Kingdom Families

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What Is A Kingdom Family (house church)?

Definition: A Kingdom family is made up of at least three people but no more than twenty (one of whom is a qualified leader and the other one is an assistant leader). They connect around the Lordship and Person of Christ and His manifest presence and glory as both a lifestyle and in a gathering at least once a week.  They connect in deep loving relationships for the purpose of enabling one another to be radical disciples of Christ, reach the lost, advance the Kingdom of God in all areas of life in their cities/communities, and multiply more kingdom families.

  1. Kingdom families are a spiritual family - people connected covenantally heart-to-heart around Christ in order to advance His kingdom and help each person become like Christ.  I Cor. 4:15-17; Eph. 3:14
  2. Kingdom families are a group of friends unified around Christ’s love and mission.  Mt. 11:19; Jn. 15:12-17
  3. Kingdom families are a healing community that prays for the sick, counsels the confused, carries out inner healing, sets people free from curses and demonic bondage, and creates such an atmosphere of acceptance and love that rejection and insecurities are displaced automatically over time. James 5:16; Matt. 10:1,8
  4. Kingdom families are a training and equipping center, a safe setting for people to practice leadership, management, preaching, teaching, creative ministry, spiritual gifts, and all forms of servanthood.  Matt. 28:18-20
  5. Kingdom families are a missionary team and spiritual army - a flexible, spontaneous, organized platoon capable of reaching those who do not follow Christ and are not in a spiritual family.  They are dedicated to seeking and saving the lost, delivering people from demonic bondage, doing justice, and serving youth, poor, widow, orphan, and alien. Lk. 19:10; Eph. 6:10-18
  6. Kingdom families are a lifestyle of deep, intentional, meaningful relationships that connect any time and place with an ultimate goal to reach lost people, and transform communities through Christ and the Kingdom of God.  Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35.
  7. Kingdom Families are deeply committed to prayer and evangelism through gender specific 2’s and 3’s (Luke 10 teams) that meet throughout the week mobilizing kingdom advancement. Luke 10:1-3; Heb.10:25; Luke 5:30-32; Eccl.4:12

Five tasks of a 2’s or 3’s (Luke 10 team)

  1. Help each other love and follow Christ’s leadership.
  2. Read, discuss, and apply the Word of God in everyday life.
  3. Strategically, specifically, and continuously pray for people who those who are in the kingdom of darkness.
  4. Build loving and serving relationships with unbelievers.
  5. Follow-up and disciple those new to the Kingdom of God and began moving them into their kingdom family.

Commitments and expectations of Kingdom Family members:

These commitments and expectations should be presented in writing and discussed with each person at the beginning of their involvement in the Kingdom Family (House Church) with the leaders of that kingdom family. Our house church meetings are not a come one come all meeting.  House church meetings are closed in a sense to preserve heart unity and to keep evangelism focused more within the 2’s and 3’s throughout the week.  When a new believer comes to the Lord through 2’s and 3’s, they are immediately welcomed into the kingdom family.   Spiritual “parenting” plus clear expectations create a safe and secure setting for people to mature in Christ.

