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20242023Annual Report
Dear Friends,As we enter our 13th year as a network of churches, I am reminded of the continued need leaders and churches have for a safe haven—networks that serve as anchors for churches and leaders to rest, renew, and find their direction. But networks, like harbors, aren’t just for safety and support: they are launching pads, sending leaders back out into the open waters of ministry and mission. Since 2011, we have strived to be that harbor, offering support and guidance to thousands of leaders as they launch, lead, and multiply thriving churches.Together, and by God’s grace and blessing, as a network of like-hearted, life-minded congregations, we have accomplished so much in the past 13 years. What began with just a handful of charter members has grown into a national network of 113 churches across 30 states. We have collectively launched 92 new churches with an 88% four-year survival rate. The demand for our support has never been greater. This past year alone, our pipeline of churches exploring partnership with us has surged by 400%.As a result, we have sought to proactively increase our staff, mature our governance, while also calling more of our network to participate in our mission. Our five-year initiative, “Establishing One Harbor,” which spans from 2022 to 2027, reflects this com-mitment. We are focused on solidifying our core ministry areas and the teams to lead them, building a framework that will allow us to triple the number of church planters we can support each year, fostering regional collaboration, and forming new partnerships to enhance our mission.As we reach the midpoint of this strategic journey, I am filled with hope. By God’s grace, we are not just establishing one harbor; we are laying the groundwork for the gospel of Jesus Christ to bring renewal to even more lives and communities through movements of thriving churches all across this country and beyond. In the following pages of this annual report, we aim to share our progress, our purpose, and our aspirations for the years ahead.Thank you for your unwavering partnership, your prayers, and your steadfast support. Together, we are making a difference.In Him,HARBOR NETWORK | 2DAVE OWENSExecutive Director, Harbor Network
Continued Work on Establishing One HarborHARBOR NETWORK | 3Church Planting & Multiplication Leader Care & RenewalThe CP&M team completed their third annual planter training in February. This event is just one of the offerings our church planters can benefit from, others include coaching collectives and quarterly continuing education calls with wise leaders. This team continues to work on building the trellis to surface and equip triple the number of church planters we are serving today, hopefully within the next few years! The engine of the multiplication ministry is the residency program and curriculum, which was developed over this past year. The next steps include creating a residency training and certification program for Harbor churches. Another key component of our growth at Harbor is the “activating” phase of uncovering and empowering regional expressions of our network. We call these missional collaboratives, and our team is doing a great job of digging into the possibilities and nuances of how this will work, as well as prototyping some potential regions across our network.Without healthy leaders, our churches can’t thrive. We have increased resources and staffing in this area of our ministry, and hired Ronnie Martin to join our staff full-time and lead these efforts. This team continued to host several renewal gatherings over the last year, and we also hosted a really successful (and relaxing) Lead Pastor & Wives’ Retreat in Hilton Head in May. We took a step back from the cohort model that we tested in 2022 and will continue to research and refine the training and topics that will serve our churches and ministry leaders. We will have a new plan in place in this area in the next fiscal year.Harbor Wives continue to serve many women in our network, led by Melissa Martin.
