*Note: This blog was written as a research and reflective essay, because of this there are quotes from outside sources. If you want to see the citations and bibliography for these sources, click the PDF version of this blog.
For almost as long as I can remember, my family has been attending Hope Christian Church in Winchester, Massachusetts. To be exact, I have attended Hope for thirteen out of the eighteen years of my life. So, since I was six, Hope has been influencing me and shaping my idea of what Church is and how it works. I have spent countless hours and days in the sanctuary of Hope, bringing me into the Throne Room of God.
Hope is a small church in the suburbs of Boston, located in a fairly wealthy and liberal part of town. Hope stands out as a church in New England because it is not a Catholic church with a tall steeple, since Catholicism is the dominant religion of the area. Rather, Hope is a perfectly rectangular brick building placed in the middle of downtown Winchester, right down the street from two Cahtolic churches. How Hope Chirstian Church explains their beginnings on their church website says, “We are a non-denominational, evangelical, Bible-based church founded by Winchester residents in 1993.” I would also add that Hope is an elder led church, rather than by just one pastor. The church actually started from a small group of families who were simply meeting at someone’s house, unaffiliated with any church group or denomination.
In a conversation with David Gonzales, an elder of Hope since February of 2015, he says, regarding the position of Hope as non-denominational, “For [Hope] to be non-denominational means it has no allegiance or submission to an authoritative body of overseers. It means we don't adhere to all the beliefs and practices of a given denomination. It does not mean we do not want to be submissive or loyal, it just means we do not wish to align ourselves in a submissive way to a body of beliefs and organizational structure and oversight that we may not fully agree with, or which would keep us from making independent decisions as the Lord would lead us.” In other words, they use the freedom of being non-denominational to be faithful strictly to God's Word and how the Lord is leading the church presently. That is why Hope describes itself as a Bible-based church. If you listen to a sermon done by the teaching elder, Todd Cravens, you will hear almost as much Scripture as his own words. Everything we as a church believe, say, and do is through the filter of the Bible.
While also being Bible-based, Hope is an evangelical church. In a blog post by Trevin Wax, vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board, written for The Gospel Coalition, he describes the basics of evangelism and lists out the four pillars of evangelism to be, “..the authority of the Bible, the centrality of the cross, the necessity of personal conversion, Christian action in evangelism and social work.” Hope accomplishes these pillars very clearly in their heart to reach out into their community and into the world. Hope has missionary partners all over the world, they hold Town Days where they reach out to their immediate community of Winchester, they are associated with fifteen other mission organizations, and they will also go into downtown Boston to reach those who are lost there by going up to people and praying for them while sharing the gospel. This is clearly tied to Hope’s belief statement about the role of the Church which says, “We believe that the church is the body of Christ and is composed of all those who trust in Jesus Christ. The Church’s task in this world is to be God’s redeemed community, proclaiming the gospel of God’s redemptive love through our Lord Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth by both word and deed.”
Last, Hope derives its leadership structure from scripture, primarily by how Paul instructs the church to be structured. In Titus 1, Paul tells Titus, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you..,” then goes on and explains the qualifications of an elder. The important thing to note from this verse is the plurality of elders rather than one “Senior Pastor.” Hope is an elder led church. This means that there is a small group of men who equally oversee, make decisions, and guide the church. Currently, there are only three elders, but Hope is in the process of recruiting two more men since the church is growing. There are around 200-250 regular attenders; people of all ages, different cultures, and different walks of life.
The idea of a non-denominational church is a fairly new movement, starting in the 20th century. According to Dr. R. Norton Herbest, a professor at the University of Denver, who wrote their dissertation on the non-denominational church, addresses the church identity, “This identity is grounded in three core traits: conservative doctrine, evangelistic conviction, and an independent spirit.” What is interesting is that he states that most, if not all, non-denominational churches are evangelical.
