COAH's Core Practices- Commitment to Unity

In Acts 2, we read the inspiring account of the early church’s community, which was characterized by regular fellowship, generous sharing, and “having all things in common.” Though today’s church longs to imitate this model of Christian unity, it is painfully evident that our experience of community falls dramatically short of this ideal. Though we may strive for it to be otherwise, the breakneck pace of our lives combined with our consumer mentality leaves true Christian community elusive and difficult to achieve in our day. What steps must be taken if we are to truly be unified together as one Body in Christ?

True Christian community must begin with a common commitment among all members to pursue Christ above all else. Too often, we depend on the Sunday service and the small group experience to be the driving force of our individual pursuit of Christ, when in reality the order should be reversed. Community does not precede discipleship in the Biblical model; rather, the pursuit of Christ on the part of each member must occur first for true unity to occur. As 1 John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” For true Christian community to be a reality in our day, then, we at COAH must pursue authentic discipleship first and foremost, recognizing that such unity will naturally follow. If every member does not commit to living out our other core practices, we should not be surprised if we find unity difficult to achieve. For only when each member is individually pursuing Jesus first on their own will we be truly unified together.

Nor can unity be achieved without risk being assumed by the members of the body. Though certainly the early church’s experience of unity in Acts was blissful, awe-filled and joyful, we read immediately afterward of the hardships faced by many of its members: imprisonment, martyrdom, and persecution, to name a few. Though these may not be the risks for the average American Christian, we too can expect to face opposition and risk if we are to truly pursue unity together. For unity to truly be realized, we must be willing to be open about our struggles with others, possibly risking our reputation in their eyes. If we are to be unified together, we must not hesitate in carrying the emotional and spiritual burdens of others, realizing that such burdens may be difficult for us to bear. Above all, we will not become a unified community through a formal small group initiative handed down to us by church leadership; rather, unity will only realized when it emerges organically, as a grass-roots movement initiated by the rank and file of the church. To this end, each of us must take proactive steps to begin and cultivate open, honest, and vulnerable spiritual friendships with one another. For if we are all priests and ministers of the Most High, all of us must embrace our authority and responsibility to create relationships such as these, and in so doing become church planters in the fullest sense of the term.

Above all other callings, this is the calling that our Leader has given us: to be unified together as one Body, and in so doing to truly incarnate Christ among us. For as we are unified together as living stones, forming one Temple together, it is our prayer that God’s glory may be seen among us. Just as in the days of Solomon of old, may it be said that His Shekinah glory has filled His temple as we dwell in unity together.

COAH's Core Practices- Commitment to Solitude

All believers would agree that any God-honoring church should hold the discipline of prayer in high regard. Yet without mutual accountability to one another or common commitments to this practice among a church’s members, prayer will inevitably fall to the wayside. In our fast-paced American lifestyles, the “prayer life” of many Christians today is limited to merely talking at God, quickly offering requests and petitions to Him on the run, in the car, or in times of stress, but allowing little to no time for letting God speak reciprocally to us or actually converse with us. Try as we might to practice ceaseless prayer in our lives, regular periods of solitude with God seem to elude our grasp. Our souls need regular times of two way conversation with God, not just talking at him, but talking with him; listening to His promptings, receiving His love, and learning how to hear his voice. Yet so often, it seems easier to "pray on the run" than it is to slow down, remove our addiction to speed and productivity, and open ourselves to the still, small, and direct voice of God to our vulnerable and fragile souls.

Yet Christ’s model was one of regular solitude, withdrawing himself from his ministry to both converse with and commune with His Father. On many occasions we see Jesus after a day of ministry “withdrawing to a solitary place”, spending all night in His Father’s presence. If the Creator and Redeemer of the world practiced such regular solitude and lived his whole life in dependence on the Father's voice and power, how much more should we as His followers do the same!

In an attempt to imitate our Leader in this way, we as members of COAH embrace a intentional pursuit of solitude in our lives. Each of us commits ourselves to regular times of stillness before God, allowing opportunity to not only speak to God, but to be spoken to by Him as well. We agree that we will be accountable to one another to practice this discipline on a weekly basis . We realize that such a pursuit might have different forms for all of us: journaling, listening to music, oral prayer, reading Scripture, or simply resting in His presence, to name a few. In these times of solitude, we will give our souls opportunity to receive His love, recognizing that it is only when we have directly experienced His love ourselves will we be motivated and empowered to share that same love with others. With God's help, may we be known as such a community.

