Missional Objective #1
In 2024, we will create a ‘Rule of Life’ that expresses and invites us into the practices we see in Scripture that leads to the ‘Abundant Life’ found only in ‘abiding’ in Jesus. (John 15:1-17)
I can only imagine that as you read this that maybe your first question is – what in the world is a ‘Rule of Life’? And that is followed by a second question – why in the world do we need one as a church? Let me attempt to answer that second question first.
I think we would all recognize in our lives that just because we want something to be true, doesn’t mean it will just magically happen. Our New Year’s Resolutions are sometimes a painful reminder of that. Instead, we understand that if we want something to be true in our lives, then we need to be ready to order (or maybe even re-order) the things we do to intentionally pursue that goal.
This is true in our lives of faith as well. In fact, I would argue Jesus was all about this! He was all about calling us to re-order our lives so that we would find ‘life, and life abundant’ that he was offering. So, Jesus would tell us things like we were going to have to die to ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow him. Or things like - that the first would be last and the last would be first. Those sounds like new practices. New rhythms. All meant to help keep our lives aligned with His.
The Gospels are filled with him teaching this new way of living. But even more than that, the Gospels are filled with not just what a new way of living should look like, but they are filled with Jesus modeling for us how to live that new life.
In fact, Jesus gave one of his most well-known teachings on that very idea. If you want to know how to live a new life. If you want to see your life bear new fruit. Then what you are connected to matters. You can’t be connected to your own ideas and ways of living any more. And you can’t be connected to the world’s way of living any more either.
Jesus would say – those things can’t be the ‘vine’ your grow on. Those may provide some type of ‘life’ – but it isn’t the ‘abundant life’ that he said would be found in him. If you desire that, then you need a new vine. You need to be connected to Him. Wath I’m paraphrasing here, of course, are the words from John 15. But Jesus is reminding us that “Abundant Life” is only going to be found by abiding in Him.
Which leads me back to the first question – what is a ‘Rule of Life’? A ‘Rule of Life’ is about building a set of practices into our lives that will help us ‘abide in the vine’ – tasting, experiencing, and finding a fullness of life that we will never find when we practice the things of this world. Let me be clear on what a ‘Rule of Life’ is NOT. A ‘Rule of Life’ is not some rigid rules of Christianity that we must follow. That’s called legalism.
Let me paint the picture this way. Our English word ‘rule’ comes from the Latin words ‘regula’ – which literally means “a straight piece of wood,” “a ruler,” and, by extension, “a pattern, model, or example.” ‘Regula’ carries gentle connotations of a signpost, a trellis, a railing, something that gives support as I move forward in my search for God. Or simply put – a ‘Rule of Life’.
A Rule of Life then, serves as a gentle guide that keeps us trained toward God. So as we make our commitment to be a church that ‘Practices the Way of Jesus’ – the truth is we can’t just say those words and just expect them to happen. We recognize that we need a ‘gentle guide to keep us trained toward God.’ Again, not as boxes to be checked or items on a to-do list, but really as unforced rhythms of grace where we can discover over and over that Jesus’ yoke really is easy, and his burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30).
So as 2024 unfolds, we want to define the practices that we want to be our trellis & signpost as a church. What is it that will offer support for ‘Practicing the Way of Jesus’? Practices that we want to be intentional about – well – not just saying, but actually practicing. And we don’t just want to come up with our own thoughts and ideas that we think sound right or good. We want to look at the life Jesus modeled for us and align our practices to his.
We desire this in the spaces we hold together (community groups, Sunday worship, other ministry areas…); and we desire to create opportunities for you to think about what these practices look like for you in your personal walk with Jesus. By the time 2024 ends, we want to articulate that ‘Rule of Life’ and I would love to offer a 9-10 week sermon series on what the practices in our ‘Rule of Life’ are. We believe the ‘Rule of Life’ will sound something like this:
Hood River Alliance longs to be a community…
…of rest and worship in a culture of hurry and exhaustion, through the practice of Sabbath.
…of peace and quiet in a culture of anxiety and noise, through the practice of Solitude.
…of communion with God in a culture of distraction and escapism, through the practice of Prayer.
…of love and depth in a culture of individualism and superficiality, through the practice of Community.
…of courageous fidelity to orthodoxy in a culture of ideological compromise, through the practice of Scripture.
…of holiness in a culture of indulgence and immorality, through the practice of Fasting.
