The Kingdom was the organizing principle and central theme of Jesus’ mission, ministry, and teaching. It is to be the organizing principle and central theme of our lives and our community of faith as well.

Welcome, Transformation, Presence

The Touchstones of The Grove Covenant Church are WELCOME, TRANSFORMATION, and PRESENCE.

By WELCOME, we mean we seek to be hospitable and gracious to all people.

By TRANSFORMATION, we mean we aspire to be transformed—and ever-transforming into the likeness of Jesus.

By PRESENCE, we mean we aim to be like Jesus in this world.

Of the three, TRANSFORMATION is paramount. It rises above the other two because it is through transformed and ever-transforming lives that WELCOME and PRESENCE become possible. Transformation enables us to live Kingdom-shaped lives at home, in our community, and in the world—to be genuinely welcoming to those who come to us, and truly present to our neighbors.

Preaching Can Only Take Us So Far

Teaching and preaching on the Kingdom can only take us so far—a humbling fact for the person who does most of the preaching around here! We also need Soul Training Practices and authentic community with one another to move us along and make us “Jesus’ own people,” as scholar Scot McKnight puts it.

As I announced on Sunday, this fall we are launching a new initiative to embed a culture of transformation more intentionally into our congregational life. We want transformation to move from something we are trying to accomplish to the people and community we are becoming—people who more fully embody the Kingdom of God naturally, for God’s glory, our neighbors’ good, and our own abundant lives in Christ.

A Divine Appointment

I have prayed and thought a great deal about how God might move us more intentionally in this direction as a church. When I shared these things with Greg Applequist, a colleague at our pastors’ midwinter conference last January, he said, “Oh, I need to tell you what we’re doing at our church in Omaha!”

The School of Kingdom Living

Using special funds, Greg and ten members of his congregation are taking part in a cohort with the School of Kingdom Living, sponsored by Dallas Willard Ministries. The school is an eighteen-month learning experience with weekly readings, weekly online small groups, and four one-week residencies at a retreat center. At its completion, the group will develop and implement a more congregationally accessible ministry adapted to their own context. [Read an interview with Greg about his church’s experience]

The School of Kingdom Living is a practical approach to helping people become apprentices to Jesus—the first distinctive of our congregational Rule of Life. So perhaps it is not surprising that my conversation with Greg felt like a “divine appointment,” orchestrated by God to point us in a direction. I determined then to pray, and in time to propose to our church council that The Grove send a team to the next School of Kingdom Living.

Meet the Team

After my initial proposal and several council meetings in discussion of the idea, the council approved the plan. So, at the end of October, nine people from The Grove will begin the School of Kingdom Living: three staff members and six from the congregation at large. They came from a longer list the council developed through prayer and discussion. They are Kate Cogswell, Josh and Mary Lolling, Dan and Vicky Martin, Meghan McClellan, Katy and Phil Travis, and me.

How We Are Funding It

At our May congregational meeting, I mentioned that the council was considering my proposal, but no decision had yet been made. Because the School of Kingdom Living requires a high level of commitment from participants and has the potential to shape The Grove’s ministry for years to come, the council agreed to fund this experience from our Strategic Ministry Fund. This fund is separate from the operating budget, and the council has authority to discern how it should be used.

We have put this fund to good use over the last seven or eight years, but I believe this may be one of the most strategic investments we have made, given the potential long-term benefits for our congregation and community.

If you would like to help fund this endeavor above and beyond your regular giving to the operating budget, we welcome it—and your gift will help sustain the fund for the future. To give online, simply choose Strategic Ministry Fund from the drop-down menu; if you prefer to give by check, write “Strategic Ministry Fund” on the memo line. All gifts are tax-deductible.

Our Hope and Prayer

Greg told me that even before his team completed the school, their transformed lives were already transforming others and reshaping the culture of his congregation. As a small team engaged in the work, what they learned and experienced changed the whole church.

It is my hope, my prayer, and—honestly—my conviction that the fruit of this endeavor will transform us into more and more the people God desires us to be: the people our neighbors, our community, and our world need us to be.