COAH's Core Practices- Commitment to Simplicity

Jesus once said, "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." At its core, this is what it means to live in Christian simplicity; it is to have one pure, undiluted desire to live in relationship with our Creator. If this simplicity of heart increasingly becomes the description of our lives, it will naturally manifest itself as a transformed view of our material things, our schedules, and our giving, as we lay aside anything that might hinder our one true passion of knowing Jesus.

It is only when we live in simplicity, relating to God out of a pure heart, that material things will find their proper place in our lives. Though most Christians today may not overtly desire wealth, rare is the Christian who would turn down material goods if they were offered! Yet in the early church, wealth was considered a burden to the owner, dangerous to his well being and a threat to his soul. Though poverty certainly presents challenges of its own, we recognize the unique challenges and burdens that the abundance of wealth can cause in its own right. To this end, we commit to thanking God for both the presence and absence of His material blessing in our lives, recognizing that He is able to work in us regardless of our financial situation. We reject materialism and consumerism in all its forms, recognizing that they are incompatible with the call of our Leader to lose our life for His sake (Mk 8:35). For those of us who have been blessed with much, this will naturally force us to make some difficult decisions with regards to money and material things.

Similarly, when pursuing Christ is the singular focus of our life, our schedules will naturally become simplified as well. There is no denying that wealth and busyness are linked; for the more wealth we possess, the more things we can do with our time! This common "affliction of affluence" is a particular enemy to the spiritual life and could not have been far from Jesus' mind when He said "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mt 19:24). As a community, we recognize that an overscheduled lifestyle is incompatible with the call of Jesus. Naturally, this too will require difficult decisions regarding our own activities and our children's as well if we are to truly pursue Jesus with all of our hearts.

Further, if we are truly living in simplicity, we will naturally become more generous as well. For the person who has a single desire to live for Jesus, he will naturally view his possessions not for his good alone, but for the good of the entire community as well. This carefree unconcern towards one's one possessions, a hallmark of Christian simplicity, cannot be characterized by mere tithing alone. For this reason, COAH chooses not to stress the tithe as our standard of giving, but emphasizes the far more radical, cheerful generosity that is advocated by the New Testament (2 Cor 9). In accordance with this model, we agree that giving should not be done under compulsion, but should be done cheerfully and joyfully in an effort to meet the needs of others.

As a community, we agree to seek simplicity of life and heart, committing ourselves to this pursuit and agreeing to hold one another accountable to do the same. May God help us truly realize this simplicity and purity of heart together.

Building a Heart of Compassion

I just had the privilege of representing our church to a needy family in our area, and my family and I were able to bring a few gifts over for their kids and spread a bit of Christmas cheer. Their dad shared with me their hardships of late, from their old house burning down to his now being out of work. My heart really went out to them as he shared these things, and I found myself wishing I could do more for them in their time of need. On the way home, I thought of so many that I've encountered lately who are in such deep pain, suffering, and hurt, and I find these stories touching my heart so much more so than they used to. It seems that my cold heart is finally being tenderized and warmed to the plight of the needy after all these years.

Yet in my "traditional church" days, it seemed I would hear message after message about loving the poor, and nothing in my life would ever change. With each stirring sermon I'd hear about the importance of compassion for the needy, I'd find myself nodding in agreement to these idea, yet at the same time feeling frustrated and perplexed by the very concept. I realized the coldness and lack of compassion in my heart, but felt unable to change this state of my heart. "How can I live a life of compassion without a heart of compassion?", I wondered. "Oh, God, change my heart!" I would pray. And yet to my deep frustration, it seemed as if my heart did not and could not ever change.

But then we started City On A Hill Community. We believed that being around the poor, building relationships with them and hearing their stories would be far more honoring to God than continuing to sit around and talk about compassion. We all agreed that we had heard enough messages and had had enough Bible studies on serving to last a lifetime; it was time to put those lessons into action. Within a few short weeks, God opened a door for us to serve at the Wayside Center, a homeless shelter in Elgin, relationships began to build, and the rest, as they say, is history.

