Q: Our proposed new name and tagline is

Mosaic
A Faith Community for Greater Rochester

This name does not include the word "Church." Are we ashamed of the Church? Why not call it one if that's what we are?

Let's preface the answer with this background perspective from Pastor Don.

Overall the response to the Mosaic name has been very positive. We’ve had about ten neutral responses but no one who said, “yuk- that’s awful”. About 6-8 people asked about not using the word “church” in the name. Although it’s a small percentage of the overall feedback numbers- it’s an important question. That specific part of the name proposal is very missional in nature- out of much research and a deep sense of calling to position ourselves to reach people who are far from God, and deeply skeptical of the church. Both church families have reached many of these people in the past, but the Barna research below shows that the societal changes are getting worse, not better.

Billy Graham taught evangelists internationally, “Do everything you possibly can to remove the unnecessary hurdles for people who are seeking God. Get rid of language, church culture, prejudices, anything you can- because the only hurdle that can’t be removed is the cross and people will have to face that one to be a Christ follower.”

A: We love the bride of Christ- she’s beautiful in all of her forms. We are not ashamed of the people for whom Christ died!

• The reality is that she’s referred to in many ways within scripture: church, bride, army, fellowship, family and more.
  
• To be culturally aware, we must identify the powerful emotional & cultural connotations that are connected to certain words.
  
• Sadly, within our culture, the word “church” connotes the opposite of what it should. On a recent episode of “Extreme Home Makeover” the team built a camp for kids with AIDS. Kids got up and told their stories at a campfire and how much this camp meant to them. One teenager had everyone crying when she shared how her church told her, on Easter Sunday, that she and her family were no longer welcome to attend there because of her disease.” Sadly that story probably resonated with the masses.
  
• Also sadly, as you’ll read in the article, the word “Christian” is translated “homosexual hater”. We’ve been aware of this trend for over ten years- and searched for another title that would catch people’s attention while not compromising its meaning. To many, “Christian" means a political group, the moral majority, or a mean-spirited, judgmental evangelical. Many seekers comment about the title “Christ-follower”. They’re grateful for the re-definition. To them it means “Wow, you’re trying to really follow Jesus even though it’s not easy.”
  
• We believe (and studies show) that people are open to God, and open to new forms of faith community if they can shake off the old cultural clothing, behaviors and attitudes that drive people away.
  
• On a practical note, we’ll optimize our website so that even though the name likely won’t say “church”, if someone googled "Mosaic Church Rochester" we’d still be returned prominently in their results.

Q: Each church has a unique identity. Will those identities be lost in this process?

A: With any marriage, there are things we give up so that we can be “one”. Yet there are strengths and positive gift-mixes in each congregation that we also desire to preserve. There are several guiding principles that we believe the Lord has given the elder teams:

• That we must adopt the strengths of each congregation rather than blending strengths and weaknesses.
• That we are to honor the history of each congregation in the years ahead as we form a new identity together. We will be faithful to re-tell future generations of how God provided grace and strength in each season, and led us to become one church family.
• We’ll ask God to guide us to a new name that will represent our new future.

Q: What does the July 16th Guidance/Unity Check mean?

A: To be done well and wisely, blending two church families must be a deliberate and careful process with many layers of decisions and considerations. In this first season, we’ve been getting acquainted relationally, and simultaneously seeking God with the question, “Does this seem right to you Lord?” The feedback the two churches are providing is not meant to ask the ultimate, “yes/no” on the blending of the church families. Instead, it’s meant to ask, “so far, as you’re seeking the Lord, what do you believe God is saying about the steps, introductions and information you’ve received?”

Q: What are the practical outcomes of “going the next step”?

A: Here are four:

• We will continue to take deliberate steps to build relationship between the two church families, both corporately and among individuals that God is leading each of us towards,
• Pastor Don Riling will begin to teach at both churches three Sundays a month beginning in August, and he will begin to move into an active role of guiding the eldership team and congregations of each church,
• Each church will provide 1/2 of Pastor Don’s salary (based on a temporary service contract between the congregations), which also allows NS to provide the backup staff support in the following transition stages,
• We will continue to take steps of prayer and discussion regarding culture, constitution, identity and other vital blending issues. These discussions will include the leadership teams, (Staff, Serving Council, Ministry Team Leaders, Strategy Team, Trustees) focus groups, and the membership of each congregation in the appropriate stages. By following the circles of communication, we trust God will give us the maximum wisdom and instruction from His heart.

Q: Is it ok to disagree on a leadership initiative?

A: In many church cultures, if you disagree with or question a leadership initiative, you may be made to feel inferior or rebellious. We don’t believe this is a healthy model for church life, especially as it pertains to divine guidance. Pastors and elders do need the authority to guide a congregation, yet it’s healthy in any family system to discuss differences, yet still feel secure and loved. Here’s how Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth With A Mission, teaches elders to function:

• If (for example) a group of ten elders is seeking the Lord regarding a particular direction, they will normally discuss, pray, listen to God and share impressions of divine guidance.
  
