Our Mission
To create an (adj)____________ Christian community that effectively reaches out to (adj) ____________ people with (pl. noun) _____________, (pl. noun) _________________ and (pl. noun) _________________ so that they may experience the joy of (pl. noun) _________________ and a (adj)_________________ life of discipleship.
Our Vision
To see a prevailing, multi-location (noun)______________ emerge that will (verb)_____________ the spiritual (noun) _________________. This church will convene in (number) ___________ of (adj)__________ groups, with worship centers strategically located in every (noun)_________________.
Hopefully you recognize this as a messed up version of our Mision and Vision here at Christ the King. It’s there in the program week after week – but sometimes we can forget the importance of sticking to it. In every organization as time passes, more and more layers of activity get added, until it can be hard to recognize the organization compared to how it started.
I am concerned that here at CTK Oak Harbor we may be in danger of drifting away from our original mission, vision, and priorities. Almost 6 years ago a group of people came together from across the community to see a new type of church started here in Oak Harbor. With the passage of time many of those original people have moved away, and now the majority of those who are part of our church have come in the past couple of years. While that is great – it also means that if we are going to hold onto our identity – which is unique – we all have to keep hold of our original mission, vision, and priorities.
That’s why I’m going to be returning to our foundational priorities this month. It’s time for us to brush up on CTK 101.
Our Mission
To create an authentic Christian community that effectively reaches out to unchurched people with love, acceptance and forgiveness so that they may experience the joy of salvation and a purposeful life of discipleship.
Our Vision
To see a prevailing, multi-location church emerge that will transform the spiritual landscape. This church will convene in hundreds of small groups, with worship centers strategically located in every community.
Our Priorities
1. Worship: We are devoted to worshiping God as a lifestyle.
2. Outreach: We are dedicated to reaching people who do not know Christ as their Savior.
3. Small Groups: We are determined to care for each other through small groups.
Why Small Groups is our Plan A (and why we don’t have a Plan B) - 12 min
In the NT you can find approximately 50 scriptures that deal with the nature of the church – who we are and what we are to be about. Within these 50-some scriptures you find 21 “one another commands” in the NT which instruct disciples of Jesus how they are to relate with other disciples. The overarching command is to LOVE one another, which is found in
John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
But that LOVE is shown through the other 20 commands, which include…
Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Ephesians 5:21
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Romans 15:7
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.
In today’s busy culture – how can we possibly live out these commands? The best way I know is by investing time in relationships with a small group of people who are dedicated to living out these commands!
That’s why our “Plan A” at CTK is to challenge every person who attends here to “think small”. That is – to make small group ministry a priority in their lives.
This is not just because “the Bible says so”, but because when we do so, when we “think small”, it will produce BIG results in our lives and for the Kingdom of God.
So, what are these BIG results?
Before I answer that question, let me put it out there to you – over half of you attend a small group. Why do you do it? What keeps you coming back? Why do you think someone ought to “think small”?
Here are just a few good reasons to get involved in a small group if you never have:
• Small Groups provide a place of encouragement.
Heb. 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
ILLUS:
A young fellow who was fed up with church went to see this wise old Christian in his cabin to get some advice. He told him all the things that were bothering him about church, an how he felt that he would be better off without the company of other Christians. As he was speaking, the old man silently took the fire tongs and removed a red-hot glowing coal from the middle of the fire and set it on the hearth. The coal glowed for a while, but eventually dimmed and turned black. He let it sit there a while and then took the tongs and places the coal back in the middle of the fire. Within seconds the coal was glowing red hot once again. The young man took the wordless lesson and left determined to stay involved with church.
Just as coals soon burn out when they are removed from the company of other coals, we will not last long in the faith if we are removed from true fellowship.
• Small Groups provide a safe place to find answers to your spiritual questions.
If you’re new in following Christ you need to know that it’s safe to ask questions – any questions – at your small group meeting. It’s a great place for you to air your doubts and misgivings and wonderings about the Bible or about Christianity, and for the group to help you discover answers along the way. Quite often your questions (which you might have termed “dumb”) can be springboards to incredibly interesting and life-changing discussions about why we do believe what we believe.
• Small Groups provide a place for you to be used by God to help meet others’ needs.
Every week in your small group there will be a chance for people to share prayer requests and needs that they have. During this time every person in the group has the joyful opportunity to become part of the solution for that person who shares. Perhaps their problem is something you have faced before and you can share what you learned. Perhaps you can simply pray for them and then keep praying for them and encouraging them throughout the week. Maybe you can even provide a service to that person that will actually take care of their need.
In the early church people would come and actually sell property so that the leaders of the church could use the money to help others who were less fortunate. In small groups we have a unique opportunity to be involved in sharing our resources with each other in such a way that God is honored and people’s needs can be met.
• Small Groups provide a place for you to have your needs met by people who care.
ILLUS: The headline read, "Circus Contortionist Gets Foot Stuck On Shoulder."
"Circus workers accustomed to seeing a contortionist wrap his body into strange shapes at first ignored his pleas for help when he told them he’d gotten his right foot stuck on his left shoulder."
According to the Associated Press (7/13/01), Berkine, A Netherlands National Circus performer known by his stage name, became trapped in the painful position while rehearsing for a show in Gillingham, southeastern England.
"I think the problem was that I did not warm up very well," he said. "I just became stuck...It was frightening because it was really hurting me and because I could not move."
Berkine, 21, of Kazakhstan, said his circus co-workers at first ignored him when he shouted for help. "Because the guys watch Berkine every night, they thought he was joking at first, but then realized he was being serious," circus producer Chris Barltrop said.
Sometimes we all need some help getting out of something we’ve gotten ourselves into. That’s what small group ministry is all about!
WHAT HAPPENS AT A SMALL GROUP?
• Meet and greet 10-15 minutes
• Bible discussion 30-45 minutes
• Prayer and sharing of needs 15-30 minutes
• Snacks and conversation 10-15 minutes
It’s a simple format – but it can be the most important 90 minutes of your week! We believe that because our lives are so busy we need to leverage the time we spend to make the biggest difference we can. Small groups – because of their emphasis on real relationships and serving God together, have always been our “Plan A” for developing disciples – and we don’t have a “Plan B”.
