Understanding Kingdom Community

We are often asked, “Why do you talk about a Kingdom community while others refer to going to a local church? What does Kingdom community mean, and is there any difference between a local church and Kingdom community?”

First, the term local church carries with it a whole host of mentalities and paradigms which actually prevent some people from embracing the reality of true Kingdom life. For some, “local church” means Sunday services; for others it suggests a quiet comfy building; and for others it carries a parochial mentality that never goes beyond the town borders, thereby limiting people’s perspectives and opposing a global Kingdom worldview.

We believe that the term “kingdom community” carries a more accurate expression of what shared life should look like as people join together to live according to a correct corporate expression that represents Biblical-grade lifestyles.

Here are a few descriptors which highlight key components (and differences) of a Kingdom community:

• At the core of a KC (Kingdom community) is the very deep revelation within the hearts of the people that everything that is built is built upon the condition of the human heart. While this perspective might seem "normal," it is quite an anomaly inside most existing church structures. This one point cannot be stressed enough. Therefore, when you see a well built community, you see a people who place major emphasis upon right internal configuration. (Think right, see right, act right.) They are a people who see the world from a Kingdom perspective and do not allow nationalistic or religious perspectives to hold them from true "sight."
• With the right internal emphasis also comes a strong demonstration that what one declares is also how one lives. A strong KC will have no areas of hypocrisy and is very, very conscious of the Pharisee dimension. A KC is first measured by what is inside the human heart, not just on external structures (worship, service schedule, size of facility, programs, etc.).
• The difficult thing about describing a KC from an external perspective is that not all communities have the same emphasis or configuration; therefore KCs can take on various shapes and forms. Each leader must hear from God and build according to the pattern that is being revealed. So in describing a KC, one must move past the normal external perspectives and realize that the Kingdom is an internal thing, and that KCs can and do have external variations. A weekly gathering of people in a KC can look exactly like a "normal church" (i.e., worship, teaching, offering, announcements); yet the thing that is different is how the people think and therefore how they act.
• Another consideration is that a KC is not captivated nor entrapped in the "church service syndrome." The community is built upon life, so interactions between the people are not limited to church functions, and "community" goes beyond the boundaries of structured services. No one meeting is more important than the next, and Sunday meetings therefore do not dominate the spiritual fabric of the church.
• Because the Kingdom is "life," then the one hallmark of an accurate building process within a KC is that when you come among the people, you immediately sense and see that they are living an elevated lifestyle. You see good marriages, handling of money with integrity, strong work ethics, no racism, hunger for more of God, sacrificial attitudes, strength in prayer and faith, and the ability to build into the next generation. There is continuous learning about their "world" – intelligence with spirituality, etc. The people are genuinely passionate about change and staying abreast of God’s current speaking.
• Strong secure leadership – KEY HALLMARK OF A GOOD KC
  

  leadership that has connectivity to apostolic grace
  leadership that is multi-tasking (spiritual but also knowledgeable of the world they live in; complex but also consecrated)
  leadership that is relational yet has rank and order (rank by revelation and discernment)
  leadership that is progressive and very attuned to the prophetic dimension
  leadership that is collaborative and expresses team
  leaders who are not easily side-tracked and don't "fall into sin"
  leaders who build upon internal alignment, not swayed or impressed with gifting
  leaders who are willing to analyze and evaluate the short-comings in past movements and church experiences, and who then build systems that don't fall into the same patterns
  leaders who are very aware of the size of the true "core" of their church
  leaders who realize that "manna" is the sustenance for the journey; teaching must be fresh and revelational but not "clever;" speaking must be current for the journey
  leaders aware of their own "process" and who never stagnate in personal growth and development

• A KC will have a very strong culture that infects those who are in the process of integrating. Therefore, a KC will always have new people being assimilated, but the assimilation doesn't infect the culture with old paradigms – rather, the opposite happens.
• The hallmark of an apostolic KC is the people who exhibit these characteristics:
  

  elevated lifestyles
  no drift from correctness
  hearts willing to migrate (flexibility is celebrated, not resisted)
  people who respond to newness but are limited to responding only to that which is new, and also who have the power to endure
  people who have internal "volume"
  people who have been taught to really listen

• A KC will have a respect for and will have built upon their prophetic history. Everything built will be built because "God said." Along with this crucial dynamic will be evidenced a progressive timeline of development that can be directly linked to prophetic revelations. A KC should be able to show everyone their progressive development and how that development aligns with prophetic words/experiences.
• A KC will have a definite "entry process" – people are not allowed to assimilate into the community just because they show up to "church services." A very well thought out integration process is developed so that people "connect properly."
• Even though already referenced, a KC will have a very deep connectivity to a clear, well-defined apostolic source.
• No class system – very poor and very rich are all valued. People’s race has no stigmatism and therefore there is no sense of uncomfortableness.
• Strong governance, especially concerning "crimes against the community" – very clear boundaries of what is not tolerated inside the community, i.e. adultery, fornication, unforgiveness.
• A deep sense built into the people that they are "in the right tribe." Again, not just a member of the church but that they are actually placed BY GOD to be a part of the community.

In summary, here is a comparative list which describes the prevalent “church” perspectives versus the culture built by strong leadership in a Kingdom community.