Who We Are
We are a multi-cultural church that loves Reaching People and Building Lives with the truth that Jesus is the hope of the world. More than just a church, COTK is a place where anyone can become family because we know we are better together.
Core Values
We value the Bible as God’s revealed truth and the catalyst for life transformation and change. The Word of God is one of the greatest gifts He has given us. It’s so many things – divinely inspired, relevant, applicable, perfect, supernatural, simple, complex, comforting and challenging. It literally is the last word – nothing will be added to it and it has the final say in questions of how we live our lives, lead our families, and function as a church.
Reaching people. Building lives. We value the mission of God to reach and redeem individuals, families, neighborhoods, and beyond. From the Garden to the Red Sea, from the wilderness to the promised land, from Nazareth to Calvary, and throughout all of history, God has been at work to love, save and restore people. And now that story continues in each of our lives. As a loving Father, God initiates this process – He loves us, calls us, and pursues us long before we look for Him. His greatest desire is for all of us to turn from lives lived for ourselves to receive the life God’s created us to live. When we do, He invites all of us to join Him in His mission in our own unique way. Though our contributions are different, God values them all as we give and contribute to what He’s doing in the lives of people and build love.
The Bible makes it clear that God builds through family, both natural and spiritual. God has called all believers to be a part of a healthy spiritual family.
God Himself, sets the lonely in families. (Psalm 68:6). God has never been about building a religion, a philosophy, or a movement, He’s building a family. A spiritual family is made up of God’s children, coming together to love God, worship, sacrificially give, and serve one another. Jesus said that the world would know we love Him by the way that we love each other. Yet, so many people feel alone, they feel unloved, the feel insignificant, and what they really want is to feel like they belong. This is where the Church comes in.
We believe the church should be a safe place where people can be honest, where they can share their challenges, where they can wrestle with truth and where they can look for help in a time of need. People matter to God and He wants all of us to experience His love through genuine spiritual family. This doesn’t happen through coming together for a few hours a week – it’s what happens when people are joined together throughout life.
We value a lifestyle of worship that leads to the ongoing process of development in the life of every believer. We’re all works in progress. We’re not who we once were, and we’re not yet who we will become. We should be able to see this ongoing process of development in the life of every believer as we grow closer to God. Religion leaves you empty. You may learn some rules and some new words and phrases. You may learn how to act during a service, what you should say and what you shouldn’t say but in the end, nothing on the inside changes. When we fully engage with God, when we give our whole hearts and every area of our lives, we don’t just “worship” during a service, we live a lifestyle of worship. Whatever we do, we do it to honor God and to show Him that we love Him. When we live this way, we’ll never stop growing.
We value the biblical principle of giving our first fruits to God and believe that generosity transforms our lives as Christ followers. When we give, we affirm our commitment to the ongoing mission of COTK: reaching people and building lives. As we continue to give generously with our time, talent and our resources, we believe we’ll experience the joy of seeing God transform lives.
One of the most powerful things about generosity is the truth that it always makes a difference in the life of both the one who gives and the one who receives. And remember, when you give your tithe (10% of your income), you are acting in obedience and worship to God, inviting His blessing in all areas of life (Malachi 3:10).
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Culture
We don’t allow our differences to separate us. We truly believe that we are spiritual brothers and sisters, and we act as such. We choose love and inclusion over separation and division. We know that what God has called us to is impossible to accomplish alone so we embrace each other and celebrate the way that God has wired each of us.
We always believe the best about people. Even when we have to address shortcomings or wrongs, we must intentionally view them from the place of love and potential. This doesn’t mean that we allow harmful or sinful patterns to continue, it simply means that we view people through the lens of grace rather than law.
We will leave both our hearts and doors open to those who walk away for whatever reason. We believe in them enough to allow them a place at the table that they may have chosen to walk away from in the past. We won’t forget the many, many second chances God has given to us, and we will extend them to other people.
God has uniquely wired each of us to bring beauty to the world around us. We will never settle for “this is the way we’ve always done it.” Instead, tap into the gifting God has given you and strive to make things beautiful. Creativity is contagious, so step out into the realm of possibility and make things happen!
Because we believe that we are better together, we want to bring as many people as possible with us on the journey that God has called us to. We recognize the power of kindness in letting people know we are glad they are here and offering to sit with them if they are by themselves. We go out of our way to ensure that everyone we encounter feels wanted and welcomed.
Everyone can remember the negative words spoken over them growing up. It’s for that reason that we go out of our way to make people feel like they can be and do what God has for them. Our words should be like the words of Jesus…they always bring life in the end. It doesn’t mean we shy away from tough situations, but it does mean that we recognize the power of our words and we use them build up rather than to tear down.
In all that we do, we honor people’s time by ensuring that we are intentional, efficient, purposeful and punctual.
Because we have received God’s goodness and grace, we consider it a joy to give to both God and others.
Structure
We believe the leadership structure of an organization is very important—it's more than administration—because strategic structures provide the best opportunity for an organization to be healthy. Our structure was not an afterthought—it was the result of a great deal of Biblical examination, due diligence and prayerful consideration.
Jesus is the Head of the Church and all authority is authority He delegates.
Our Overseers are pastors from our family of churches who provide accountability for our leadership team.
Elders are those appointed to advise and provide support to the Lead Team and staff in matters of local ministry.
The Lead Team, headed by the Lead Pastor, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the church and staff.
The staff at Church of the King serve the congregation and are responsible to develop the spiritual life of the church. Under the supervision of our lead team, our staff equips the congregation and oversees the day-to-day ministry and operations.