I. Spirit

SPIRIT I. SPIRIT

Inner life rooted in vibrant relationship with God

CAFO is committed to the local church as the primary community for each individual’s spiritual life and growth. However, as followers of Jesus on mission together, we believe that we can and should act not merely as co-workers, but as fellow disciples of Jesus, living and growing in him together. This is why we view CAFO not only as a place of missional work, but also – before all else – as a community of spiritual formation.11 Our first commitment is not to a “cause,” but to grow together to become more like Jesus each day as we engage the work God has given us. Toward this end, our shared commitments include:

• Bi-annual Solitude. Every staff member is encouraged to take two times in solitude each year of at least 24 hours if possible. CAFO provides one day of paid leave annually to support this commitment. Staff is asked to schedule these days at the start of each year, with freedom to change if needed. • Annual Team Retreat. Each year, the CAFO staff retreat includes not only strategic planning and team-strengthening, but also exploration and engagement of practices of spiritual formation. • Personal Spiritual Disciplines. We speak openly of and encourage personal habits of spiritual health and formation, including prayer, study, memorization of Scripture, Sabbath, and other historic practices of God’s people. • Deepest Commitments. CAFO culture is built on 7 “Deepest Commitments,” the foremost of which is a focus on spiritual life and health. Each week, the “Shield Award” celebrates specific expressions of CAFO’s “Deepest Commitments” modeled by teammates that week. On an annual basis, each employee evaluates him/herself against all of the seven Deepest Commitments and processes their response with their supervisor. • “Prayer Pairs.” Every week, each member of the team is paired with another for prayer together over important life issues they are facing. • Team “Selection & Reflection.” Every week, the staff meeting starts with a devotional from a staff member, drawing from their own personal experiences and exploration of Scripture.