Leadership Structure
We believe that Jesus is our true leader and head. We also believe that Jesus provides his church with leaders who give their lives to serve and care for the church. Jesus gave the church the offices of elder and deacon to help structure leadership around character rather than gifting.
Our elders (or pastors), deacons in lead servant roles, and covenant members of the church help us to pursue Christ’s call together.
We believe that membership in a local church is an important commitment that comes with responsibilities to live out the "one anothers" of the faith, as is an essential part of how we aim to be disciples of Jesus.
Our staff is comprised vocational elders, deacons, and members of the church.
Staff
Bland Mason
Lead Pastor
Bland and his wife, Teresa, planted City on a Hill Church in Brookline in 2010. Bland and Teresa have been married 30 years, have two daughters and a granddaughter, and are emotional support caregivers for a Golden-doodle named Calvin.
In his free time, he enjoys traveling, sampling the Boston food scene, exploring backroads in New Hampshire in his Jeep, and reading in the areas of leadership, theology, philosophy, and culture. He holds M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Southern Seminary and teaches at the Boston School of Ministry. He has taught as an adjunct professor at Gordon-Conwell, Gateway, Midwestern, and Southern seminaries. He served as chaplain to the Red Sox from 2009-2019.
EM: bland@coahchurch.org
Insta: blandmason
Mike Hong
Pastor of Worship
Director of Neighborhood Initiatives
As pastor of worship and mission, Mike oversees the discipleship of the church through the Sunday worship gatherings and leading musicians in the worship ministry. He also facilitates partnerships with local organizations and ministries.
A resident of the Boston area since 1999, Mike spent several years working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Boston College before enrolling at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in 2008 to pursue an M.Div. He joined City on a Hill's staff in the summer of 2011. Mike and his wife Tanya have two children, Alina and Mark.
In his spare time, he can be found plugging away at pop tunes as a part of the musical act JustAnything
EM: mike@coahchurch.org
Tyler Speck
Pastor of Community Groups
Tyler moved to Boston in November of 2016 and came on staff in June of 2017. As Pastor of Community Groups, Tyler provides support for Community Group Leaders and overall vision and direction for the Community Group Ministry.
In May of 2019 he and Ashlan, a fellow church member, got married and have two children together. He has a Master of Divinity degree, and in his spare time, Tyler likes to drink good coffee, play chess, and bike downtown to work from cool places.
EM: tyler@coahchurch.org
Mollie Dykstra
Director of Operations
Mollie oversees the day to day operations of City on a Hill Brookline and is a point of contact for those who are in the church community and those looking to get involved. Mollie and her family lived overseas for several years before making a home in Brookline, MA in the spring of 2012. A graduate of Trinity Western University, she worked at Focus on the Family (Canada) before choosing to follow her dream of being a stay at home wife and mother. Having a vested interest in the spiritual development of the children at CoaH, Mollie also served on staff as the director of CoaH Kids from 2013-2017. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and all things retail.
EM: office@coahchurch.org
Hannah Dantas
Director of CoaH Kids
Hannah grew up in Boston and has attended City on a Hill Brookline since it was planted in 2010. She and her husband, DJ, have a little girl named Sophia, and a dog, Jules. Hannah has always loved caring for kids, both in her work as a nanny for many years and as a teacher. She is passionate about seeing children come to know and love the Lord. As the Director of CoaH kids, she oversees the children's ministry and equips volunteers to serve each week. In her free time, Hannah enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, drinking exorbitant amounts of coffee, and watching true crime documentaries.
EM: hannah@coahbrookline.org
Andre Ferreira
Director of CoaH Students
Andre joined the CoaH staff in 2024 but has been around the Boston area for over 10 years ever since he moved here from Brazil. Andre has a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Gordon College and a bachelors in theology from Faculdade Unida. Previously, he served as a volunteer associate pastor at Lovely Church in Peabody, MA. In his free time, Andre enjoys making and listening to live music with friends, discovering new food spots around the city, playing table tennis, listening to podcasts, and watching TV shows and films. Andre is in charge of the overall vision, direction, and shepherding of the students at CoaH.
EM: andre@coahbrookline.org
Shane Pratt
Technical Associate
Shane was born and raised in South Africa, but is the child of an American. After much prayer and deliberation, Shane moved to the US and got immediately plugged in with City on a Hill in 2014. Shane serves as our Director of Technical Operations on top of managing a sweet youtube page.
EM: shane@coahchurch.org
David Kim
Worship Associate
Shendl Pratt
Media/Social Associate
Hanna Kim
Worship Associate*
Artist In Residence
Hanna and her husband Joseph have been serving at City on a Hill since 2011. Hanna joined the staff in 2017. She plays the flute and assists in the planning and leading weekly worship gatherings.
Hanna graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in jazz flute performance and songwriting. Prior to that, she finished a M.M. in flute performance and conducting and a B.A. in music in universities in California. While she is working as a professional flutist, composer and arranger, Hanna wants to glorify God and contribute to the community through her music and talents.
EM: hanna@coahchurch.org
Lay Elders
Kaleb Chang
Lay Elder
Director of Benevolence MInistry
Kaleb became an elder at City on a Hill Brookline in 2017 and serves alongside his wife, Celina, in overseeing the Benevolence team. Kaleb and Celina have been married since 2010 and live in Brookline with their son, Jesse. Kaleb is a data specialist and previously served as a deacon at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.
EM: kaleb@coahchurch.org
Ed Park
Lay Elder
Director of Finance
Ed is originally from New York but has lived in the Boston / Brookline area for over 30 years. He and his wife Kim have three kids in college and high school – Hannah, John, and Joseph. Ed professionally works in mergers and acquisitions in the software industry. At City on a Hill, he serves on the finance team and community group ministries.
Ed and Kim consider Boston their long term home, where God has called them to serve the Church. Outside of work, Ed enjoys exercise, playing video games, and being his family's resident IT support / homework tutor.
EM: ed@coahchurch.org
Jeff Johnson
Lay Elder
Jeff and his wife Abby have been married since 2004 and have two vibrant daughters, Eliana and Kayla. They started attending City on a Hill in the fall of 2012 after having moved around quite a bit. While they are both working professionals, their real passion is for building community and entering into the beautiful mess of real relationships.
EM: jeff@coahchurch.org
Suny Liaw
Lay Elder
Co-Director of Global Missions Team
Suny moved to Boston in 2014 with his wife, Yen (one our deacons), and two boys, Isaac and Caleb. Suny serves as an attending physician at Children's Hospital in the palliative care area. Suny focuses his time as an elder by coaching community groups and teaching the occasional class. Suny became an elder in 2017.
EM: suny@coahchurch.org
Deacons
Edison Achelengwa
Director of Prayer Ministry
Janie Mein
Director of Caring Well
Pam Vaughn
Leadership Team Chair
Women’s Working Group
Casey Teal
Treasurer
Abby Johnson
Community Group Coach
Tanya Hong
Community Group Coach
Brandon Bellanti
Director of Information Systems
Kim Park
Community Group Coach
Yen Liaw
Co-Director of Global Missions Team
Community Group Coach
Sarah Stubbs
First Impressions
Women’s Working Group