  1. We are committed to experience the freedom in Christ, and to help others do the same. We are sincerely seeking to know God through Christ unto the end that others become born again Christians, Spirit-filled, real disciples of Christ, being transformed into His likeness.  By joining the covenant family, we are inviting the leaders and other members to help us follow Christ and grow into Christ’s likeness.
  2. We are committed to being of “one heart and mind” with one another (Acts 4:32). To the best of our ability, we strive to understand and submit to the values, vision, strategies, and expectations of the leaders of their covenant family, the local elders, and the leadership team of Rock of KC.
  3. We are committed to participate weekly in the corporate life and activities of the kingdom family, and regularly attend Rock of KC city-wide celebrations and training.   We honor and worship God and help advance His kingdom by giving tithes and offerings through Rock of KC, our local “store house”.
  4. We are committed to grace affirmation: (Unconditional Love, Agape Love) Colossians 3:5-14 “I will choose to love you, up build you, and accept you, my brothers and sisters, no matter what you say or do. I will choose to love you in whatever form you come. There is nothing you have done or will do that will make me stop loving you. I may not agree with your actions, but I will love you as a person and do all I can to hold you up in God’s affirming love.”
  5. We are committed to honesty:  Ephesians 4:25-32 “I will not hide from you what I feel about you or coming from you, good or bad, but I will see, in the timing of the Spirit, to deal openly and directly with you in a loving and forgiving way so that you are affirmed when in need, and so that our frustration with each other does not become bitterness. I will try to mirror back to you what I am hearing you say and feel. If this means risking pain, realizing it is in “speaking the truth in love that we grow up in every way into Christ who is the head” (Ephesians 4:15), then I will take the risk. I will try to express this honesty in a sensitive and controlled manner and to meter it, according to what I perceive the circumstances to be.”
  6. We are committed to openness: Romans 7:15-25 “I will try to strive to become a more open person, disclosing my feelings, my struggles, my joys and my hurts to you as well as I am able. The degree to which I do so implies that I cannot make it without you. This is to affirm your worth to me as a person. In other words, I need you!”
  7. We are committed to prayer and fasting: Matt.6:9,16-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 “I commit to pray for you in some regular fashion, believing that our caring Father wishes His children to pray for one another and ask Him for the blessings we all need. I will not be merely a passive listener. Rather, I choose to be a spiritual participant, willing to enter into your situation and prayerfully helping to shoulder your burden.”
  8. We are committed to sensitivity: John 4:1-29 “Even as I desire to be known and understood by you, I commit to be sensitive to you and your needs to the best of my ability. I will try to hear you, see you, and feel where you are and to draw you out of the pit of discouragement or withdrawal. I will earnestly avoid giving “simplistic” answers to the difficult situations you may find yourself in.”
  9. We are committed to availability: Acts 2:43-47 “Here I am if you need me. Anything I have–time, energy, insight, possessions–is at your disposal, if you need it, to the limit of my resources.” I will open my heart, my home, and my life to help you become more like Jesus.
  10. We are committed to confidentiality: Proverbs 10:19; 11:9,13; 12:23; 13:3; 15:4; 18:6-8 “I will keep whatever is shared within the confines of the house church in order to provide the atmosphere of trust necessary for openness. I understand, however, that this confidentiality does not prohibit my covenant family leader from sharing either verbally or in written form any pertinent information with the elders of Rock of KC.  I understand that covenant family leaders function under pastoral/elder oversight, having delegated authority as an extension of the pastoral care ministry of Rock of KC.  As a result, they are accountable to the elder(s) of this spiritual family, who are themselves accountable to others in ministry and the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, my Lord (Hebrews 13:17).”
  11. We are committed to accountability and confession of sin: (Ezekiel 3:16-21; Matthew 18:12-30; James 5:16) “I commit to growth, maturity and discipleship using the Bible and other equipping materials that each of the house churches in our spiritual family are progressing through as part of their equipping times, and in doing so will make myself accountable weekly to my accountability partner in the covenant family. I give you the right to question, confront, and challenge me in love when I seem to be falling in any aspect of my life under God–family, devotions, general spiritual growth, etc. I trust you to be in the Spirit and led of Him when you do so. I need your correction and reproof so that I may ever better fulfill God-given ministry among you. I will try not to be defensive. (Proverbs 12:1,15; 13:10,18).”
  12. We are committed to following the biblical process of conflict resolution. (Matt. 18, Gal. 6:1-5) We will not triangulate, gossip, or slander our brothers or sisters in Christ.  We will deal with offenses with truth and love. Disagreements or conflicts should in no way divide our hearts or justify a breech in relationship or closing
  13. We are committed to time regularity: (Heb. 10:25; Luke 9:57-62) “I will regard the regular time which my covenant family spends together weekly as time under the disciplining hand of Jesus in our midst. I will not grieve the Spirit or hinder His work in the lives of my brothers and sisters by my absence, except in an emergency.  By His permission, and through prayer alone, will I consider being absent. If I am unable to attend for any reason, out of consideration I will call my covenant family leader in order that the house church members may know why I am absent, will be able to pray for me, and will not worry about me.
  14. We are committed to outreach: Matthew 25:31-46 “I will find ways to sacrifice myself for those outside our covenant family and Rock of KC in the same way that I have committed to sacrifice myself for you, my brothers and sisters. I will network in prayer and relationships with my fellow covenant family members to evangelize and disciple unbelievers or unchurched friends outside of the house church meeting during the course of its life. I will do it in Jesus’ Name so that others are added to the Kingdom of God in His love.”
  15. We are committed to serving and giving time, talents, gifts, and finances to the purpose of advancing the kingdom in Kansas City and the nations. “I will give tithes, offerings, first fruits to the Lord through Rock of KC in order to provide the resources necessary to fulfill our mission (2 Cor. 9:6-15).

Important Perspective:

The starting and multiplying of Kingdom families (house churches) must occur under Biblical heart motives and core values in order to receive the full enabling presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  It takes the supernatural Life of Christ to sustain Christ-centered relationships.  It is almost as if a warning label should be attached to any document which tries to explain or instruct people about covenant families. Warning: Do not attempt to start, grow, or multiply covenant families (house churches) as another church program or evangelistic strategy.  Covenant Families will only work to the degree each individual and the group as a whole have died to themselves and are governed and empowered by the indwelling Lord, Jesus Christ, and his Word by the Holy Spirit.

One more key point must be made regarding the reason for writing down the purposes, expectations, and commitments of covenant families.  All of the contents included in this overview should be understood as instructions on “how to love God and people in a way that advances Christ’s kingdom.” It should not be viewed as a rule book or religious document that has to be mechanically applied.  This overview is to help coach people into a lifestyle of loving relationships.  Every expectation or recommendation has Biblical wisdom and truth, with the ultimate intention that the greatest amount of Christ’s love gets spread to the most people in the highest quality way in the least amount of time.  Because people are suffering and dying, our mission is time sensitive.

Truth exists for love.  So many people come from dysfunctional families and/or unhealthy churches (or no church background at) that it takes clear teaching and constant coaching to help people walk in God’s ways of truth and love combined.  Most people have very little understanding as to the etiquette of relationships and group life within the context and government of a healthy spiritual family.  The “spirit” of this document is to promote the life and love of Christ within individuals and covenant families, and should in no way be used legalistically, so that people are judged or rejected.  Kingdom families should be the safest, most loving, life-giving settings on earth.  But true safety involves accountability and discipline along with unconditional affection and love, just like a healthy family.  Bottom line, Kingdom Families (house churches) should feel as much like heaven on earth as possible!

The key to advancing the kingdom of God on earth is for laid-down lovers of Christ to exchange the life of Christ between each other in the context of covenantally connected Christ-centered relationships.  Because the kingdom of God involves coming under the Lordship of Christ in every sphere of life, those in the covenant families learn to submit to the Christ in one another and assist each other to follow Christ completely.