Missional communities’ look differently all across the globe, but each has core values (whether they realize it or not!) that fuel and drive their life and practice. My community – NieuCommunities – is a covenant community.
What does that mean?
In a similar way that the community of Israel consciously entered into covenant relationship with Yahweh, each year we covenant to commune with God, be intentional with our faith community and deeply engage our neighborhood. This past Sunday night we reflected on the past year – sharing joys, confessions and learnings – and prayerfully invited God and each other into another year of shared life on mission together.
It is a sacred time. It is a high commitment, but it has been living life in this commitment that I have experienced the depth and value of Christ’s Bride, the Church. We can’t run from each other when things get tough or uncomfortable or awkward or when we don’t see eye to eye. We are submitted to each other as we all submit to follow in the way of Jesus. It has high costs, but it is well worth it and it can change everything.
Here are our thoughts on “covenant” and our Common Covenant:
A covenant is a commitment made within the context of relationship. It’s a commitment to act in certain ways, and in our case, to be a certain kind of people. It’s a commitment that deeply connects us to one another and unites us around a shared calling.
Our covenant is a collective covenant, which means we are together declaring our intentions. The covenant expresses what we are committed to do and be, collectively. We recognize that people are at different stages in life and will participate in the community at varying depths. We also know that none of us will ever do this perfectly. But all of us who covenant to be part of this community are doing our best to align our lives with these commitments.
Our covenant is rooted in our three Core Commitments. It describes how we, in our various locations, will pursue our calling to be a mentoring and sending community that develops people to live missional lives wherever God calls them.
THE NIEUCOMMUNITIES COMMON COVENANT
Communion We believe that we were created to be worshippers and lovers of God.
As such, we will make the Triune God the center of our lives by collectively and individually committing to live as disciples of Christ.
This includes cultivating an attitude of thankfulness, a lifestyle of prayer and worship, a deep and responsive engagement with scripture, a reliance on the provision and guidance of the Holy Spirit, exploring and practicing a diversity of spiritual disciplines, discovering God’s goodness and beauty in his created world, and the intentional participation in the gift of Sabbath.
Community We believe that the Gospel is best experienced and expressed within a community of Christ-followers.
Because of this, we will open our lives to be shaped by the community in which God has placed us.
Our journey together will include living in the same neighborhood, opening our lives and homes as places of invitation and hospitality, gathering at least once a week over a common meal, caring for and submitting to one another, speaking well of one another and defending each other’s name, sharing stories and reflecting on God’s work of love in our midst, living more simply and sharing our resources with those in need, and gathering together weekly to grow and to be formed as apprentices of Jesus.
Context We believe that God calls all followers of Christ to live a life of mission.
In obedience to this, we will incarnate the good news of the kingdom and become a reconciling and redemptive presence in the places we inhabit.
This life of mission will include “submerging” in our own unique neighborhood, living as the light of God’s grace in places of darkness, inviting neighbors and friends to experience a different kind of faith community, becoming true caretakers of God’s creation, creating spaces and moments for our neighbors to experience both community and communion with God, discipling our neighbors into deeper relationship with Jesus, partnering with other leaders in our city to advance the kingdom, helping to birth new faith communities, and apprenticing young leaders to live out all of these things with us and wherever God sends them.
This fall we are thrilled to have the capacity to invite 10 aspiring missional leaders into our one year apprenticeship at our NieuCommunities site in Golden Hill (San Diego). Although we understand that we are all apprentices of Jesus, this experience is guided by mentors who foster and coach our NieuCommunities’ apprentices towards their unique calling as participants in the Mission of God. I see it as a hands on seminary experience that is rooted in shared life and practice, but informed and enhanced by academic work.
In short, we seek to form leaders for mission in the context of covenant community that is deeply rooted in our neighborhood of Golden Hill. This apprenticeship is geared toward 20 or 30 somethings. If you or someone you know is interested I would highly recommend coming down for one of our “Taste and See” experiences.
Note: Check out the NieuCommunities page above for more info on who are and what we’re about.
