- At Christ The King we hold deep beliefs that are fundamental to our approach to ministry. We trace our doctrinal roots to the New Testament church.
At CTK we are conservative in our beliefs and progressive in our methods. We may have changed the method how the gospel is presented, but not the message. When it comes to beliefs, Christ The King Community Church can be classified as an empowered evangelical Christian church. CTK is a combination of conservative theology (Bible-based, Christ- centered) with a strong commitment to grace for all.
Because of our commitment to the centrality of Christ, we have become a home to people from many religious and denominational backgrounds. Where there is less clarity in Scripture we are less emphatic.
We keep the main thing the main thing... love God and love people.
We have chosen to center our teaching on truths that are core, life-changing and life-giving. We call them “first-tier beliefs”. In other matters, we “agree to disagree.” We believe that the primary truths that unite us are far more important than the secondary issues that could divide us.
There are four things on which we agree with clarity:
1. GOD AND WORD ARE TRUSTWORTHY
2. CHRIST IS SAVIOR AND KING
3. THERE IS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE AND FORGIVENESS FOR THE PAST
4. THE CHURCH HOLDS THE HOPE OF THE WORLD IN ITS HANDS1. GOD AND HIS WORD ARE TRUSTWORTHY
The Apostle Paul wrote to his understudy Timothy reminding him how important it is to stick with reliable sources for spiritual information.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-17
At CTK, we believe in the trustworthiness of God and His Word.
Because the words are the breath of God (“inspiration”), the Bible is useful for teaching (“this is the right path”), rebuking (“you are on the wrong path”), correcting (“this is the way back to the path”), training (“this is how you stay on the path”).
Our trust in God’s Word is based on the premise that God is real, and this God has taken steps to reveal Himself to us. Scripture is our final authority for what we believe and practice.
As we have studied the Scriptures we have identified the following truths as our Doctrinal Statement:a. Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings. It is the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of all people and the divine and final authority for Christian faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21)
b. There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Revelation 1:4-5)
c. Jesus Christ is both the true God and the true man having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins according to the scriptures. Furthermore, he arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, he is now our High Priest and Advocate. (Luke 1:30-35, Luke 24:39-40, Acts 1:3,11, Hebrews 4:14-15)
d. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and during this age to convict and regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service. (John 14:15-17, John 16:5-15, Galatians 5:22-23)
e. Humankind was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost. Only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained. (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 3:23, Titus 3:5-7)
f. The shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only those who receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and become children of God. (1 Peter 3:18, Romans 10:9, John 1:12)
g. Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation. (Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Ephesians 2:8-9)
h. The Church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ, of which He is the Head. (Ephesians 1:22, 4:4-6)
i. The Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth and this “Blessed Hope” has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer. (Mark 13:26-27, Revelation 1:7)
j. The dead will be raised bodily, the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, and the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious separation from God. (Romans 6:5, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Revelation 20:11-21:4)2. CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR AND KING
The name of our church makes a statement about where our loyalties lie. When we say that Christ is the King, we're saying He alone is worthy to be on the throne of our hearts.
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10,11).
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12).
Our belief that Christ is Savior and King follows from our belief in the trustworthiness of God and His word. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way to eternal life.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
(Jesus:) Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:1-6).
The word of God is unequivocal on this point: Christ is the way. At CTK we rejoice that there is a way!3. THERE IS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE, AND FORGIVENESS FOR THE PAST
In Luke 15 Jesus was criticized for “welcoming sinners and eating with them.” In response to that criticism Jesus told three stories: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Three great stories all in defense of His hanging out with "sinners.” All make it clear: Christ's heart is for the lost.
His eyes search for the lost, the broken one. He is concerned for their well-being, safety and recovery. God's love is persistent. He doesn't give up. He knows our intrinsic value.
He eagerly welcomes us back into the family! He isn’t a God of fairness. He is the God of grace!