…of contentment in a culture of consumerism, through the practice of Generosity.
…of justice, mercy, and reconciliation in a culture of injustice and division, through the practice of Service.
…of hospitality in a culture of hostility, through the practice of Witness.
HRAC, our Governing Team has sensed an invitation from the Spirit to step into these unforced rhythms of grace. Rhythms where God promises to meet us, to form us, to shape us, and to help us abide in him.
So as I offer you MO#1 - I am excited about what it will look like in 2024 as we ‘Practice the Way of Jesus.’ Being With Him. Becoming Like Him. Doing What He Did. And I am excited to step into some intentional rhythms and practices that keep us pointed in that direction.
Missional Objective #2
In 2024, we will center our church culture & practices around the core value of ‘Community’. (Acts 2:42-47) If you were at the Annual Meeting a couple of weeks ago, you heard Anders Sorestad unpack this Missional Objective for us as a church. And there were two things he said that I thought so beautifully captured what this MO is all about for us here at HRAC in 2024:
We believe that ‘Practicing the Way of Jesus’ happens best in circles, not in rows.
What this is getting at is that we don’t believe we can fully experience the ‘Abundant Life’ Jesus has for us (MO #1) if the only place our spiritual formation is happening is in a church pew on Sunday morning. Now, in saying that, I feel like I need to use one of my favorite lines…” don’t hear what I’m not saying”.
To be sure that space is important, but it’s also incomplete. Corporate worship gatherings on Sunday morning are a vital part of the life of a believer. Acts 2 is clear on that. But Acts 2 also reminds us that it can’t be the ONLY place we share our lives as followers of Jesus.
So, MO #2 is us acknowledging that ‘Practicing the Way of Jesus’ includes the pews on Sunday morning – but the pews can’t be the only engine that propels us into the life and mission of Jesus. It can’t be the ONLY place where we are being formed and shaped and growing as disciples. Jesus didn’t walk this by himself, he always had community around him.
So, MO #2 is us stating that we want to be really intentional about investing in a church culture that seeks to elevate the importance of Community. What I would call “circles”. Places where we can be fully known, and fully know others. Places where we can be real, authentic, vulnerable, transparent, and honest about how our walk with Jesus is going. Places where we can find accountability, support, encouragement, and fellowship. Places we need if we are going to practice the way of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus was all about community. Sometimes with 1, sometimes with 3, sometimes with 12, sometimes with crowds. So, MO #2 invites this question: who is your community?
‘Community Groups’ will serve as the freeway onto which all our other ministries serve as on-ramps.
So if community is what we long to create and to be a part of – then our desire is that everyone in the life of HRAC would be a part of community. And if that is our desire, then MO #2 is us saying that we are going to invest in that by making our ‘Community Groups’ structure/ministry the main ‘road’ or ‘freeway’ that we want people to travel down here at HRAC. Part of that is us being intentional about every ministry we offer here serving as an ‘on-ramp’ to the Community Group freeway.
MO #2 is us saying that we desire our ‘Community Groups’ to become like little church-plants all around Hood River, the Hood River Valley, and the Gorge. Places where groups of 8-12 people are intentionally meeting together, breaking bread together, serving together, caring for one another, growing in maturity together, and being on mission together. In short, places where we are ‘practicing the way of Jesus’ together.
So, in 2024, you will see us as staff at HRAC give an intentional focus to this. We want to intentionally invest in identifying and raising up leaders for those groups. Into resourcing and equipping those groups. Into providing coaching and support for those groups. And into getting as many people as possible to be a part of those groups.
If you read this and it excites your heart and you want to be a part of ‘Community’ here at Hood River Alliance – then this is the perfect place for me to encourage you to reach out to Pastor Tina Combs here at HRAC who oversees this important space.
HRAC, I hope you will press into our call towards community in deeper and more intentional ways – finding great joy as you practice the way of Jesus – not by yourself, and not just in a church pew…but in community.
Missional Objective #3
In 2024, we will continue to align our culture and ministry practices towards ‘equipping people for ministry’. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
From the very first conversation I had with leaders here at HRAC when I was still a candidate for the Lead Pastor position – one thing was so clear: we don’t want to be a church of consumers, but to be contributors. To refocus on offering ourselves (our time, our talents, our energies, our resources) to the work & call of the church.