While I have been at work on the development and writing of Thin Places: Six Postures for Creating and Practicing Missional Community for over a year, the contents are the culmination of over 10 years of lived theology, story and practice. While I love to write, this project has been uniquely fulfilling as it is the story of the life calling I (and my family!) have given ourselves to. It is not abstract theology or philosophy, but rooted in real relationships and experiences from a band of Jesus followers who are seeking to embody the Church everyday through communion with God, community with one another and deep engagement in our neighborhood.
Further, it is not my book. It is a book about community that was birthed and formed out of community. With the wise and seasoned partnership of Rob Yackley, I am simply stepping back and doing my best to share what God has been and continues to do among those apart NieuCommunities. We hope this sparks the imagination and practice of Jesus’ communities all over the globe.
There is both a book and a DVD small group curriculum (which I must say our publisher – The House Studio – did an INCREDIBLE job producing) that would be ideal for communities and churches to experience together. The small group videos were captured right here on the streets and in the homes of our NieuCommunites’ site here in Golden Hill (San Diego).
I appreciate your interest, am looking forward to hearing your stories of community transformation and would be grateful for any support in passing the word about this!
Thin Places releases June 12th. Huge thanks to Jon Hall and Peter Schrock for putting together this video.
Forward by Mark Scandrette, Author of Practicing the Way of Jesus and Executive Director at ReIMAGINE
Book Description
There is currently an abundance of conversation and resources advocating for the Church to move from her congregational and attractional models towards more holistic, missional embodiments of the Church that submerge deep into the neighborhood. While conversations and resources are often valuable, it is essential that we move from conversation to tangible practices and practical application that enlivens our kingdom imagination for shared mission that is rooted in community and place.
NieuCommunities is a collective of missional-monastic communities scattered around the globe that have been living this out for the past 10 years. In this book, we share our “field notes” — through theology, story and experience – as a way to offer a tangible framework of rooted practices that develop apprentices of Jesus to live on mission in the unique soil of their local context.
While standing on a hill overlooking his community on the Island of Iona, the Celtic monk St. Columba began to pray. He described his experience as a thin place, a place where heaven and earth were only thinly separated. We hope this book sparks the imagination and practice of individuals and communities across the globe to cocreate their own unique thin places that aren’t simply a dream, but a daily and transforming reality.
Here’s what comes with the small group edition: – DVD containing 6 video sessions with Jon Huckins and Rob Yackley – 1 copy of Thin Places – In-depth discussion questions to help you explore each topic – Video Sessions
“I thoroughly loved this book and found myself saying ‘Amen’ at every page. A primer in incarnational mission by those who have lived it and taught it for well over a decade.” ~ Michael Frost, Author of The Shaping of Things to Come and The Road to Missional
“As God continues to call the church to it’s most powerful essence of missional communities, Thin Places offers an inspirational look into practices and postures that forge God’s people together and propel them outward.” ~ Hugh Halter, Author of The Tangible Kingdom, AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church, and Sacrilege
“Over the past decade interest in community life and neighborhood engagement have emerged as significant themes for a new generation of Christ followers who yearn for embodied and holistic spirituality. To thrive, this world-wild movement needs practical resources, born from historical awareness, thoughtful reflection and most importantly lived experience. Thin Places by Jon Huckins, is precisely this kind of storied resource, a tool that can equip groups to practice the way of Jesus and make a life together in their local contexts for the good of the world.” ~ Mark Scandrette, Author of Practicing the Way of Jesus and Executive Director at ReIMAGINE
“The terms ‘missional’ and ‘monastic’ are all too often tossed around by Christians as buzz words, an unfortunate reality given the importance of both terms. That is why ‘Thin Places’ is such a gift to the church! Not only do the authors understand and protect the integrity of both concepts, but bring them together in a way that points us towards an exciting future as God’s people actively living into His kingdom” ~ Jamie Arpin-Ricci, Pastor and Author of The Cost of Community:Jesus, St. Francis & Life in the Kingdom
“The call of faith has always included living in community. The thing is, it is really hard. And there are not enough places where gritty community meets possibility. But, that is what I found in my time with NieuCommunities. These are people who welcomed me in, as a stranger and not only treated me as an honored guest, they made me part of the family. In short, these are people who know what they are doing in creating Christian community and Thin Places not only chronicles their experiences, but invites other communities to imagine how to do the same.” ~ Doug Pagitt, Pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, Author of Preaching Re-Imagined and Church Re-Imagined
“In the modern world of exponential speed and individual mobility, there is a growing hunger for a faith that can be lived out together… where we can be present… where there is an embodied practice… where the gospel becomes tangible in a particular place. NieuCommunities extends the rare gift of a transformative discipleship process that is full-bodied and place-based. Their longevity and fixity is in rich contrast to a world of quick-fix and fast-track! ~ Paul Sparks, Founding Co-Director Parish Collective
“It has become painfully obvious to many that the religious atmosphere of the West has drastically changed. Are we Christians still to be a people animated by the Gospel? If so, than more than ever, we need small bands of people like NieuCommunities that move into neighborhoods with the Gospel in their hearts and shaping how the live to change our communities for the sake of the Kingdom.” ~ Jason Evans, founder of the Ecclesia Collective
“You do not get to clarity alone. Gaining new understanding of what God desires of his followers comes only in the context of community. No one does community better than the NieuCommunities tribe who value both authentic life change as well as missional impact. For over ten years NieuCommunities has formed people who look, love, act, and live like Jesus. This new book chronicles their journey and gives those passionate to live different, for Christ, hope. I highly recommend this read.” ~ Terry Walling, President of Leader Breakthru and Author of Stuck!
