partnership
DESCRIPTION
A presentation that explains why our church does not operate membership but develops partnership.TRANSCRIPT
The Place for Love, Hope & New LifeThe Place for Love, Hope & New Life
CovenantPartnership
The concept of “Covenant Partnership” is a term that can be
misunderstood, therefore in an effort to avoid confusion, we offer an
explanation of why Mosaic practices “Covenant Partnership” and not
“Membership.”
What is a Covenant?
A covenant is an agreement that binds one party to another within a defined relationship and includes promises, claims, and obligations on both sides. Examples in the Bible include those made by God with Noah (Gen 9:9) and God with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).
At Mosaic we use the term “Covenant Partnership” to indicate that everyone involved in Mosaic has a strong binding relationship with each other. This is expressed through everyone agreeing with, and living out, our corporate vision, mission, beliefs and values.
Partnership is about “Becoming”
There is a deep need for belonging in each of us. That is why we love to join things like Boy Scouts, the Bridge Club, the Gym, the Bowls Club, the Badminton Club, the Boat Club, and even The Chamber of Commerce. Belonging to a group of like-minded people validates us. We feel important and we find life enriching relationships. This is also the reason many people want to be a “member” of a church.
At Mosaic you don’t have to be a “member” to get a sense of belonging. In fact, our whole ethos is to make it easy for people to belong in meaningful ways. You can join any Cell, the Men’s or Women’s Ministries, Alpha, Celebrate Recovery, the Singles group, Football or Tennis teams etc.. Our feeling is; if you come here, you belong here!
Partnership is about “Becoming” (cont’d)
Therefore Partnership is not about “belonging”, it is about “becoming”. That is becoming a fully functioning, authentic, follower of Jesus Christ. Our mission statement says, “Our mission is to make it possible for anyone to experience God’s love”; therefore, we exist to ensure anyone can find God’s love and follow Christ. In order to help people follow Jesus we challenge them to live the 6 G’s. We strongly believe that: accepting God’s GRACE revealed in Jesus, making a commitment to spiritual GROWTH, living in community with a small GROUP of fellow
believers in a cell, serving the whole church through the use of one’s
spiritual GIFTS, GIVING of personal time and resources, participating in Jesus’ mandate to GO and make
disciples,
Are all essential components to growth and maturity.
Partnership is about “Becoming” (cont’d)
We believe that each one of the “G’s” is a biblical imperative and that they are characteristic of someone who is seeking to become a fully functioning, authentic, follower of Jesus Christ. Our goal then, is to persuade and encourage as many believers as we can to commit to live out the “6 G’s” and get on the path to full devotion.
Becoming a Partner is a way that people at Mosaic can demonstrate that they are fully committed to following Jesus’ way of life, living a biblical lifestyle, and growing into the person God had in mind when he created them.
Partnership is about“Responsibility”
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Membership has its privileges.” It’s a clear expression of the consumer mentality prevalent in our culture. Unfortunately, many people bring this mindset into the church. “Membership” can easily become a preoccupation with the rights and privileges that are due to the members. The church with this mindset can become focused on meeting the demands of those within, as important as they are, rather than reaching out to those outside the church, who need Christ.
The focus of true followers of Christ is about putting Christ first, others second, and themselves last. That is why Partnership is about responsibilities. When people decide to pursue Partnership at Mosaic they are saying that they believe so strongly in our mission to help people find and follow Jesus that they are willing to give of their time, energy, natural gifts, spiritual gifts, and financial resources in order to help accomplish this incredibly important mission. The joy of being a Partner is found not only in having one’s own needs met, but also in being used by God to make an eternal difference in the lives of others!
Partnership is about“Development”
When people consider “joining” a church they usually take into account a number of factors, for example, do I:
Like the people? Feel comfortable and secure with those
leading? Enjoy the music? Connect with God? Feel my children will be happy?
These are all natural and important questions. If the answer to is “yes” to all or most of them, people will continue to come, participate in various ministries, build meaningful relationships, and grow spiritually. This is a good thing and something we strive for!
Partnership is about“Development” (cont’d)
However, Partnership, is also about who is ready to step into the role of mentor, coach, cell leader or even community leadership. One of the things that we hope sets Mosaic apart is its open invitation to all, seekers, returners (those who are returning to church after a significant time away), and believers. Most Groups are open to everyone; however there are some teams and roles that require a certain level of spiritual maturity and commitment.
Partnership is about“Development” (cont’d)
The Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 3 is clear that those who have guiding and supervisory responsibilities need to be proven as people of character and faithfulness over a period of time. Therefore, when it comes to elders, members of the team that steward resources, or group leaders, for example, it is very important that we all have confidence that they will lead with integrity.
When people go through the Partnership process and demonstrate that they are seeking to become fully
functioning, authentic, followers of Jesus Christ, they become part of the
pool of people who can be called upon to undertake key leadership
roles in the church. By doing so they will in turn, help Mosaic to fulfil the vision of helping thousands of other
people, similar to themselves, become fully functioning, authentic,
followers of Jesus Christ!