Now, the term evangelical has both good and bad criticism. The book and research in Routes and Radishes by five individuals, (Allen L. Yeh, Michelle Sanchez, Mark L. Russell, Chelle Stearns, and Dwight J. Friesen) addresses all the sides of how evangelical Christians are perceived in the Church, but also in the world. It is important to note that evangelicalism is not a denomination but rather a characteristic the western Protestant church tends to portray. One of the greatest drawbacks of churches that claim to have evangelical ideals is, “...the fact that Evangelicalism is often tied to certain prominent individuals.” This has been the common perception of evangelicalism with figures like Billy Graham and Harold J. Ockenga being the leading voice of the movement. They are not discredited as pastors because they held evangelical values, but, from an outside perspective, it looks like the movement is based off of and led by a few “extra important” people. That is why some non-denominational churches stray away from calling themselves evangelical because they do not want to be an individualistic church. Individualistic in regards to singular people, but also a singular political party: conservative republicans. Without going into too much detail, there is a conception in America that all evangelical Christians are republican. In an article by the Washington Post titled Five Myths about Evangelicals, Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a professor at Calvin University, writes, “As historian David Swartz chronicles, the evangelical left was always a “moral minority” within the broader movement, but its existence demonstrates that evangelical theology does not inevitably find expression in conservative politics.” She highlights the fact that there is a stereotype for a reason, but it is not a statement of faith that you have to be republican to be evangelical. For example, my home church Hope Christian Church is an evangelical non-denominational church, but they have a primary focus on being elder led by a group of diverse men with different social and racial backgrounds so the misconception of being individualistic is not present.
My church, Hope Christian Church, and their beliefs helped shape me into the Christian I am today. The leaders and friends that I have met there have shown me the importance of Scripture. The primary source of knowing who God is and who he calls us to be is found in the Bible. Because the sermons and teachings were so Scripture based, Hope has taught me to test everything I hear with what the Bible says, no matter who it is from. As a Christian pursuing God and wanting to know him more, Hope has shown me what intentional church community looks like. They have given me space to grow and space to lead wherever God is calling me.
While Hope has been a big influence of what a church community looks like, and showed me what it means to be disciplined in the Word, I would say that my foundations of worship in song was based on my family’s backgrounds and beliefs. My parents met in a very charismatic church, and because of them, that is how I appreciate worship, that is the worship I am more comfortable and free in, and is how I worship naturally. By charismatic I mean that the worship is more spontaneous, the congregation is more physically engaged by raising hands, jumping, dancing, moving around, and they welcome Spiritual Gifts like speaking in tongues and prophesying. For example, my parents’ former church is now called Light of Life Church, and it has belief statements about “‘The Holy Spirit,’ ‘Gifts of the Holy Spirit,’ ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit,’” and so on, all of which are not presented as boldly on Hope’s belief statements. These are aspects of Hope that are not emphasized or done in a normal Sunday morning service. However, these are things my parents have roots in and they established these roots in my family.
In relation to worship in music specifically, Hope has taught me a lot. Because Hope is a non-denominational church, they have to account for all the different backgrounds and comforts in worship of the congregation. This then leads to worship leaders who try to please everyone. Trying to make worship a mix of hymns and older songs, while combining somewhat contemporary worship music, being free to worship, but making sure you are not too charismatic that it would make others uncomfortable. This results in the worship leaders becoming somewhat bland and repetitive. Once they find a style or a song that feels comfortable they just keep repeating it. The tight control over the musical elements of worship has definitely been the hardest challenge of being at Hope. That is, finding a way to worship when it is not how I would choose to worship. However, being at Hope, God has truly taught me how to have a heart of worship, of respect, and joy for worship that I do not normally like. Being able to connect with the worship leader from a heart to heart, looking past the music style I do not enjoy. Worship, meaning the act of singing songs of praise as a congregation, being in God’s presence as the Body of Christ reflecting the future glory of the Heavenly Throne Room. Getting lost in time and space with a heart of complete adoration and fear of God, this is the kind of worship that Hope has taught me to appreciate, to strive for, and to cultivate. Hope also emphasized the words of the songs we sing. That we have to be intentional about what we are singing and how we are preparing our hearts to be in God’s presence.
I truly love being at Hope, despite the struggle to worship in song freely. I have been challenged, I have been pushed, I have been nurtured, I have been taught, and I have been loved at Hope. Hope is not a perfect church, but I think it reflects God’s Kingdom beautifully. Seeing a church that started purely by fellowship, prayer, and a love for God grow into the church that has led me through joyful and painful parts of life is amazing.
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