Jesus came not because we were deserving of His love and forgiveness. He came because sheep wander, coins get lost, and sons stray.
It’s our hope at CTK to treat people better than they are treated in the world’s systems. That’s what God does for us.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him (Psalm 103:8-13)
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 4:32-5:2).
At CTK we don’t view failures as final. We nurture a culture of recovery. The ruined can be redeemed, recovered, recruited, renewed in order to reproduce..4. THE CHURCH HOLDS THE HOPE OF THE WORLD IN IT'S HANDS
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus made a grand statement. “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” Romans 8 says, “We overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” The Church of Jesus Christ will prevail. The Church is a place of salvation.
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).
The church doesn’t manufacture salvation. But it does deliver. The church’s power is the gospel. To remain viable, we must stay focused on the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. The “deliverable” is that God loves us and wants us in His family, that our sin has separated us from God, but Christ died for our sin, and that we can come home.
The Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but wants everyone to come to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9).
Go out into the country...and urge anyone you find to come in, so that my house will be full.
(Luke 14:23).
We carry this “good news” as a sacred trust. It is our duty to disseminate this truth far and wide. To this end we are intentional in our strategies. There is an urgency about our work. God doesn’t want anyone to perish. He wants as many people as possible to accept His offer of salvation. He wants his house to be full.
- For many people, Christ the King is a different type of church experience. What kind of church is CTK? In short we are: A MISSION DRIVEN CHURCH
Every church is driven by something. Some of the organizing principles that a church may adopt include tradition, personalities, finances, programs, buildings and events.
At CTK we are driven by 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.
CTK is a simple church. Deliberate Simplicity describes how we carry out our mission. Jesus said you could summarize the essence of Christianity as loving God with all your heart, and loving your neighbor as yourself. To the extent that churches have become political, institutional or programmatic we have made it more complicated than it needs to be. In our effort to keep it simple we have chosen to focus our efforts in areas that are life-changing and life-giving. We are minimalists in doctrine and practice.
CTK is not a part of a denomination, nor is it a denomination itself. CTK is a church – one church – that meets in many locations. The name of our church – Christ the King – signifies our ultimate allegiance. Our loyalty is to Christ. We find our historical roots in the church of the first century, when followers of Christ met in homes for fellowship and then convened in public spaces for worship, teaching, and prayer.
CTK is a network of churches. Christ The King Community Church is a multi-location church...one church that is a relational network of leaders, Community Groups and Worship Centers. The expanding CTK network now involves participants from around the world. We are “small pieces loosely joined,” held together by common mission, vision, and values.
Below is a list of our values and priorities that are important to us. They are comprised of language that we use and things we hold closely to in our practice.OUR VALUESOUR PRIORITIESSimplicity Keeping the main thing the main thing.
Authenticity Real people having a genuine relationship with God.
Community Loving God and loving people.
Empowerment Saying yes to what God wants to do in our lives.
Entrepreneurial Spirit Reaching as many people as possible as quickly as possible and in as many ways as possible.
Truth Unapologetically committed to the truth of Scripture and Bible-based teaching.
Grace Committed to treating every person like Christ has treated us–much better than we deserve.Worship We are devoted to worshiping God as a lifestyle.
Community We are diligent in caring for each other through community groups.
Outreach We are dedicated to reaching people who do not know Christ.
Discipleship We are determined to mature in relationships with God and others.
CTK is a church of Groups. Community Groups are the basic building block of our church, and the primary way that we care for each other. Ministry Teams also function in all of our Worship Centers as ways to work together for the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom.
We believe in a real God who has real grace for real people who have real problems.
We have a culture of recovery and redemption. We believe there is hope for the future and forgiveness for the past. We are free to come as we are, without pretense. God loves us, not because of how great we are, but because of how great He is.
At our Worship Centers you will find a casual atmosphere, heartfelt music and Bible-based messages you can understand. But is church a place you go to, or a place you go from? When you are a part of an outreach church like Christ the King, church is a place you go from.
