Annual Report 2020

Our annual report is more than information—it’s an invitation to praise God for what He has done and get involved in what He is doing at Stonebriar and beyond.

In this report, you’ll find glimpses of how we saw God at work in and through our church in 2020, updates on the financial resources He has provided through your generosity, and opportunities to invest in our mission to love God and love others in the year ahead.

Get started by watching this introduction from Pastor Chuck Swindoll, then explore the report below and prayerfully consider how God would have you connect more deeply with Him and our church family in 2021.

In last year’s annual report, we presented seven major goals we planned to focus on in 2020. Though last year certainly looked different from what we expected, we were still able to pursue these goals and are excited to share some updates with you.

This list of goals is not a comprehensive view of all of our ministry priorities or a full picture of all of the ways our many ministries thrived last year. Rather, these goals were our way of focusing on key areas of ministry expansion, and looking back at our progress gives us a glimpse of how God was at work in and through our church, despite all of the changes and challenges of 2020. Read on and be encouraged!

Goal 1 Foster Small Group Discipleship

In a season marked by isolation and loneliness, authentic connection has been more essential than ever. Though the disruptions of COVID-19 created unexpected barriers to connection, small group discipleship continued to thrive in unique ways in 2020. Our church offered groups both on campus and online to provide opportunities for everyone to connect as they felt comfortable.

To continue fostering small group discipleship in 2020, our ministries:

Added online options for existing on-campus Bible studies and programs like Marriage Core
Transitioned many groups and programs completely online, such as Reach Up Reach Out, Parenting Prodigals, and several Sunday Fellowships
Offered new online studies, including How to Love Your Neighbor During COVID-19 and the Your Best Us marriage study

Goal 2 Build a Comprehensive Marriage Ministry

By God’s provision and much support from our church family and staff, Marriage Ministries had a successful first year. In 2020, under the dynamic leadership of David and Jamie Ake, Marriage Ministries:

Created and grew The Rooted Marriage online community and resource collection
Produced 25 Marriage Moment resource videos for couples
Hosted 5 creative Date Night events on campus and online
Ministered virtually to couples both locally and nationally
Hosted the first Your Best Us summer marriage study
Reimagined existing programs including Marriage Core and Marriage Foundations
Partnered with Sunday Fellowships to test out strategies for future ministry goals

Discover ways to connect with Marriage Ministries.

Goal 3 Develop a Senior Adult Ministry

Throughout 2020, a team of Stonebriar staff and volunteers prayerfully laid the foundation for a new Senior Adult Ministry. As they researched and pursued opportunities to serve the unique needs of this population, the Senior Adult Ministry leaders took the following steps forward:

Assembled and strategized with a Senior Adult Ministry Steering Committee comprised of Stonebriar staff and volunteers.
Researched demographics and needs of the senior adult population.
Defined goals and strategies for the ministry.
Created a Senior Adult Ministry web page and designed promotional materials.
Launched a quarterly Bible study, Six Essentials for Finishing Well, designed specifically for senior adults that is offered both on campus and online.
Recorded six Bible study videos for use throughout the year to equip senior adults.
Met with ministry leaders at Stonebriar and in our community to discuss future intergenerational activities.

2021 Senior Adult Ministry Goals

As the Senior Adult Ministry Steering Committee continues to develop next steps, our goals are to:

Ensure senior adults are recognized and celebrated for their great worth
Help senior adults understand they have purpose and embrace God’s plan for this time in their life
Create mutually beneficial relationships between senior adults and younger generations
Help meet the practical needs of seniors through connections with others

Goal 4 Expand Our Ministry in Little Elm

As unemployment and other hardships arose due to COVID-19, our neighbors needed our help last year more than ever before. One of our goals in 2020 was to grow and deepen our ministry to the economically and culturally diverse area of Little Elm—a goal God allowed us to reach in unexpected ways.

In 2020, our Community Care ministry shared God’s love with our neighbors in Little Elm by:

Working with Little Elm ISD and its Family Facilitator and Homeless Liaison to identify families in need
Preparing and delivering lunches and weekend food bags for low-income families¹
Providing food and supplies to the Feed My Sheep Food Pantry from our weekly food drive
Building relationships by hosting outdoor holiday celebrations for Easter, Cinco de Mayo, graduation, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas
Handing out New Testament Bibles in English and Spanish, praying for our neighbors, and sharing the Gospel whenever possible

Many of the children we serve rely on free and reduced lunches at school, so our church family provides meals every day when school is out of session during summer and holiday breaks, as well as bags of food to get them through the weekends throughout the year.

