COAH's core practices- Commitment to Evangelism

What is the mission of the church? To answer this question, we should look no further than God's eternal mission, which is to reconcile His wayward sons and daughters to Himself. If this is God's primary mission, certainly this must be the mission of His church as well, who is called to partner with Him in carrying out this redemptive quest. Above all else, then, the church's mandate is a missional one, and “mission is the mission” for His bride. Christ has called each of us to be agents of His grace, peace, and light to the world; above all else, He desires that we might be the “sent ones” who change the landscape of our culture through the message of His love.
Yet Christ’s desire for His bride is left unfulfilled today; little doubt exists that a missional crisis exists in the church today. Today’s church operates in an attractional mode rather than a missional one; it expects the world to come to it rather than taking the gospel to them. Seldom does the church cross cultural barriers and engage society on its turf; despite today’s seeker-sensitive approaches, the world must still “come to church” to access the message of the gospel.
This shortage of missional engagement is not limited to the church at large, however. After conducting an exhaustive survey of Christians in America, George Barna that the typical American Christian will die without leading a single person to Christ in their lifetime. Barna's conclusions may seem eerily accurate for many of us; think quickly of the last person you led to Christ. If your life is anything like mine, I must admit I don’t have an answer to this question. The fact is unarguable: without drastic changes in the lives of most of us, this dearth of missional impact may well be our fate.
Recognizing that missional impact rarely occurs without being intentionally pursued, COAH has embraced a common commitment to evangelism and mission. We choose to make mission the organizing and defining feature of our community, holding it in higher regard than any other endeavors we might pursue. For if we aim primarily for our own spiritual growth, mission will naturally be overlooked; but if we as a community pursue evangelism mission above all else, we will discover not only the salvation of the lost but our own growth as well.
As a beginning step towards this purpose, we choose not to meet in secluded church buildings but in public places such as bars, parks, and bowling alleys for all our meetings. Yet a simple change in venue does not a missional community make; each member much make a personal commitment to reach out to and be a blessing to those around them, intentionally building bridges with their neighbors, family members, and coworkers. Only when each of us chooses to proactively incarnate Christ to those around us will we become a missional community rather than being attractional alone. Further, we commit to prayer for those far from God, beseeching His glory to invade and transform their lives. May God help us as we seek in this way to partner with Him in bringing His kingdom to earth.