It’s crucial to have values of your own. Values that you stand on and firmly believe in. These values will keep your integrity intact no matter where you go.

In today’s episode, we will be talking to Ben Naitoko—Senior Pastor of King’s Church, Gold Coast about three main topics: 1) The alignment of values of the Church and the Pastor that takes over, 2) Being an itinerant pastor to full-time pastor (the changes and adjustment period), and 3) The external perception and what he did to push across with it.

Lots of insight in this episode so tune in and enjoy!

About Ben Naitoko (3:01)

• Ben Naitoko is the Senior Pastor of King’s Church, Gold Coast.
• Ben started running King’s Church in 2018.
• He’s been in the ministry for 20 years.

Adapting and Adjusting (4:10)

• From itinerant pastor to full-time pastor, how did Ben adjust?
• Ben shares that being an itinerant pastor for the longest time has prepared him for his role today as a Senior Pastor.
• The church was already established so there needs to be a level of flexibility in taking over.
• Ben applies some of the dos and don’ts of his previous ministry to his present ministry.
• Ben allowed the people in leadership positions to adjust and think if they wanted to continue the journey with him.

Values (8:18)

• Ben took over the church in a troubled state, so more than vision, he brought his values in.
• Values were the most important thing during that time, rather than vision.
• Ben received advice when he revealed his desire to take over a church: “Write down six top values he has and never take a church that doesn’t have four of them.”
• Values are like glue—they are the sticking point that keeps everything together.
• Ben makes sure that the people in every leadership position represents their values.

The Church and The School (13:45)

• Being the largest independent Christian school in Australia, it was not ideal for the senior pastor to handle being chairman of both school and church board.
• About branching out
• Ben is committed to doing campus ministries.

About Building Schools (18:01)

• Are there future plans for building a school elsewhere?
• Ben talks about the numbers.
• Ben discusses the advantages of running a private school.
• Building a brand—Christian schools are known for Christian values.
• In a broad sweeping statement, for a Christian school to do well, they need to offer a strong quality education.

Branding (21:31)

• Branding sounds a bit too secular to be called as it is for a church.
• The reality is everyone has a brand. For the church, it’s the external perception of the church.
• Ben did a rebranding to the external perception of their church.
• The rebranding brought about a change.

Who is Ben Naitoko?

Ben Naitoko is the Senior Pastor of King’s Church–Gold Coast. Ben has been doing the ministry for 20 years now. He started as an itinerant pastor, going from place to place to speak about the message of Christianity. In 2018, he became the Senior Pastor of King’s Church and has since done a wonderful job at making a good name for their church. Ben is married to Trish, his partner both in life and ministry, and they have three sons.

Contact Ben Naitoko:

King’s Church-Gold Coast

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