What Kind of Church is this?
Let's be honest. Christ the King Community Church can be a little confusing when you first walk through the doors! People ask all the time, "What kind of a church is this?" Great question! In the next few paragraphs, I will do my best to try and explain the purpose and mission of Christ the King Church.
Christ the King is an evangelical, mission driven church that reaches out to unchurched people with the "good news." We're organized around the volunteer ministry of small group leaders and volunteer workers operating in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, seeking to provide quality care and personal growth for believers and to reach an unlimited number of unchurched people.
This statement really captures the heart of the people at Christ the King Church. Our goal and focus is reaching people who have never met Jesus Christ. We are committed to doing what it takes to share the incredible truth that God loves people and wants to be a part of their lives. We have written a mission statement that reveals our heart and our dreams. Our mission statement is really our dream about what a church could really look like if we followed the Bible and became a biblically functioning community. Christ the King is a mission driven church. I invite you to read our mission statement and then decide if this is a place that matches your passion and possibly where you would choose to worship and minister to others.
Mission Statement
“To create an authentic Christian community that effectively reaches out to unchurched people in love, acceptance and forgiveness, so that they may experience the joy of salvation and a purposeful life of discipleship.”
Based upon our stated purpose, to reach unchurched people and disciple them, we have made a number of specific choices we feel are pleasing to God with regard to how we will do church. This is difficult at times, for people who are searching for something that resembles their original church experience. Sometimes people initially enthusiastic about CTK are disappointed when they finally understand that we are deeply committed to our mission, and it is our mission, not past experiences, that determines how we do church.
A Sermon They Can Understand
Each week, I prepare a message that is often months in the making. Usually, God has been teaching me something in my personal life and I am simply putting that lesson on paper and inviting people to join me on a spiritual journey. I take the ideas that God has given me and do my best to explain Christian truth in a way that is understandable, fun and relevant. My foundation and principles come from the Bible, period. When I am done with my message, I ask myself some simple questions: Does this make sense to the single Mom in the fourth row who is tired and looking for some hope? Will this encourage the guy in the back corner, who just worked a 60 hour week, to give Jesus a chance in his life? Will this challenge that business man or woman to put God first in every area of their life? If the answer to any of these questions is "NO", I start again. Why? Because I have a sacred trust with the people of Christ the King that I will treat the friends they bring with dignity and honor. That means never embarrassing anyone or speaking in a way that only makes sense to church people. I attempt to speak on relevant subjects including principles for living that have meaning for Christians and non-Christians alike. My goal is truth that people will understand.
Worship That Makes Sense
The presence of God is amazing. When God's presence is felt, it is a powerful witness to everyone. I believe passionately that the way we worship must be understandable to those we are attempting to reach. It should make sense. This means that we have chosen to use contemporary mediums (music, media, etc.) to communicate with our culture our worship and love for God. Our style is not for everyone and we honor each individual's choice to find a style that fits their worship expression.
God seeks worshippers that worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). He responds with His presence. Worship that is in spirit and truth comes from the heart. I believe we can express our deep love and appreciation to God in a way that makes sense to the unchurched who are our guests. As newcomers in an unknown environment, they interpret what they see and hear. It is our desire that they see Jesus first! Other churches may embrace a mission that is different from ours. We fully support them in doing this. I think every church needs to prayerfully discover God's will and stick with it.
Baptism, Communion and Prayer for the Sick
The historic marks of Christian communities are prayer, baptism, communion, and obedi¬ence to James 5:14, which calls for prayer for the sick. If you have attended our weekend services or come to a "CTK CELEBRATION" you have probably witnessed a baptism, communion or one-another prayer for those who have physical or spiritual needs. We always attempt to clearly explain the public practices of these Christian sacraments to everyone in attendance. I believe it is possible to do these acts of Christian sacrament, worship, and prayer in a manner that makes sense with nonbelievers present. Our weekend services are intentionally moments of faith, encouragement, inspiration and learning from God's Word. When the weekend services are understandable to people who are seeking, I believe we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ.
Opportunities for Personal Growth
As stated in our mission statement, we want each person to experience the "joy of salvation and a purposeful life of discipleship." To be a disciple means to be a committed fol¬lower of the Lord Jesus Christ. It means to voluntarily be a learner under discipline. Our goal is to do those things that Jesus did in order that we might grow in our relationship with God. Discipleship is not about religion, it is about relationship. Spiritual maturity is developed in our lives as we take responsibility for our own words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. Spiritual growth takes place in our lives as, by faith, we apply what we have been learning. We have 6 objectives for every believer at Christ the King Church: seeking God through prayer, studying God's Word for growth, sharing our faith in God with others, stewarding our resources as a trust from God and serving others by discovering our God-given gifts.
At Christ the King we have many ongoing opportunities for discipleship through learning, life application, and relationships. Opportunities such as: 12 Step Recovery Groups, Bounda¬ries Groups, BibleLife classes, Men's Issues groups, Women's Bible Study Groups, Parenting Classes, and many more. The point is that to grow as a Christian requires more than a Sunday morning experience—it also requires building meaningful relationships with others. A great deal of "one-another" ministry takes place in these learning situations..
|