And it was going to mean two things:
1) We would be asking our leaders to lead in a new way. Not doing the work, but enfolding YOU! The people, gifts and resources of the church together pursuing our calling. Or as Paul says – asking our leaders to lead in a way that ‘equips the saints for the work of ministry and to build up the body of Christ.’ Because ministry doesn’t just happen at church on Sunday, or at our scheduled church events – it happens in the living and breathing of our lives.
2) And we would be asking you to engage in intentional and potentially new ways. That we would understand that if we call HRAC home, then ‘Come, listen, leave, repeat’ isn’t how we want to operate as a family. But that we would allow the church to invite us into using our gifts; serving and leading in different capacities.
There are a lot of things I love about the Big ‘C’ Church. But one of the things I recognize is that we have done this poorly. We have built a church experience that is just that – an experience. Come, listen, leave. Repeat. Leave the “work” to the ‘professionals’. You just come and enjoy – they will do the work of making disciples; after all – they are paid to do it. Even just to type that I feel my heart cringe. It misses so much of what God has for his bride. And it something that weighed heavy on the heart of the Governing Team as we talked about our 2024 MO’s.
So MO #3 is us wanting to communicate that there are some things we are going to be very intentional about in the year ahead (and beyond…) that leans into what Paul was saying in Ephesians 4. And it touches all of us. And we pray it causes to see our ministry not just in terms of church programming and structure, but in how we step into the Great Commission, making disciples as we practice the way of Jesus (MO #1).
Here are some tangible things then, that we want to be committed to in 2024…
- For the entire HRAC Church Family: We will be creating a ‘pathway’ for discipleship/spiritual formation. This pathway will have 3 main focuses: Gatherings (Sunday worship, Retreats, Corporate Prayer/Fasting, etc.) Courses (Membership class, baptism, Alpha, Practicing the Way, Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, etc.) and Community (Community Groups – see MO #2). In the midst of those 3 focuses, we also want to be intentional about identifying a ‘pathway’ to raise up healthy leaders and moving them into leadership spaces.
- For the HRAC Governing Team: We will be committed to continuing to learn how to lead as ‘one board’ that sets our vision and direction and then empowers the Lead Pastor, Staff, and Key Leaders of the church to lead the way in pursuing what God has called us to.
- For the HRAC Ministry Staff: With clear ministry objectives and personal objectives, they will see the expectation of their roles centered on being Ephesians 4 leaders - seeking to discover, invite, equip and employ the gifts of the church body - while leading the way in creating a culture of contributors, not consumers.
- For the Key Leaders: Over the last several months, we have begun identifying ‘Key Leader’ positions within our ministry areas, and potential people who have the gifts and capacity to lead in those ways. As we identify those roles, we commit to giving them great clarity on what the roles and responsibilities are through intentionally created ‘Role Descriptions’. We also are working as staff to create spaces to gather and support the Key Leaders across our church in intentional ways.
In all of this, Ephesians 4 leadership will be pursued in by intentional training, building authentic relationships, clearly communicating goals & boundaries, and also clearly defining ‘Rip Cords’ to provide help/support and rest in seasons of heavy loads. Hood River Alliance, I am excited about what God is working into us in this MO, and maybe even more excited about what He will work THROUGH us because of it.
Missional Objective #4
In 2024, we commit to being a ‘Sending’ community – intentionally ‘sending’ our resources and our people into the call of the Great Commission (Acts 1:8)
As much as we appreciated the clarity and direction of the first three MO’s – we recognized as a Governing Team that those MO’s in the immediate future were very ‘inward’ focused. They were about how we wanted to be tuned into things happening within the walls of HRAC. And we recognized that if we simply lived in that space, we would be incomplete in who we were because we’d miss our greatest calling – to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus was so clear on this. 5 different times throughout the gospels and book of Acts, Jesus gave a ‘sending’ call on his church:
- Matthew 28:16-20
o Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’
- Mark 16:15
o Jesus said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
- Luke 24:46-49
o and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you . . .”
- John 20:21-22
o So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
- Acts 1:8
o “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
All of that perhaps summarized this way: Hood River Alliance Church – we have been SENT! And so we want the rhythms and practices of our community to reflect that. We want to send our resources and our people into those calls of the Great Commission! This is new to us as a church – this is us as a church saying we want to recommit to it and see what historic and fresh ways we can step into it.