• If nine of the ten feel a certain direction is correct, but one disagrees, the group slows down and prays and discusses further. If two or three disagree, the group slows down even more, seeks the Lord in more depth and listens for more insight. **
  
• Since we see “but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (remembering that mirrors in those days were distorted and hazy, which is how the scripture describes spiritual insights) those who are mature understand that they don’t always get guidance perfectly right. That’s why we seek the Lord together and listen together, but lean upon the wisdom and experience of elders to help guide the way.
  
• Therefore, if two out of ten (for example) can’t agree, after much discussion they can choose to trust their fellow leaders, knowing that if the group is wrong, they will humbly admit it and the leaders will all learn together. This is when the head elder or pastor is expected to use wise judgment regarding when to move forward and when to slow down.
  
• We believe these same principles apply within the larger church family. As the church prays diligently, seeks God’s face, and discusses guidance points (or the lack of them) we can be assured that together we’ll hear the instruction of the Lord.
  
• Dr. Paul Cedar, former president of the Evangelical Free Church of America and current CEO of Mission America, once shared with a group of leaders, “whenever we ran into problems in our church in Pasadena, California, we found that there was no conflict that couldn’t be solved by every person in the church getting on their knees, laying down their agendas, and seeking for Christ’s clear direction for His church. That is the only sure path to unity.” ****

* YWAM mobilizes hundreds of thousands of workers to nearly every nation of the world yet recognizes that one of their greatest contributions is teaching “God’s ways” to the church internationally as they attempt to do the work of God’s kingdom.
** This is assuming that the elders are spiritually mature, experience God’s guidance on a regular basis, and have good fruit from following Christ’s leadership in their lives and organizations.
*** 1 Corinthians 13:12
**** a paraphrase of Dr. Cedar’s quote

Q: What if I can’t hear from God?

A: It’s important that we use maturity and wisdom, plus self-awareness, to differentiate between our emotions (“fears are not always facts”), our personal agendas (what do I want to see happen), our preferences (this is the way I like it), and what God is saying to the church. Many people admit being in different levels of growth in their spiritual experience. If you’re not hearing from God regarding an important decision, despite much time dedicated to prayer and listening, it’s ok to admit that. It’s important to remember that being more mature doesn’t mean that God always speaks to you! He reveals Himself and His direction according to His own wisdom and plan, not ours. As we each seek God, walk in humility and honesty towards one another, and extend trust towards God and our church family, His plan is always seen in the end.

Q: What is my responsibility as a leader or member of Walnut Hill or NewSong?

A: Several key areas:

• Seek the Lord diligently. Be willing to lay down your rights and plans and ideas of what YOU think this should be and ask God to show you HIS plan and desire. See the “Ten Steps of Intercession” for more principles of listening to God’s guidance.
• Stay informed of updates. If you miss a Sunday or key gathering, ask for a CD or tape.
• Read the documents online such as the vision statement, or pick up a copy on the info table at church. Invest the energy to comprehend each point to the best of your ability.
• It’s your responsibility to ask questions and continue asking until you’re get a clear answer. Please don’t expect leaders to read your mind or come find you. Your input is important. The elder teams know that we can’t please everyone on every point, but we’re instructed by God to listen carefully and pray over every issue.
• Guard your heart and keep it full of faith. Don’t murmur. The Children of Israel missed the chance in their generation to go into the promised land because of a wrong attitude. What’s the difference between complaining and proper action?
  
• The first approach wants to just whine about difficulties, and usually to the wrong people, fomenting unrest and unbelief in others.
• The mature response is to write down your issues so they’re clear to you, contact the right people—primarily leaders who have answers or can help you search for them, and keep a faith-filled, God-focused attitude, always looking to build others up, find solutions, and honor the Lord with our words, attitude and deeds.
• This doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to raise tough issues repeatedly. It does mean that we do it with the right heart and trust God for the outcome rather than politically fighting to get our own way.
  
• PLEASE pray for all the leaders involved in this process. Many are investing twenty to thirty hours (and more) a week above their regular jobs, in hundreds of hours of meetings. Each one feels the weight of this responsibility and is doing their best to hear from the Lord, understand His plan, put words around each stage of progress, and respond to the questions and needs of each person. Please honor these leaders with patience and prayer in the months ahead. They’re doing a very complex job and will make mistakes and miss steps at times. It’s challenging to build a relationship with a new church and leaders while not missing a beat at our home church. Patiently remind them of any missing pieces of information in a way that supports rather than expresses your frustration. “Love hopes and believes all things…” (1 Corinthians 13)

Q: Do we have to have complete unanimity (absolute agreement of every member on every issue) before we can proceed?

