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gregg
farah
mosaic
manhattan
1)
planting
a church in an emerging/postmodern culture, what do you think are
the key elements of a community of faith in an
emerging/postmodern culture?
I
think one of the key elements is a balance between aggressive
authenticity and painstakingly-long relationship building. Both of
those require a commitment to communicate the gospel, but under
the umbrella of a loving relationship. In other words, am I
willing to push my friend toward a decision (if he’s ready) or
am I willing to never talk about Christ and simply be a friend, if
that’s where he’s at, as well
2)
what
do you see as the four (because three is too traditional) to differences
between the community of faith you are serving, and those churches
in your area?
This
is an awkward question because it assumes an ‘us/them’
mentality, so let me tell you about 4 things that excite me about
the community of faith in which I serve:
We
speak a common language.
We work hard to be a city church that not only unpacks the mystery
behind much of the assumed church culture and language, but we
work hard to dialogue on issues of faith in ways in which our
community connects (the arts, media, tradition, etc.)
We
encourage doubt.
Mosaic
Manhattan
Church
is a place where it’s safe to explore. That can be applied in
numerous ways, but I love when people talk with me during the week
and share why they don’t believe what I teach or the doubts that
they have. The fun part is that these conversations happen while
they consider Mosaic their church home.
We
focus on the ‘other’ 167 hours.
‘Next steps’ and the importance of application are
priorities at
Mosaic
Manhattan
Church
. We continue to push one another towards ‘being’ the church
in all areas of our lives, rather than simply punching the clock
for an hour on Sunday.
We
give up our perceived ‘rights.’
We remind the Christians in the church that we did not start
Mosaic to be holy huddle but that a life of service to others
includes doing whatever it takes to clearly and creatively share
God’s teaching. Not only does this mean someone might miss the
service because they’ve been asked to pinch-hit by serving in
children’s ministry, but it also means we all need to revisit
the gospel message again and again and realize there is much we
can continue to learn from it, whether we’ve been following
Jesus for a decade or a day
3)
is
the community you serve connected with a denomination? if
"yes," what do you see as the benefits and problems with
that relationship, and if "no," what do you believe are
the benefits and problems without being connected?
Yes,
we are a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. On one hand,
that’s a detriment because people from the north east are quick
to look askance at anything from ‘the south,’ plus the SBC
doesn’t always get the best national press. On the other hand,
it’s a blessing because of the healthy tradition of evangelism
and discipleship within the convention and the various resources
that come with that. In addition, NYers are skeptical of all
things ‘new’ so it’s nice to communicate that the SBC is an
incredibly large gathering of churches
4)
what
would you say are the two hardest things connected to planting an
emerging/postmodern community of faith?
In
New York City
you’ve got to talk about $$$. It’s expensive to do anything
here as millions of people are competing for the same limited real
estate and intellectual/creative thought. Therein lies the second
challenge: message abound in the city and even when people are
spiritually pricked, the window of opportunity gets fed by
numerous voices. Healthy relationships are so important in order
to be a voice that gets permission into that window
5)
how
does your community of faith develop connections with those
outside the community?
We
all have a sphere of influence and we all have to aggressively
(and lovingly) be involved in showing and telling the gospel. This
happens at different paces and in different ways, but as mentioned
before, relationships are key
6)
what
do you believe are the key elements in an emerging/postmodern
worship service?
It’s
important to give people permission to explore; it’s important
to help people know they ‘belong’, regardless of what they
believe. And it’s important to give people an
opportunity/pathway to become the man/woman God wants them to be.
If you can combine those values with some high quality music, a
message that makes sense but doesn’t insult someone’s
intelligence, the opportunity to laugh and drink a cup of coffee,
you’re on to something!
7)
what
two key areas of advise would you give to a person looking to
plant a community of faith in your area, or any area?
Be
able to answer these questions:
Why
are you planting a church?
How
long will you stick with it, even though it’s difficult?
Is
there anything else in life you would like to do?
If so, do it.
Planting a church requires total devotion
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