There is a “come and see” authenticity about NieuCommunities that is so reminiscent of Jesus calling the disciples out of fishing boats on the shore of Lake Galilee I can almost taste the salt air. At the same time, the “come and see” community is balanced by a “go and do” mission that gives me hope for inside-out change in neighborhoods in the global city. At a time when many are talking about missional communities, NieuCommunities quietly and expertly goes about doing it—forming young men and women and transforming neighborhoods. The vitality of NieuCommunities is less about what is being said than what is being lived. You’ll want to read this book and listen to their story. ~ John Hayes, founder of innerCHANGE and Author of Submerge and Living Deep in a Shallow World.
“As the Church is rediscovering its missional ethos within a post-Christian culture that has been saturated with religious consumerism and nominal commitment, we have needed communities that could model a new path forward for us. NieuCommunities has done just that and I excitedly anticipate a book that captures their journey.” ~ Kyle Osland, Pastor at Icon Church, San Diego.
”I have had the privilege of seeing the NieuCommunities mentoring year up close as a pastor of a church community in which both mentors and apprentices have participated. I can witness to the transforming impact their mentoring has had on people. In an age when we are so often (de)formed by default by the forces of consumerism and individualism, NieuCommunities offers an alternative formation: intentional mentoring relationships shaped by kingdom practices of community, service, cultural engagement, scripture and prayer. Surely this way of mentoring is a vital pathway for re-forming the church to participate in the mission of God.” ~ Tim Dickau, Pastor of Grandview Church, Vancouver, B.C. and Author of Plunging Into the Kingdom Way: Practicing the Shared Strokes of Community, Hospitality, Justice, and Confession
“The Christian Scriptures tells us that in the present life we will receive hundredfold in houses and for many of us that’s hard to believe but at NieuCommunities you get to experience this reality come true. Where there is a NieuCommunities there you will find people with houses ready to share with all who come to find rest and it is by this commitment to hospitality that we experience the Scriptures coming alive.” ~ Darin Petersen of Relational Tithe and The Simple Way
I love and am enlivened by intellectual stimulation, specifically in relation to the integration of theology and ethics. In many ways, I feel that I am hardwired for this stuff.
The other night my NieuCommunities’ tribe was taking an extended time to explore how we each individually connect with God; what are the times, places or activities where we are most connected and alive. For some it was through contemplation, others through a variety of worship forms, while others through care giving and hospitality. For me, intellectual exploration was one of the primary ways I connect with God. My writing, teaching and graduate studies have not come out of a desire to attain a “deeper” faith, but rather out of a unique conviction that I must pursue these things out of faithfulness to the faith I ascribe to. God has created me for this stuff and it is a significant way I hope to edify the Church global.
Now, while this is an important reality to acknowledge and foster as I come to better understand my wiring and its relation to my Kingdom contribution, I have to hold this reality in tension with some recent experiences and convictions that have come about as a result.