People can tell me all they want about how much they're growing from their pastor's deep Sunday morning sermons. That's great, and I'm happy for them. But in my life, the day I started growing in compassion was the day that a group of my friends decided that we would actually get to know, serve, and love the poor instead of having another Bible study on it. Until I heard the stories of the needy, prayed, laughed, and ate with them, I never knew what it meant to build a heart of compassion. But thanks to them, I know now. And for the first time in my life, I see myself really growing in love. And judging on the conversations I've had, many of us at COAH can say the same.

And if we are growing in love in this way, is that not the goal of all spirituality? If we find our hearts increasingly aching with the struggles of the needy, are we not reaching Christ's ultimate goal for our lives? To grow in compassion and love is not a part of spiritual growth, it is in fact spiritual growth. Thank God that for the first time in my life, I am truly growing spiritually.

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.

COAH's Core Practices- Commitment to Joint Ministry

In today's American church, many use their spiritual gifts, but few actually function as ministers. To borrow military imagery, it is usually the paid staff in a church who function as the generals and the volunteers who function as the privates. Most traditional volunteer positions, such as directing traffic, child care in the nursery, running the sound board, or often even leading a small group largely augment and support the work of paid staff, and with rare exceptions, it is those paid staff alone that function as ministers in the true sense of the word. At the end of the day, it is the pastors who form ministry plans, oversee their execution, and recruit volunteers to carry out those plans; all the actual responsibility for the ministry is theirs. To the average American churchgoer, who consumeristically views church as a place to "get fed" rather than a place to give, the idea of actually owning the work of the church's ministry seems a rather foreign and strange concept.

In contrast to this state of affairs in the American church stands the Biblical model of joint ministry. Scripture tells us that as a result of their standing in Christ, all believers are called be functioning priests in God's house (1 Peter 2:4). In Christ, ranks and titles have been eliminated, and all are equal in His economy (Col. 3:11, Matt. 23:8-10). All believers have been commissioned by Christ to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). This call to make disciples is independent of one's background, training, education, or economic status, for in Christ, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free" (Gal. 3:28).

For these reasons, COAH strives to be a church where its members do not merely volunteer, but where the responsibility of ministry is shared between all. To this end, we have no paid pastors or staff, as we believe all believers are ministers in the truest sense of the word. We seek to be a church comprised of fully functioning priests, having the boldness and authority to represent our Savior to a watching world. We aim to transcend the arbitrary, man-made distinction between clergy and laity as each member fulfills their unique ministerial role in the Body of Christ. We commit ourselves to this effort, and pledge to hold one another accountable in this regard. May God help us in this endeavor.

Our core practices

The mission statement of City On A Hill community is “to make disciples through the love of Jesus.” But what does this mean? What exactly is discipleship anyway? And perhaps even more importantly, how is it achieved?
In its simplest sense, to be a disciple simply means to follow and imitate one’s teacher in every way. Though there are many facets to discipleship, the concept becomes easiest to grasp when we focus on this simple definition: “imitation of one’s teacher.” If our mission then as a church is produce disciples of Jesus, we must not only ask ourselves how this goal will be achieved, but must find an objective measure to determine if we are meeting this goal as a community.
As Alan Hirsch notes, “thinking your way into a new way of acting” is the acting assumption in most American churches. Fill attenders’ minds with enough information about the Bible and theology, give them enough quality sermons and study guides, it is reasoned, and godly living will naturally follow. Yet this was not the model of Jesus or of the Hebraic model of discipleship prevalent in His day, which operated on the model of “acting one’s way into a new way of thinking.” In Jesus’ day and in His ministry, the emphasis in discipleship was on being rather than thinking, and on imitation of one's teacher rather than the mere assimilation of knowledge.
With Jesus’ example in mind, we then seek as a church to become disciples ourselves by acting our way into a new way of thinking. As we begin this pursuit, we have committed ourselves as a church to five core practices that will begin to define for us what discipleship should look like in the context of our community. Together, we pray these practices will be positive steps towards our goal of imitating our teacher: JESUS.

J- Commitment to Joint Ministry (Eph. 4:16)
E- Commitment to Evangelism (Matt. 5:16)
S- Commitment to Solitude (Matt. 6:6)
U- Commitment to Unity (Matt. 18:20)
S- Commitment to Simplicity (Luke 12:33)

Though these practices may sound basic and elementary at first glance, they will possess far-reaching profound implications for our lives if we are truly serious about employing them. In the weeks to come, we will begin to unpack each of these practices as we seek to better understand their implications in our daily lives.