The Church of Eleven22 – "Disciple Making Disciples: Vision Weekend 2025"

Series: 1 Timothy – Week 1
Date: January 6, 2025
Speaker: Pastor Joby Martin
Main Theme: Casting the vision for Eleven22 in 2025 as a movement focused on making disciples, expanding campus presence, and guiding all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Episode Overview

This episode marks the annual Vision Weekend at the Church of Eleven22, where Pastor Joby Martin lays out the goals, direction, and spiritual focus for the church in 2025. The overarching message is clear: Eleven22 exists to make disciples, not just build crowds, and the purpose is to create a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Joby highlights the biblical foundation for vision, celebrates 2024 milestones, announces campus expansions and new initiatives, and calls the men of the church to step up in spiritual leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Foundations for Vision (00:02 – 09:00)

• Centrality of God's Word:
  • Every year begins with Vision Weekend—aligning with the "authoritative, inspired, infallible word of God."
  • “The vision for the church is the Word of God. The only perfect thing we have in the world... you can lean your life against the promises God makes to us and through us in His Word.” (00:03)
• Discipleship, Not Just Crowds:
  • The church is not in "the crowd business" but is focused on making disciples.
  • Emphasis on use of the annual journal for taking notes and spiritual reflection.
• Need for Vision:
  • “Without vision, people perish... you don’t want to end up somewhere you didn’t plan. You don’t want to live a purposeless life.” (00:07)
  • Pastor Joby illustrates the point with a playful Peanuts cartoon reference:
    • “Most people just shoot an arrow and then paint a bullseye around it. We want to be in alignment with what God has called us to do.” (00:08)

2. Celebrating 2024 Milestones (09:00 – 15:00)

• Church Planting:
  • 107 new, autonomous, locally-led churches planted in 2024, totaling 701 globally.
  • Goal: 1,000 churches planted by 2029.
• Missions:
  • 13 additional long-term missionaries sent in 2024 (76 total so far, aiming for 100).
• Baptisms & Salvations:
  • 2,194 baptisms in 2024—the church’s highest ever.
  • 3,125 first-time professions of faith (“Each number is a person whom Jesus saved”).
  • “We’ve never tried to be a big church. We’ve just tried to make room for one more.” (00:11)
• Opening New Campuses:
  • Current: 14 campuses, including locations in Florida and Georgia, and inside correctional facilities.
  • Future/planned: Palatka, permanent Wildlight and St. Johns locations, Orlando, and St. Augustine among others.
  • The pace of growth is directly tied to the generosity of the church.

3. The Movement for All People (15:00 – 25:00)

• Inclusive Vision:
  • "We're a movement for all people... don't care who you are, what you've done, where you've been... you're welcome here. Even you? Especially you.” (00:21)
  • The movement is not about gathering crowds but about each person's journey in discovering and deepening a relationship with Jesus.
• Encouragement to Reach "One More":
  • Church members are encouraged to write down the name of “one more” person they want to reach for Jesus this year, praying daily for them.
• Four Major Annual Church Events (Vision Rhythms):
  • Easter (April 17–20): The “Super Bowl” of the church’s calendar.
  • Beach Baptism (May 18): Major celebration with mass baptisms.
  • Saturated (Sept 10–14): Annual multi-day revival event with well-known speakers such as Willie Robertson and Lisa TerKeurst.
  • Christmas Eve (Dec 24): Services designed for outreach.

4. Discipleship Journey & Next Steps (25:00 – 39:00)

• Defining Discipleship:
  • “Discipleship is just following Jesus one step at a time... every one of us has a next step of obedience.”
  • Visual: The “Discipleship Journey” triangle—there’s no start or finish; the journey is continuous.
• Examples of Next Steps:
  • Serving, sharing faith, joining a disciple group, growing spiritually, stewarding resources, baptism, or salvation.
• Baptism Story:
  • Testimony from Dallas, who came to faith after loss and loneliness, now baptized publicly (25:03–26:18).
  • Quote: "Who is Jesus to you?" – “My Lord and Savior.” (26:15)
• New Initiatives:
  • Growth Track: A new hybrid course (online and in-person) for membership and spiritual discovery.
  • Online Discipleship & Outposts:
    • Over 50,000 weekly online worshipers; launching "1122 Outposts" for groups outside Jacksonville.

5. Conferences and Resources (39:00 – 42:30)

• Podcasts:
  • The Daily Blade—a five-minute, daily Bible podcast aimed at men (and smart women, too).
• Conferences:
  • Women’s Encounter (Mar 28–29), Church Leaders Conference (Sept 8–10), and Men’s Conference (Oct 17–18).
  • “Part of the reason he’s your boyfriend, not your husband, is because he hasn’t acted like a man yet.” (41:35)

6. 2025 Spiritual Focus: Stand Firm and Act Like Men (42:30 – 50:00)

• Rooted in 1 Corinthians 16:13–14:
  • “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
• Why Focus on Men:
  • Pastor Joby addresses men directly:
    • “The problem in our culture isn’t that women aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do... it’s that men aren’t standing up and acting like men.”
• Yearly Series Outline:
  • 1 Timothy (12 weeks), Titus (3 weeks), Follow Me Discipleship Journey (6 weeks), In the Arena (fights of the Bible), Study of Elijah, Worship Is War, Stand Firm & Act Like Men, and Real Men of Christmas.