HARBOR NETWORK | 4Mission Partnerships & EngagementOperations & FinanceCore Curriculum DevelopmentA few years ago, we recognized the need to share our experience and counsel on “how we do church,” or our shared DNA as a network. The Anchor & Compass curriculum is the result of that need, and we held our first-ever training in March, with 9 future church planters present. The response was overwhelmingly positive and the next steps are to continue to refine the curriculum as we work towards taking every church in our network through this training pathway.This department, which includes pathways to partnership, commu-nications and marketing initiatives, as well as the retention of member churches, exists to enable the network to “be the network.” We want to help the men and women in our churches to tap into and leverage all the benefits and relationships available to them for Kingdom impact.We helped our churches host Harbor Network Sundays last November and in April. Some 31 churches participated, helping to introduce and engage their congregation members with the mission of Harbor.We have continued to work on strengthening our operational capacity to better serve our growing organization. Over the past 12 months we have:• Added 2 new staff members• Hired a fractional CFO and Controller• Matured ministry areas into more intentional departments • Restructured our organizational chart• Crafted updated job descriptions for staff• Launched internal monthly HR newsletter to keep staff updated• Continued to monitor systems and processes for efficiency and security
2023/2024Financial DataREVENUES & EXPENSES 2022-23 2023-24 Church Giving $1,365,745 $1,509,654Program and “Other” Revenue $140,983 $131,291Above & Beyond Contributions* $ 117,18 8 $42,071Individual and Foundation Giving $67,369 $66,840Total Revenue $1,691,285 $1,749,856Total Operating Expenses $1,657,264 $1,736,801Operating Surplus/Deficit $34,021 $13,055*In 2022-23, this was the Strengthening the Harbor Campaign.Revenue, 22/23 vs. 23/24 23/24 Expense ChartHARBOR NETWORK | 5Program Staff ------------------- 35%Operational Staff --------- 13 %Partnership Engagement -------------------------- 1%Planting ------------------------------------ 24%Leader Renewal ------------- 21 %Multiply ---------------------------------- >1% G&A --------------------------------------------- 6% Fundraising -------------------------- >1%$131,291$42,071$1,509,654$66,840$140,983$117,188$1,365,745$67,369Individual and Foundation GivingAbove & Beyond Contributions*Program and “Other” revenueChurch giving22/23 23/24
New Church Plants2024Louie & Shenel Gibbs plantingRock City Church in Portsmouth, VADavid & Nendirmwa Noel planting Led by Christ Church in Bridgeport, CTWill & Alyssa Massaro plantingTrails Church in Dayton, OHMark & Hannah Thomas plantingHagan Creek Community Church in Lula, GA2023Jamal & Sabrina Hyman plantingAbide Bible Church in Kinston, NCJason & Danielle Hudson launched Church of the Redeemer in Fort Thomas, KYMason & Valerie Good launchedNew City Church in Chillicothe, OHJosh & Maggie Stewart launchedOaks Community Church in Naples, FLCasey & Kelly Lute launchedPeace Bible Church in Salem, ORClay Myatt launchedKing’s Cross Church in Cleveland, OHHARBOR NETWORK | 6
New Church AdoptionsHARBOR NETWORK | 72023 AdoptionsThe Village Church DentonDenton, TXThe Village Church Denton is a multi- ethnic church serving the heart of Denton, TX. Established in 2015, they exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to love the Lord with all of their hearts, minds, and souls. The church is led by Beau & Kimberly Hughes.Grace Community ChurchNorth Liberty, IAGrace Community Church began as a Baptist house church in 1964. That initial group was looking to ensure that a local con-gregation existed which faithfully presented the gospel. Today, Grace maintains the initial vision of consistent, gospel-centered teaching. Grace is interested in developing communities of believers that can grow into new congregations that love the Lord, teach the gospel, and grow the Body of Christ.City Life ChurchWichita, KSCity Life Church was planted in the heart of Wichita, Kansas in 2011. Five years later, City Life and First Baptist Church united together under City Life’s name, and led by Andy & Melanie Adkison. As a merged congregation, their vision is to demonstrate and declare the goodness of Jesus from the heart of Wichita to the world. With each person who enters their fellowship, the desire is to help them grow to increasingly know and follow Jesus, connect with others in authentic relationships, and engage in the mission of making disciplines.Hope ChurchSouth Lyon, MIHope Church’s first worship service was July 11, 2021. They wanted to plant a Gospel-centered church that pointed people to Jesus in every way. They exist for the glory of God, the gospel of grace and the good of their neighbors. Their desire is to display the beauty and life-changing truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the church and community. They aim to make disciples of all people as Jesus called us to do. Hope Church is co-led by Andrew & Melissa Williams and Jon & Andrea Nagle.2024 Adoptions
