Apostolic Networking
The History of the Church of Christ
While there have been isolated reform movements throughout the history of the church of Christ, the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century inaugurated, on an unprecedented scale, a quest by Christians to recapture the dynamic of the early church as depicted in the New Testament. As we have crossed the threshold of the 21st century one of the major gains made has been a growing recognition of and dependence upon the five-fold ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The early church had the full benefit of all five ministries in order that they might be equipped for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16). We believe it is imperative that the contemporary church pursues this ministry benefit once again. We can thankfully say that our labors have not been in vain. Despite setbacks and failures, we have been making wonderful gains by the grace of God.
Another major gain presently being made is that Christians are once again identifying with different apostolic leaders as fathers in the faith (1 Corinthians 4:15). This is what took place in the early church. Paul, an apostle of the Lord Jesus, chose to work only “within the limits of the sphere which God appointed” to him, and he refused to labor “in another man’s sphere of accomplishment” (see 2 Corinthians 10:13, 16). As a natural result of these apostolic spheres of ministry, there were churches that identified with Paul’s ministry more than with Peter’s or James’ or John’s, and vice versa. While there was the danger that sectarian pride might say, “I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos” (1 Corinthians 1:12), God’s desire and plan was that His people be properly cared for and that the gospel would extend throughout the earth.
Similarly today, as local churches are striving to build according to the New Testament patterns, they are also beginning to understand and relate to certain apostolic spheres of ministry. We refer to these apostolic spheres as apostolic networks.
The way the early churches related and cooperated with one another helped to further the gospel with greater effect. This is one of the advantages of networking together. Taking the gospel to the ends of the earth is beyond the means of any given local church. However, through networking we can share our resources, including people and finances, to help support the continual planting, watering, and cultivating of local churches. In doing so we will be fulfilling the purpose of the church (Matthew 28:19,20).
KLI is one such network. KLI is also part of a larger network called Apostolic Team Ministries International (ATMI). While the existing fellowships within KLI are all governed by their own local elderships, combined together they form a larger fellowship collective—a network—in which the resulting whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. We believe we can see more accomplished toward the triumph of God’s Kingdom by building together rather than alone.
This last principle of accomplishing more together than alone applies not only to individual Christians and their churches, but to the emerging networks as well. As leaders learn more and more to walk together in unity, we will see the eventual networking of networks. This will result in the making of a large Global Net that can bring in an enormous catch during the end-time harvest!
Perhaps, the account of Jesus calling the disciples to become “fishers of men” in Luke 5:4-10 serves as a parable of what He wants to do through His church:
…[Jesus] said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
As we keep our eyes on the Master, radically obey His Word, and humbly recognize fellow disciples “in the other boat,” we too will experience a boat-swamping catch that will bring glory to Him.
Scripture quotations are generally from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, by the Lockman Foundation.
