IS THIS YOUR STORY?
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ANDY GEER
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I planted a church with my denomination but ultimately found myself alone. I had no desire to be alone. I wanted to be a part of a network. My denomination hosted a church planting event and I couldn’t afford to go. Later they posted podcasts from the speakers they had at the event. One of those speakers was a guy named Dave Browning. As I listened to Dave speak about what they were trying to accomplish with Christ the King I began to cry. What he described sounded an awful lot like what God had called me to do. Was it possible that I wasn’t alone? Was it possible that there were other men and women out there that didn’t really care about being impressive or business like? Were there others that just wanted to help create an authentic Christian community that reached out to people? It takes a long time to connect with people who are not already following Christ. Was there a network that didn’t give you “the look of disappointment” if you didn’t appear to be exploding with growth?
I found Dave on Facebook and requested to be his friend. Soon after that, I asked him if he would meet me for coffee, which he did. A few weeks later I presented our little church with some basic info about Christ the King. Dave came out and met us for a BBQ and we got to ask him some questions about his story and Christ the King. Shortly after we asked Christ the King if we could join them, which we did.
I will be honest. Planting a church has been brutal. I wouldn’t have done it if God had not asked me to do it. Over the past 6 years, I’ve been a part of the Christ the King Network and I have been a part of trying to figure out how to be the church that God has asked us to be. I have been a Pastor now for approximately 25 years and I feel confident in saying that the last 6 years have been the healthiest years for me, and my family. I have found my tribe, my family or whatever you want to call it. I am still trying to figure out how to fulfill this calling, but I am not doing it alone.
If you love Jesus, love people, and you are unapologetically committed to the truth of Scripture and Biblebased teaching, BUT you just don’t seem to fit or find yourself alone, then maybe CTK just might be your people.
I found Dave on Facebook and requested to be his friend. Soon after that, I asked him if he would meet me for coffee, which he did. A few weeks later I presented our little church with some basic info about Christ the King. Dave came out and met us for a BBQ and we got to ask him some questions about his story and Christ the King. Shortly after we asked Christ the King if we could join them, which we did.
I will be honest. Planting a church has been brutal. I wouldn’t have done it if God had not asked me to do it. Over the past 6 years, I’ve been a part of the Christ the King Network and I have been a part of trying to figure out how to be the church that God has asked us to be. I have been a Pastor now for approximately 25 years and I feel confident in saying that the last 6 years have been the healthiest years for me, and my family. I have found my tribe, my family or whatever you want to call it. I am still trying to figure out how to fulfill this calling, but I am not doing it alone.
If you love Jesus, love people, and you are unapologetically committed to the truth of Scripture and Biblebased teaching, BUT you just don’t seem to fit or find yourself alone, then maybe CTK just might be your people.
BILL KEOGH
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I look forward to what is in store for the CTK Network. I believe the best days are yet to come! People need to know that the Good News is still good all by itself. People need to know that there is forgiveness for the past and hope for the future. People need to experience the grace of God, through leadership that lives it out. This seems to be a rare thing in the US church these days. I am grateful to be a part of this Network that continually keeps this in mind.
TIM DAVIS
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CTK became attractive to me because the value it placed on empowerment. I first discovered this when Dave Browning addressed the topic in his blog. He wrote:
"There are four words with which every pastor in the CTK Network needs to become fluent. These four words are “Yes, Sure, You Bet.” “Yes,” “Sure,” and “You Bet” need to be spoken frequently to make certain that we are open to God’s plans, and not just our own – to guarantee that we are empowering people, instead of controlling them."
Over the years most of us have worked hard to embody these words in our local ministries. While the CTK Council has also strived to live by the principle of empowerment, I see us taking new strides to push the handrails out even further and allow more freedom in each of our local worship centers. Recent changes to our policies regarding church names and logos are just a couple of examples of the things we are discussing. We want to see every leader empowered to take the gospel of Jesus to the culture around them with as few roadblocks as possible. Dream big and pray more!
"There are four words with which every pastor in the CTK Network needs to become fluent. These four words are “Yes, Sure, You Bet.” “Yes,” “Sure,” and “You Bet” need to be spoken frequently to make certain that we are open to God’s plans, and not just our own – to guarantee that we are empowering people, instead of controlling them."
Over the years most of us have worked hard to embody these words in our local ministries. While the CTK Council has also strived to live by the principle of empowerment, I see us taking new strides to push the handrails out even further and allow more freedom in each of our local worship centers. Recent changes to our policies regarding church names and logos are just a couple of examples of the things we are discussing. We want to see every leader empowered to take the gospel of Jesus to the culture around them with as few roadblocks as possible. Dream big and pray more!