03
Sep '26
Still Becoming
03
Sep '26
When I first wrote about renewal becoming visible at Church of the King, I shared that the changes around us did not begin with the building. They began in us. Since then, some of what we envisioned has come together. Our website has launched. Work has begun on the exterior of the building. New signs have been placed throughout the building, ministry structures have shifted, and practices of hospitality are beginning to take shape. There are visible reminders that something is changing. But if I am honest, we have not met every deadline. Some projects have taken longer than expected, and some things are not nearly as far along as I hoped they would be. Renewal, it turns out, rarely follows a neat schedule.
In the midst of all this, our church family has also experienced a profound loss. Our beloved sister, Avonda Foreman, who was deeply woven into the life of our community is no longer physically present with us, and her absence has changed us. This is not simply another transition to report or another challenge to overcome. It is grief that we must learn to carry together. I believe this, too, reveals something about the people we are becoming.
The most important question before us is not simply what kind of building we are creating, but what kind of people we are becoming. What does it mean to be more than a congregation that gathers each week? What does it mean to become a prophetic community; a people whose shared life reveals the character of Christ? What does it mean to become an eschatological community; a people who embody, here and now, something of the future God has promised?
We are discovering that future hope does not require us to deny present sorrow. We embody that hope when we make room for one another’s grief, bear one another’s burdens, speak truth with love, welcome those who might otherwise remain unseen, and refuse to let pain have the final word. This is the deeper renewal taking place among us. We are learning that worship is meant to form us into a new kind of people: a people of compassion, holiness, generosity, reconciliation, and hope. A people in whom the life and mission of Jesus continue through the power of the Spirit.
There is still work to be done. There are unfinished projects, delayed plans, and lessons we are learning along the way. But perhaps faithfulness is not measured only by how quickly we complete what we planned. Perhaps it is also measured by our willingness to keep listening, keep loving, keep carrying one another, and keep becoming.
We are not trying to become impressive. We are learning to become faithful, welcoming, prepared, and whole.
Rooted in Christ.
Shaped by Scripture.
Nourished at the Table.
Alive in the Spirit.
Shaped by Scripture.
Nourished at the Table.
Alive in the Spirit.
The renewal is not finished. Neither are we.
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03
Aug '26
When Renewal Becomes Visible
03
Aug '26
Over the last several years, God has been doing a work of renewal in the people of Church of the King. Little by little, He has been forming us, deepening our life in Christ, reshaping our understanding of what it means to be the church. He has drawn us more fully into Scripture, to the Table, and into dependence upon the Spirit.
The life of Christ that the Spirit is forming in us is meant to be visible through us. It changes the way we show up. It changes the way we worship, certainly, but also the way we listen. The way we make room for one another, carry one another’s burdens, and respond to the struggles of life.The life of Christ in us shapes the way we handle challenges, the way we notice the person who may otherwise go unseen, but also how we live in our homes, our workplaces our relationships, and our neighborhoods.
Ultimately, the church is not renewed simply so that we can become a better version of ourselves. God renews us so that the life of Christ might become increasingly embodied among us and Christ’s ministry might be extended through us. God renews His church so that it becomes a refuge of His compassion, mercy, generosity, welcome, and healing presence. There is a lot happening around Church of the King right now. Some of it is very visible. We are preparing to paint the building. We’ve been working on the website, our communications, and ordinary systems. We will soon begin work on renewing our sanctuary. I’m excited about all of it!
But the truth is, these changes did not begin with the building. They began in us. In many ways, what is happening outwardly is simply beginning to catch up with what God has already been doing inwardly. That is why I found myself using the word reintroduction. We are not trying to become a different church. We are not reinventing Church of the King. We are not rebranding or relaunching. We are learning to live more fully and more visibly as the people God has already been forming us to be.
Rooted in Christ.
Shaped by Scripture.
Nourished at the Table.
Alive in the Spirit.
Shaped by Scripture.
Nourished at the Table.
Alive in the Spirit.
And my hope is that those words will never simply be about what happens when we gather on Sunday. My hope is that they will describe the kind of people we are becoming. A people who, when we show up in the world, carry something of Christ with us. That His life is recognizable in the way we love and His Kingdom becomes tangible in the way we live. Perhaps, through an ordinary community of people, not perfect people, but a people continually being formed by the Spirit, others might encounter something of the goodness, beauty, mercy, and presence of Jesus. Maybe that is what renewal is beginning to look like among us: not simply that things are changing around Church of the King, but that by the grace of God, we are learning to embody more faithfully the life we have been given in Christ.
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