On one of my recent trips down to Tijuana, Mexico I was able to stay for a few days and enter into some of the rhythms of life in this context. Because of the close proximity, shared economy and common relationships, we consider Tijuana part of the larger metropolitan area of San Diego. Whether it is acknowledged or not, we function as one city. With that said, the ways of life in Tijuana and San Diego run in sharp contrast with one another. The material poverty in much of our neighboring Mexican population is stunning in comparison with the material excess in much of San Diego. More stunning to me was the comparison between the Christian communities on each side of the border. While much (certainly not all!) of the energy of Christians in the States goes to building bigger buildings, having better events and ascending the intellectual ladder, our friends in Mexico (certainly not all!) are seeking live out their faith in the everyday realities of the mundane. They simply don’t have the time or energy to debate doctrine when they need to provide the next meal for their family.
Just a few weeks ago I returned from spending an extended time in the West Bank among Muslim and Christian Palestinian friends (see above pic). Not only did we experience life-giving hospitality, we received it from a people who have almost nothing (material) to give. When we came into one of their homes, the father/husband said, “When you enter our home you are the resident and I am the guest.” The Church of Palestine lives under the heavy yoke of occupation enduring extreme poverty, daily injustice and has seemingly little hope of a new reality for the generations to come. But – and this is a HUGE but – the Spirit is alive among this community. This is a band of Jesus’ followers who everyday have to choose to follow the Prince of Peace in their daily realities. For them, following Jesus cannot simply be reduced to a belief system or a doctrinal statement. No, following Jesus for them means choosing peace in the face of yet another incident of violence, it means choosing dignity amid imposed humiliation, it means expecting the arrival of “daily bread” when all their resources have run dry.
Here is the bottom line: People in third world countries are more worried about living out their theology in the mundane than arguing theology in the theoretical. From my experience, a lived theology is much more true and compelling than a “thought about” theology.
This truth serves both as an inspirational and helpful critique of those of us in first world West.
Developing theology in the theoretical is a unique luxury we have in the West. If held in tension with the reality of our brothers and sisters living in 3rd world countries, it can be a great benefit to the Church global. If only understood through our grid of success, achievement, value, intellectual assent or a desire to be on the “right” side of an argument, it can be a grave tragedy for the Church of the West and its relation to the Church global.
Our intellectual excess is a reflection of our societal tendency towards excess and consumerism. Yes, even our heart felt desires for intellectual assent in theology can be a sin of excess and consumerism. It is a reality that is largely only an option in places where we have the time and resources for such practices.
There are no debates between neo-Calvinists and neo-Anabaptists in the West Bank. There is no talk of Mark Driscoll and Rob Bell. There are no flashy programs and events. Sure the Church has its issues in these places, but their differences are unearthed through shared life and practice rather than in lecture halls and blog rolls.
If done well, I think theological debate and discourse are good. In fact, they are needed.
Intellectual stimulation is good. For people like me it isn’t pursued with a desire to be unfaithful, it’s the exact opposite.
So we have a great gift here in the West. It is one we must cherish and develop, not for our benefit or reputation, but for the benefit of God’s global Kingdom. We have a lot to learn from our brothers and sisters around the world and as one who has build much of my theology in the theoretical, I choose to stand first in line to repent and learn from these hero’s.
May we not only learn from our brothers and sisters in third world countries, may we allow their life and practice to inform the voice of the Church global as much our best books, sermons and lectures. Because while we get carried away arguing our theology in the theoretical, they are busy living out their theology in the mundane of the everyday.
Note: I am speaking to “general” contrasts between 1st world theology and 3rd world theology. There are many exceptions and I am in no way discounting the brilliant intellectuals with a significant voice and influence who live in 3rd world countries. They are a numerous, needed and growing presence.
This is a much needed piece of journalism that is one of the most accurate reflections of the situation of Christians in Israel/Palestine that I have ever seen. Many of the people and places in the video are those Jan and I have come to know and interact with in our time on the ground on the West Bank. Further, this is a brief snapshot of some of the main reasons we feel so compelled to support and encourage the Christian Palestinian population still remaining in Israel & Palestine. As Westerner’s who have a significant role in what is currently unfolding in this region, this clip is important and well worth the time.
Missional communities’ look differently all across the globe, but each has core values (whether they realize it or not!) that fuel and drive their life and practice. My community – NieuCommunities – is a covenant community. 
