 Leading Indicators.

Discipleship

We desire to assist District churches as they fulfill a clearly articulated mission of discipleship.

• Our Goal — See district churches growing at 10% conversion growth rate.

Leadership Events & Training

We will provide Leadership Events.

• Our Goal — Provide 3 to 4 events per year designed to focus on leadership training. (For Pastors, Youth Pastors, Church Planters and others)

Church Health Team

Develop a Church Health Team in the district.

• Our Goal — Maintain a District Church Health Team to oversee District Church Health.

Communication

Communication in the district is vital to district health. As we strive to develop interdependency, a system of communication is vital. A healthy district not only communicates among district churches but also communicates more broadly as well. (Colossians 1:3-11)

Provide a means of communication within the district that is used for prayer support and information dissemination.

• Our Goal — Maintain a district prayer calendar that is updated regularly.

Provide a means of communication to district churches as well as beyond the Free Church.

• Our Goal — Maintain a district web site that will facilitate communications within the district and beyond.
• Our Goal — Maintain a communication link between the district board and district churches.

Ministerial Standing

Being accountable to EFCA Doctrines and Distinctives are necessary for district health. In order to maintain healthy district churches we feel it is important to maintain accountability with churches and pastors. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Maintain a system of credentialing in the Allegheny District for pastors.

• Our Goal — Maintain a District Credentials Chairman and a Credentialing Team of 4-6 ordained Pastors who serve by overseeing the credentialing process in the district.
• Our Goal — Have all Pastors in the Allegheny District credentialed with the Evangelical Free Church of America.

Maintain a system of approving Constitutions and By-Laws in the Allegheny District.

• Our Goal — Maintain a District Constitution Committee who reviews and approves all Constitutions and By-Laws by EFCA standards.

Provide assistance to churches and pastors in the areas of placement, compensation and care.

• Our Goal — Work with Allegheny District Churches to provide resources and support leaders.