Stories and Happenings from Around the HarborHARBOR NETWORK | 8Peace Bible Church officially launched with public worship in Salem, OR. They are supported in friendship and connections with four other network churches in Oregon. It is a joy to see these men and women partner together!The network invited individuals and churches to give in our first-ever targeted end of year campaign, called #GiveRenewal. We raised nearly $44,000, all of which helped us fund new church planters in 2024.In January, pastor Sean Nolan was visiting the Tennessee area near Matt Gray’s church, and they coordinated it so that Sean could preach for Antioch. Matt said “weekends like this are why I love Harbor Network.”In October we hosted our annual conference, the Leaders’ Summit, where more than 400 men and women from all over the country came to learn how to cultivate a multi-ethnic kingdom culture in their own context. It was a joy-filled week!Renewal Gatherings took place in Bloomington, IN and Columbus, OH. Our Leader Care & Renewal team helps pastors, wives and leaders form friendships that lay the foundation for thriving, gospel-shaped ministries.FALL 2023WINTER 2023
More renewal gatherings took place over the winter, including this one in Orlando, FL. Will Torres had this to say, “So thankful to Harbor leaders and their wives for pouring into us today. Good friends, good food, great fellowship.”Our first Anchor & Compass training took place in Tallahassee at network church Four Oaks Killearn. This curriculum covers our DNA, our culture that helps leaders and pastors stay grounded to core beliefs and some unique theological distinctives, all while being guided by our five core values. This is a big part of our future core offerings, and we want every member church to go through this curriculum. It was a great week!Moorings is our annual church planter training retreat, and 10 of our planters got to attend this year in a quiet spot outside of Memphis, TN. These men worshiped, prayed, ate, and encouraged one another. They also learned practical ways they can engage their communities in a christo-centric way.Our Pacific Northwest crew is really enjoying the benefits of partnership. They gathered in March for a renewal gathering and workshops, led by our team as well as Grace Church lead pastor, Dave Bertolini.WINTER 2023 (CONTINUED)SPRING 2024HARBOR NETWORK | 9
In April we had many churches celebrate church planting through a Harbor Network Sunday, during which time they shared with their congregations a little bit about Harbor, including why we plant churches and focus on renewal and multiplication. Harbor Network staff member Brandon Woodard and his wife visited with Mercy Village Church planters Paul and Sarah Boekell to celebrate their HN Sunday event.Our Lead Pastor & Wives’ Retreat was in Hilton Head Island, SC, and we welcomed around 84 couples for a week of rest, friendship, renewal, and beach games!In June our staff gathered to dream and scheme about how we can better serve our pastors and church leaders! We had a wonderful week of laughter, prayer, good food, and even axe-throwing.SPRING 2024 (CONTINUED)SUMMER 2024HARBOR NETWORK | 10Mission Church also celebrated what God is doing through a HN Sunday in Norfolk, VA.
StatisticsHARBOR NETWORK | 11Harbor Network Churches92>$3MNew churches launched since 2011Total dollars given to church planters since our inception in 20112226KFunded Church Planters in 2024Number of people worshiping in a Harbor church on any given Sunday1137,197Total member churchesTotal Subscribers to our email lists
Looking AheadHARBOR NETWORK | 12As we head deeper into this new ministry year and lift our eyes up to new horizons, one central truth remains: our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will keep us and make the paths before us clear.Our Big Vision To see the gospel of Jesus Christ renew people and places across the United States through movements of thriving churches. 5-Year FocusBy July 1, 2027, we aim to build a unified, increasingly diverse network of at least 150 committed churches, launching 25 new churches annually, collaborating through six new regions and benefitting from a comprehensive suite of central services supporting our mission from launch to multiplication.2024-25 Strategic Objectives • Continue to mature our central ministry departments by ensuring they have clear offerings integrated with the overall financial model and plans for being fully established by 2027. • Train 15 Harbor churches on the implementation of our new two-year residency curriculum.• Fully fund our $2M budget with no more than 85% from member churches and 10% from individuals.• Develop a proactive, multi-year plan to foster increasingly diverse churches within the Harbor Network and cultivate a multiethnic kingdom culture reflecting a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.• Ensure the staff and board are ready for Dave’s 3-month sabbatical next summer 2025.• Continue to increase awareness and engagement among Harbor churches through initiatives like “Harbor Network Sunday.”• Complete the initial phase of regionalization research and development in Iowa, Virginia, and the Pacific Northwest to gather insights to inform future regional strategies.• Fully integrate our new network membership curriculum, Anchor & Compass, into core product offerings and pathways to enhance future and member churches’ embodiment of our network’s beliefs, values and culture.
You can be part of our movement in the following ways:Subscribe to our newsletters on our web site.Give to our network at www.harbornetwork.com/give.Pray for our churches.harbornetwork.com