The Journey of Christ is King Community Church

Presented by Dr. Mark Stortvedt Ph.D., LMHP, CPC

Based on the doctoral research of:Dr. Lee Spitzer

Dr. Mark Stortvedt

Ephesians 3:10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

To make known the manifold (many faceted) wisdom of God.

A Purpose of the Journey of the Church

At the time of Christ there was only one church in each town. Is God’s plan to show His wisdom by having very different people in a town learn to love each other and live together in unity? Or…

Is it God’s plan that there would develop different churches that collectively reflect different facets of who He is to the rulers and witnesses in the heavenly places?

God is sovereign and will make known His wisdom through His Church regardless if we stay in one church or gather in many different churches that reflect different facets of who He is.

How Did God Plan to Make His Wisdom Known

Through the Church?

Different churches can represent various parts of God’s heart, i.e. His Father heart His heart for the poor His heart for the widows and orphans His heart for the broken and hurting His missional heart - moving forward to retake

ground that has been inhabited by Satan

One Way God Can Show His Wisdom to the

Heavenly Rulers and Witnesses

Ephesians 3:10b“…to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

Hebrews 12:1“Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

What we are doing has an impact even beyond the here and now in the world we live in.

The Audience of the Journey of the Church

Hebrews 12:2“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”Experiencing joy by focusing on Christ’s example that suffering is nothing compared to being a part of eternally changing the destiny of a soul.

Secret to Completing the Journey of the Church

Two Perspectives

Person-Centered perspective: considers the individuals’ personal journeys and how they fit together (their central concern). This perspective sees the group as a means of supporting these individual journeys.

Community-Centered perspective: Affirms that the organization is not merely a compilation of its individual members’ journeys but is geared specifically to the group’s cause or call.

Cause or Call

Five Stages of an Organizational Journey

Organizations pass through five distinct phases in each journey they embrace.

Phase One: Preparation (Unconscious)During this phase God is sovereignly giving us skills, tools, and insights that will be invaluable in the coming journey. There is an inability to see the purpose or goal of the journey to come or what we are being prepared for. We are uncertain about what we should be doing. As a church we experience confusion or perhaps fear and anxiety and other times hope as we focus new possibilities for the future.

Example: Unknown destination and packing

Preparation Stage of Christ is King Community Church

Outside counsel was sought to identify the church’s needs and coach us in how to address them. A recommendation was made to teach I John (love) and learn how to be a 2 Corinthians Church (become mature).

The Transition Counsel gathered to draw upon various perspectives and discern how to put them together. They concluded that what God wanted to teach them was to learn to listen and seek to understand each other’s differences in theology and practice, resulting in a deeper sensitivity and love for one another. They also wanted to start monthly Dinners together in different homes across the church to promote opportunity for understanding of differences between us and for a deeper love and unity to develop.

The elders set goals for the church:1. Rekindle a culture of discipleship2. Become a peacemaking church3. Teach on and develop a strategy to implement spiritual gifts4. Effective communication5. Strategic planning

Phase Two: Discovery

During this phase God reveals His plan for the present journey of the church. We discover what we are being called to do. Now it is possible to look back on the Preparation Phase and understand the significance of certain past events.

CKCC’s journey from a person centered perspective is a redemptive one. It is to learn how to love and submit to people that are different from ourselves. This is a journey replay for our church.

CKCC’s journey from a community centered perspective is a missional journey to reach and transform our community through making disciples.

Specifics about CKCC Journeys Original Community Centered Journey of CKCC-

Establish a mission oriented, 24/7, discipleship oriented church.

Shadow Journeys – As growth happened and other leaders emerged we were not successful in engaging new leaders or submitting to each other and loving each other through our differences.

We have had 4 shadow journeys related to these 2 dynamics. This is why we have had journey replays and why our outside counsel has been so passionate about the elders meditating on mutual submission.

Journey Methods:Journey Role Reversal – This is when someone has become critical

and is having trouble cooperating with another on the journey. God will allow us to be in a spot where the roles are reversed and we can see the journey from the other person’s perspective

Journey Replay – This is when you have failed to cooperate in a journey so the same situation will develop again so that you have a second chance to cooperate with the journey and develop faithfulness to God.

Journey Reframing – This is when you have developed a wrong perspective of a journey experience and God allows the situation to replay itself so you can identify the wrong conclusion and correct it in your thinking.

Prophetic Journey – When God allows us to go through something so that we can be a picture to another of a spiritual concept or principle.

Phase Three: CooperationDuring this phase we are given the freedom to “either choose to cooperate by embracing the present journey of a church or to reject it, resulting in a shadow journey.”

Example: A church feels called to make their missional journey for the coming year street evangelism. There are people in the church that had a bad experience in the past going door to door. How does God look at what cooperation would be in this journey?

Cooperation in the journey can look two ways: 1. Acknowledge God’s sovereignty and embrace the journey and make it your own even if it is out of your comfort zone or 2. to leave the journey because you sense you are being called to a new journey. This would have a sense that a person is moving toward something rather than running from something.Example: Daytona Beach

A shadow journey can look two different ways: 1. reject the journey and leave or 2. remain a part of the journey but become passive or critical of the journey and its leaders.

Phase Four: Arrival

In this phase we reach the destination or goal of the journey. During this phase we reflect back on how God interacted with us during the journey and worship Him. We also go through a death experience in which we let go of what we have accomplished in order to be ready for the journey to come.

THE JOURNEY GROWTH PROCESS

Successful community outreaches: • Ministry businesses (NFM, Keystone, Oasis)• Community events (women’s seminars,

children’s ministry, pig roast, VBS, father-son retreats)

Relational healing seminars• Nathan Daniel’s Freedom Through Forgiveness• Teaching on reconciliation through Paul Cornwell

Micro Journey Arrivals

Phase Five: Renewal

During this final phase we experience a new sense of vitality and purpose. This phase overlaps with Phase One of the next journey. As we accomplish the journey we are more mature, experienced, and aware.

Because we have not been using this paradigm as a church, we don’t have many examples of what this looks like. Tune in next year!

Journey of the Corinthian Church Phase One: Preparation - The Corinthian Church was

characterized by immaturity as seen in immorality, pride, selfishness, divisions, theological differences in spiritual gifts, disorder, and confusion.

Phase Two: Discovery - Paul (their outside counsel) came in and pointed out what the problems were and taught them how to love as seen in 1 Cor. 13.

Phase Three: Cooperation - The Corinthians received Paul’s strong letter sent by Titus addressing their areas of dysfunction. They responded positively to this letter and began to change.

Phase Four: Arrival - The Corinth church repented of their sin against God and their rebellious attitude toward Paul’s leadership.

Phase Five: Renewal – The church shows their new mature love by warmly welcoming Paul and reconciling with him when he comes to stay with them for three months and by sharing in the financial needs of the church in Judea.