Church of the King

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.

 

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.