Explore ways you can help care for our community in 2021.

Goal 5 Reduce the Debt

Thanks to God’s provision through your faithful giving, our church has made great strides toward our goal of reducing and ultimately eliminating our debt. We are deeply grateful for your continued financial support, especially during the challenges that arose in 2020.

Eliminating our debt remains a priority, and we continue to make extra payments toward debt reduction as circumstances allow. Once our debt is fully paid, the money in our annual budget that is currently dedicated to debt service will be freed up to support our ministries. Thank you for helping us strive toward this exciting goal!

For more details on our budget and debt structure, please see the financial update section of this report.

Goal 6 Steward Our Resources by Going Green

Out of our desire to be good stewards of God’s creation and the resources He has given us, we focused special attention on going green in 2020. Throughout the year, we made several changes to our processes and facilities, such as:

Conserving resources by significantly reducing printed materials
Increasing energy efficiency by installing LED lightbulbs in the Worship Center and select hallways and classrooms
Protecting air quality and the environment by using paints free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

In many cases, these efforts toward going green also helped us steward our financial resources. These changes alone have saved our church more than $120,000 so far:

We look forward to exploring more opportunities to care for the environment in the years ahead. If you have questions about going green, or if you have experience in environmental stewardship and would like to support this initiative, please reach out to our staff at info@stonebriar.org.

Goal 7 Update Our Facilities

As we continue to prioritize showing warm hospitality to all who come through our doors, we are regularly updating our facilities to be comfortable and functional for our church family and guests. In 2020, our Facilities department and Campus Planning Team completed several projects to revitalize our spaces with new flooring, fresh paint, and updated furniture, such as our Building B Lobby and choir room renovations.

Building B Lobby

Before: B Lobby — Before: Building B Lobby and Church Office area

Before: Check In — Before: Building B Welcome and Information Desk

After: Lobby — After: A fresh coat of paint, new flooring, and updated furniture welcome those who enter.

After: Check In — After: A rebuild of our Building B Information Desk frees more space for conversation and traffic flow.

Choir Room

Construction: Choir Seating — Construction: Tiered choir seating is built.

Construction: New Walls — Construction: Framing of new walls begins.

After: Choir Room Seating — After: New Choir Room seating simulates the choir loft and provides a comprehensive practice experience.

After: Choir Room — After: Music archives and robe storage allow staff and choir members to efficiently prepare each Sunday.

We are excited to continue refreshing our spaces as we are able, and our current projects include:

Updating room B156, which is used by our Middle School Ministry and several adult groups
Reviewing and redesigning campus directional signage
Renovating the kitchen to better support ministry needs and special events

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for your continued financial support of our church. We are deeply grateful for your faithful generosity, and we are excited to share how God has provided the resources our ministries need to continue shining Christ’s light in our church, community, and world.

Watch this video from our Finance Committee for an overview of where we stand financially, how our annual budget works, where we are in reducing our debt, and how you can invest in the work of God’s Kingdom here at Stonebriar.

To find details on ways to give, or to donate online any time, visit stonebriar.org/giving.

For more details on our budget and debt structure, download our full financial statement.

The disruptions of 2020 made it difficult to connect with others in our typical ways, so for the past year, many of us have felt disconnected, isolated, or lonely. Because connection is God’s original and redeemed plan for us, in 2021, our ministries are focused on meeting our vital need for connection.

Listen as Senior Associate Pastors Don McMinn and Charlton Hiott share the biblical foundation and heart behind this theme, and see our Challenge section below for a list of five simple ways you can start connecting with God and others today!

As Pastor Chuck said in his introduction, we hope you’ve gained more than information in this report—we pray you’ve been inspired to live with renewed hope and purpose in Christ. Our 2021 theme of connection comes with a challenge: prayerfully decide at least one specific way you will pursue deeper connection with God and others this year.

Below, you will find five simple ways you can begin connecting through our ministries. Under each opportunity is a link to learn more about getting involved and the contact details for a staff member who can help. We encourage you not to wait—start connecting today!