A: One of the earliest instructions from the Lord to the elder teams was to proceed slowly and include as many people as possible in each step of progress, allowing each member to seek the Lord for instruction at each stage. Yet we also realize that because we’re human and at many different levels of spiritual maturity—not everyone will hear the same guidance or be called to participate in the journey ahead. Our goal is to guard the unity of the church families while moving forward together and facing difficult issues.

Q: How will we configure future ministry teams?

A: One of the blessings of the slower process towards blending the church families is the opportunity to get to know each other as friends first, before we begin “working” together. We embrace the principle: “All ministry flows out of relationship.” As we spend time together we’ll have opportunities to share our stories, experiences and passions. It will probably be obvious in 90% of the cases, who is most qualified to lead each team, and how each person’s gifts fit. The key will be to keep our egos out of the mix. Leading a team is not a position of status; it’s an opportunity to serve. If team members collaborate and defer to one another, the process can be very satisfying for everyone involved. One of the guiding principles of team formation will be to “adopt strengths, rather than blend strengths and weaknesses and end up with mediocre.” We’ll ask the elder teams to process with each ministry area, identifying strengths and weaknesses and help form new structures and policies. We’re committed to a slow careful process over 12-18 months, rather than throwing teams together.

Q: Will I be needed on a ministry team?

A: This is an underlying concern that we’ve heard from many people. Part of the assumption may be “that the other church already has full, qualified teams.” Let us put your heart at rest—this isn’t true. Each church may have a handful of teams that are “full and qualified”—for now! Factoring in changes of life seasons, weariness, needed skill areas and staff shortages, almost every ministry area will be delighted to have “troop reinforcement!”

Q: Where will we meet?

A: Through the courtship and engagement phases, each church family will continue to meet in their present facility. If God continues to lead us to the covenant stage, we’ll need to begin a process of prayer and discussion about our future home. One of the principles of blended families recommended by family therapists: if a new family can afford it, a new home presents the opportunity for a new life and culture and diminishes a large number of tension points. We feel strongly that this principle applies to our church families too. Going to a new place together gives us a new start and a new identity. We understand that this process must be led with excellent stewardship and much wisdom. The elder teams commit to seek the Lord diligently in these matters. As God “supplies where He guides” we trust that His leadership will be accompanied by the provisions needed, including facilities.

Q: Why doesn’t NewSong Church just move in with Walnut Hill Church and save money on rent at MCC?

A: There are several considerations. First, a guiding principle we’ve been honoring is to keep both church families healthy and thriving during a transition period. It’s true that we could save money overall, but NewSong Church has carefully followed a process of seeking God (with all the leadership groups over many years) and felt led that, 1- the church and offices are to be within a close proximity to the city and college campuses, 2- by moving away from this location, we’d be disobeying the Lord’s instruction to reach the young professional group that is so difficult to reach. By keeping each church strong and healthy in their present locations, we allow time for the next steps of prayer and seeking God’s instruction and ensure that when we come together in a new location (that we trust God will guide us to) and that we’ll blend two healthy, strong church families. Although it would be exciting to fill up the Walnut Hill facility, we’d be violating the 80% rule, which says that seekers and visitors are uncomfortable and often will not return once a sanctuary is filled above that percentage on a regular basis. A solution might be to go to multiple services, but that would hinder the essential sense of “togetherness” we will need in the first season together after the covenant stage.

Q: Are there overlapping staff roles?

A: Right now, yes. It’s because we have too few people doing too many jobs. One of the vision points (that encourages our hearts) is this: once we’re together, functioning as one congregation, with each person doing their area of gifting, we see the potential for a very well-rounded team! The challenge will be in the “in-between” time. Until we move into one facility with one Sunday worship celebration, we’ll need to continue serving faithfully and wisely, helping each congregation continue in health and growth.

Q: How will the Lead Pastor function?

A: Early on the eldership teams realized that for Don to lead well through this process (and not burnout) it would be necessary for him to focus on a few key areas. Primarily, this will include: vision-casting, communications, Sunday messages, and big-picture oversight. Everyone understands that this will be a complex and demanding role for him through each of the stages. It will be very important for each congregation to avoid the “go to Don—he can fix anything and everything” mode. It will be important for the Lead Pastor to guide the development steps but please be patient around expectations of individual appointments. Caring for people needs in two congregations will be challenging in the season ahead!

Q: Will Pastor Don be preaching in both churches?

A: During the courtship phase until 7/16/06, Don will try to visit WH as often as possible, including New Community meetings on Wednesday nights. If the feedback from July 16 is “let’s go forward” from both congregations, Don will begin to spend three out of four Sundays in each church. (for example, week 1: WH only, week 2: WH & NS, week 3: NS only, week 4: WH & NS) The idea has been suggested to adjust our worship times in the fall of ’06 to allow Don and other leaders to participate in both services and community time afterwards. Of course, this is only until the two congregations begin meeting together in a new location. Please help us seek the Lord for wisdom in these logistical areas!