7. 1 Timothy Introduction & The Call to Spiritual Parenting (50:00 – 01:01:00)

• Paul and Timothy:
  • Paul becomes a spiritual father to Timothy, guiding him to leadership despite disadvantage.
  • Call for listeners to seek and become spiritual mentors.
  • “Does the phrase, ‘my true child in the faith,’ describe any relationship you have in church? It should.”
• The Power of Spiritual Relationships:
  • Pastor shares his gratitude for spiritual fathers like Coach Bull Lee and Pastor Jerry Sweatt.

8. Four Prayers for 2025: Hope, Grace, Mercy & Peace (01:01:00 – 01:09:00)

• Hope:
  • “Please don’t lose hope... the empty tomb means anything is possible.”
  • Reference to church anthem: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow…”
• Grace:
  • Many feel unworthy—grace means “Jesus died for you anyway, He paid the full bill.”
• Mercy:
  • God is “rich in mercy” and it’s new every morning.
• Peace:
  • True peace is not circumstantial, but found in Christ alone.
  • Reference to Philippians 4: “Be anxious for nothing... the peace of God, which transcends understanding…”

9. Invitation to Salvation and Response (01:09:00 – End)

• Call to Respond to Jesus:
  • “The offer of Jesus is peace and grace and mercy and hope... If you want that, you’re in the right place.”
• Closing Prayer:
  • Invitation for those ready to follow Jesus to respond and receive him as Savior.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Vision:
  • “Without vision, people perish... Most people just shoot an arrow and then paint a bullseye— that’s a terrible way to live your life.”
• On Church Growth:
  • “We’ve never tried to be a big church. We’ve just tried to make room for one more.”
• On Inclusivity:
  • “Who’s welcome here? Even you? Especially you.”
• On Discipleship:
  • “The greatest way to deepen your walk with Jesus is to help someone else discover theirs.”
• On Spiritual Fatherhood:
  • “You don’t just need guides; you need fathers in the faith... for though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers.” (1 Corinthians 4:15)
• On Men’s Ministry:
  • “When men lead and love well, everyone flourishes.”
• On Hope:
  • “To give up on hope is to give up on Jesus.”
• Closing Invitation:
  • “The offer of this world is, at best, entertainment and temporary happiness. The offer of Jesus is peace, grace, mercy, and hope.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:02 – Introduction, Bible as foundation, Vision Weekend overview
• 09:00 – 2024 Recap: Church planting, baptisms, salvations
• 15:00 – Vision: The movement for all people
• 23:45 – Discipleship Journey & Next Steps
• 25:03 – Dallas’s Testimony and Baptism (real-life example of transformation)
• 29:00 – New initiatives: Growth Track and Outposts; Daily Blade podcast
• 39:00 – Conferences (Women’s, Leaders, Men’s) announced
• 42:30 – 2025 Spiritual Focus: Stand Firm and Act Like Men
• 50:00 – Start of 1 Timothy; spiritual parenting, calling for mentors/mentees
• 61:00 – Four prayers: Hope, Grace, Mercy, Peace for the church
• 69:00 – Call to salvation & final worship response

Summary for Those Who Haven’t Listened

Pastor Joby Martin’s Vision Weekend 2025 message is an impassioned, practical, and inspiring look at where the Church of Eleven22 is headed—and why. The heart of the vision remains unchanged: create a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ by making disciples, not just attracting crowds. The church is rapidly multiplying, hosting over a dozen campuses and planting hundreds of new churches globally, all while celebrating unprecedented baptisms and salvations.

The focus for 2025 is on strengthening spiritual leadership—especially among men—while remaining radically inclusive for “all people.” A discipleship environment is fostered through events, new groups, and Growth Track, and by engaging every person in the next step of obedience. Church members are encouraged to personalize their vision for outreach by praying daily for their “one more.”

Spiritually, the year’s theme (echoed in planned sermon series) is to stand firm and act like men, drawn from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, with a pastoral reminder that true leadership, hope, grace, mercy, and peace are found in Christ, not in circumstances or achievement.

If you want practical direction, deep biblical encouragement, and a sense of participation in a movement larger than any one person, this episode offers both the roadmap and the invitation.

For more information or participation:

• Visit coe22.com
• Text 2025 to 44222 for updates
• Listen to "The Daily Blade" podcast for daily devotionals

Closing Charge:
“If you want hope, grace, mercy, and peace... Jesus says, ‘Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ That is the offer of Jesus in this moment.” – Pastor Joby Martin (1:09:00)