GLORY TO THE KING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL Inc

One of the core values of Glory to the King Ministries International is community. Whilst we in western cultures are conditioned to being very individualistic, God is a God of community. The Trinity is the perfect, eternal community; and throughout history God has dealt with mankind, not just as individuals, but within the framework of communities.

We see this emphasis on community being worked out in two ways: the community of the local church, and eventually in residential communities.

Local Church Communities

We refer to our local congregations as “communities” rather than “churches” for several reasons:

1) We want to make the distinction between the Church (the worldwide Body of Christ) and the local congregation.

2) For too many people, “church” is the building where the congregation meets. We want to make the distinction between the local congregation and the church building.

3) Mostly, we want to emphasize that the local congregation is about relationship – firstly, relationship with God; secondly, relationship with other members of the congregation; and thirdly, relationship with the broader community from which the congregation is drawn.

As a Christian Community, we want to relate to each other through the week, not just as passing acquaintences at a Sunday service. If one person has a need, we want to be available to try to help. If one has a joy or a victory, then we want to share it with the rest of the community.

Being a community also means that each person has a level of “ownership” – we are not just members with our names on a roll; we are family, and as such have rights and responsibilities in relation to the rest of the community.

Within the community, each person can receive the support he/she needs, whilst also being held to the necessary accountability for his/her actions and lifestyle.

Currently we have only one Christian Community, and that is at our home base in the tiny country town of Boolarra in Victoria. It is our vision that as the ministry grows, many Christian Communities will be planted throughout Australia and overseas.

Residential Communities

A local congregation can live out the ideals of community to a large extent, but there are some things that can only be fully achieved by actually living together in the one location. For this reason it is part of our vision that eventually we will develop a number of residential communities.

We fully understand and accept that not everyone will want or be able to live in a residential community, and those who want to maintain an independent lifestyle will still be accepted as a part of the local church community. However, we believe there will be particular advantages for those who have the desire and ability to join with others in a residential community.

One of those advantages is that those who don’t have a natural family around them will be able to be embraced by the family of the community. We see this as being particularly helpful for those who are in need of emotional healing.

At this stage, this is only part of our vision – we do not yet have any residential communities operating.