Pinnacle Leaders Podcast: Church Beyond the Walls (Part I)
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ABOUT THE EPISODE
The term ekklesia is a Greek word translated as “a called-out assembly or congregation.” In this episode we’re chatting with Pastor Kent Mattox from Word Alive International Outreach in Oxford, Alabama to examine how his church has successfully moved outside its walls and into the world. We define the biblical concept of ekklesia and explore how it can revolutionize how we do church.
ABOUT DR. RANDAL S. LANGLEY
Dr. Randal S. Langley is the President and CEO of Christian Life School of Theology Global (CLSTG), a world leader in theological and leadership education solutions for churches, ministries and other organizations. A visionary leader and dynamic communicator, Dr. Langley serves as a guest-speaker and provides leadership strategy/counsel for ministries and other organizations across the U.S. and internationally. As part of his commitment to helping people achieve their God-given purpose, Dr. Langley is also a founding partner and certified life coach, teacher, and trainer for the John C. Maxwell Team.
ABOUT PASTOR KENT MATTOX
Pastor Kent Mattox is the founding pastor of Word Alive International Outreach. He is a passionate apostolic leader with a great desire to see every individual find the freedom to fulfill their purpose and destiny within the Kingdom. That passion, combined with his commitment to see people succeed in every area of life, fuels the vision of Word Alive. His enthusiasm, genuine love for people and effective teaching have inspired a ministry that spans more than 30 years and embraces four continents.
EPISODE OVERVIEW
At Christian Life School of Theology Global, we encourage pastors and ministry leaders to build churches that reach beyond their own walls to serve their communities as well as people around the world. Pastor Kent Mattox shares this vision, which fueled him to launch Word Alive International Outreach in 2000. This came after years of traveling the world as a missionary, and prior to that, working under Benny Hinn at Orlando Christian Center.
Although his new church was thriving, with a couple thousand in attendance on Sunday mornings, Pastor Kent wasn’t satisfied. People were encountering the Lord within the church, but drug epidemics and poverty permeated the surrounding community.
“In January 2018, I had a dream where I was exchanging jackets with my friend Chuck Pierce and a man I’d never met before. The Lord said to me, ‘You’re going to have a spiritual exchange with this man, and his name is Ed Silvoso.’ As soon as I woke up, I wrote down his name, and then I Googled him. Chuck confirmed who he was, so I contacted him and we connected instantly. He was able to give me language for the type of transformation I had been carrying in my heart, and specifically this concept of ekklesia.”
Jesus said, “… on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” He said HE would build the church, not us. What we need to do is unlock the Kingdom of God in our own spheres of influence. Whether it’s in business, at school or in our families, we are to be high-capacity, Kingdom-minded individuals pouring into the lives around us.
Everyone has a ministry. There is a misconception that church leaders have a higher calling than their congregation, but that simply isn’t true. Leaders are responsible for helping people discover their Kingdom purpose and aligning them with their divine calling. The role of a pastor is to empower his church to go out into the world and do the unique work God has given them.
Subscribe to the Pinnacle Leaders Podcast with Dr. Langley to listen to this episode and others for more Biblical wisdom on the areas of lordship, leadership and lifestyle.
RELATED RESOURCES
- Building Churches That Last (PT727)– Church growth has been researched, taught, and written about for decades. Church health is a more recent emphasis, exploring the common elements of church that grow both qualitatively and quantitatively. The keys to both church growth and church health can be found in the book of Acts, and this course seeks to observe the dynamics and principles of the “first church” that can be used to establish a local church that will be more than a fad, lasting until Jesus comes.
- The History of the Early Church (HT510)– This course spans the origins of the early Church to the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451. Along with a general overview, special attention is paid to the notable people, movements and traditions that have created a rich heritage for the modern day Church. The course frees believers from the limited view of the present and helps us better understand the Lord Jesus Christ.
QUOTES & SCRIPTURE TO REMEMBER
- “In many cases we’ve become so church-minded that we’re no longer Kingdom-minded.” — Dr. Randal S. Langley
- “… on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” — Matthew 16:18
- “What affirms the ekklesia and differentiates it from the traditional church are unusual miracles in the manifest presence of Jesus.” — Pastor Kent Mattox
- “You can’t join the ekklesia—you have to be born into it. That takes an encounter, which then unlocks the Kingdom.” — Pastor Kent Mattox
- “And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ.” — Ephesians 4:12 (TPT)