In 2024, we are making a renewed commitment to our larger faith family – the Christian & Missionary Alliance, which has a beautiful and rich history of ‘sending’ the gospel to the ends of the earth. We want to make space to connect with International Workers (IW’s – or missionaries); building a relationship beyond just sending resources, but having our hearts, and hands, and feet engaged in the work.
In 2024, we felt led to see us begin to stretch ourselves in generosity for the Kingdom. We intentionally enlarged what we give as a church to the ‘Great Commission Fund’. We created capacity to give more to both our local partners, and to the needs of our neighbors here in Hood River.
Already in 2024, we have asked Tina to re-build the Missions Team here at HRAC. That team will have sub-teams that helps us as a church focus on how we bring the gospel to our neighbors – we are calling it our ‘Neighborhoods Team’. We will also have a sub-team that helps us as a church bring the gospel to the nations – we are calling it our ‘Nations Team’. There will also be a designated team to help us ‘Communicate’ opportunities, highlights and stories for us as a church.
And while all of those intentional steps are good – we recognized that our biggest desire is to see this call to ‘missions’ settle itself onto all of our individual hearts, and into the hearts of each of our ministry areas and into community groups. That long before the church has to ‘plan something’ in order for you to give or engage – that you would be seeking out and stepping into spaces that God lays on your heart/s.
Can you imagine with me what it would look like when the 250-300 people that are calling HRAC home are EACH using their gifts and passions and unique and creative ideas to bring the gospel to their family, friends, and neighbors. I think that’s the vision Jesus left for the church. Make disciples who make disciples. I’m looking forward to seeing how God is going to invite each of you, and all of us, into that call in this next chapter at HRAC!
Missional Objective #5
In 2024, we will purposefully care for, and use, our facility to facilitate community within the HRAC family, and to bless the Hood River community around us. (Matthew 5:14)
MO #5 is meant to stir in us a heart of hospitality, generosity, stewardship, and discernment - in how we think about, how we care for, how we open up, and in how we use our facility.
Hospitality & Generosity
We want our church community and the community around us to feel welcomed and invited to be here. We want to create a rhythm that is about welcoming people, hosting people, and blessing people as they come through the doors of our facility. For church community groups, church families, ministry events, or all-church gatherings; we want our facility to feel like ‘home’. For groups and families from outside of our church; we want our facility to be seen and known as a place that loves the people & community around them and wants to partner with them for the sake of blessing our community.
As we journey deeper into 2024, as a Governing Team, we want to create some healthy policies that help guide how we do all this. We recognize that to more consistently open the doors of our facility means we need to have expectations and guardrails in place to make sure it is being used well. This ranges from having a reservation system to communicating clean-up and use expectations and everything in between.
Perhaps the most important piece of this – is that we don’t just want to rely on only our staff ‘organizing’ these things – but we want you as a church family to help us be creative and invitational to people, families, groups, and organizations from inside and outside our church – with ways we can open our doors in hospitality.
Stewardship
We also want to commit to ‘caring for’ our facility. This is a very large building with a lot of interior and exterior square footage that needs to be cared for. And our building is not brand new. And for us as a church – the maintenance team is…well…us! We need all of us on board and willing to pitch in to help care for HRAC. We no longer ‘elect’ deacons or deaconesses to serve in these ways – but instead we now foster those efforts through a team approach.
We are so grateful for Eric Bokovoy who now heads our ‘Facilities Team’ to make sure we are identifying and then resolving issues within the church. If you are reading this Newsletter, we are asking you to consider how you can be a part of helping all of this happen. Maybe it is connecting with Eric (which you can do through emailing the church office) and letting him know you’d be willing to help serve on that team in a more hands on sort of way.
Maybe it is sharing your name with us so we have a list that we can reach out to that invites people to jump in to help with any facility work (painting, replacing, updating, fixing, mowing, tending, mending, installing, etc.). We also are asking you to continue to keep your radar up to when we begin to share some of the ‘needs’ that we have on our list, and we hope you will jump in to help in those moments too! It takes a village, right?!
Discernment
In 2024, we also want to begin to give some very intentional thought to the future of our facility. Does it meet our ministry needs? Are there other ways it could be used? Are there areas that need a refresh or a remodel? Is there something missing in our facility that needs to be added? These and more are questions we want to intentionally ask throughout this year; and we also want to be diligent of then creating a multi-year ’Master Facilities Plan’ to help us begin to intentionally move towards our answers.