Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mosaic membership process?

To become a “member” of Mosaic, there isn’t a process. To be a part of our community at Mosaic, all you need to do is come. We will do our best to serve you, teach, share with you, love you, and allow you to serve no matter where you are in your spiritual journey.

What is the Mosaic volunteer staff process?

On the other hand, to become a part of our volunteer staff involves intentionality. The only reason to join staff is if you want to make a greater commitment to invest in others.

The Staff Process looks like this, and does not have to be done in this order**:

- Have made a focused commitment to Christ.
- Have made a public confession of faith through baptism by immersion** (must have made a focused commitment to Christ first).
- Be connected to a Community Group or Ministry Team.
- Have completed “Mosaic Life in Christ” (a 6 session conversation with others about our life in Christ).
- Completed Mosaic “Life in Church” (a luncheon with leaders from Mosaic sharing our vision and values. ** You must complete #s 1-4 before attending this evening).
- Embrace the Staff Covenant.
- Be commissioned at Elements.

The Staff Commitment is:

Invest your passions – Honor God by following Christ personally and passionately. Your reputation is Christ’s reputation and the church’s reputation.
Invest your talents – Participate in the life of the congregation through genuine worship, sharing, learning, and serving.
Invest your resources – Support the Gospel here and worldwide by tithing (10% of your income) and then by giving more as the Lord leads. Invest your time, skills, talents, and gifts in and through the church.
Invest your relationships – Develop authentic loving relationships with other in the church and establish significant relationships with those who do not know Jesus.

Mosaic is a huge volunteer force of talented, gifted, unique and committed “unpaid staff.” If you want to come to Mosaic to become a part of what we’re doing – to connect, learn, grow, and impact the city – we welcome you with open arms.

If interested in coming on “staff” with Mosaic, please let your community group leader know or contact someone at the Connection area of the Sunday Gatherings.

Where do you meet? Where is Erwin speaking?

Mosaic meets on Sundays at 6 different locations in Southern California (Whittier, South Bay, Glendale, Hollywood, Pomona and San Diego).

When Erwin McManus is speaking, he typically speaks at the Glendale, and Hollywood.

You can check the current series here. In our other campuses, the campus pastors are our primary communicators or our speaking team shares.

Request Erwin speaking- info@mosaic.org

What are your core values and vision of Mosaic?

Overview:
Mosaic is a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope. The name of our community comes both from the diversity of our members, and from the symbolism of a broken and fragmented humanity which can become a work of beauty under the artful hands of God. We welcome people from all walks of life, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey.

Mission :
To live by Faith, to be known by Love, and to be a voice of Hope
(1 Thess 1:3)

Vision:
To be a spiritual reference point throughout Los Angeles , and a sending base to the ends of the Earth.

Core Values/Metaphors/Environments:

Wind (Commission) Mission is why the Church exists.
The Church is a movement, not an institution.
Every follower of Jesus is commissioned by God.
See: John 3:1-8, Acts 1:8; 8:1-14, Acts 2, Acts 8:26-40, Luke 4:14-21, Genesis 2:4-7, Ezekiel 37:1-10, Mark 4:41

Water (Community) Love is the context for all mission.
The Church is relational, not programmatic.
Every follower of Jesus is part of a larger community.
See: John 4, John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:7-21, Psalm 42:1, Psalm 1:1-3, Isaiah 32:1-3, Isaiah 58, John 7:25-44

Wood (Connection) Structure must always submit to Spirit.
The Church is empowering, not controlling.
Every follower of Jesus is called and connected uniquely to serve.
See: 1 Corinthians 12, John 15:1-17, Romans 11, Matthew 9:14-17, Romans 12:3-8, John 15:2, Jeremiah 31:31, 2 Corinthians 3

Fire (Communion) Relevance to culture is not optional.
The Church is incarnational, not esoteric.
Every follower of Jesus celebrates communion with God.
See: John 1:14, Philippians 2:5-9, Acts 17:16-34, Romans 12:1-2, Genesis 22, Exodus 3, 1 Kings 18:16-39, Psalm 51, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Hebrews 12:29, 1 Corinthians 14

Earth (Character) Creativity is the natural result of spirituality.
The Church is transforming, not conforming.
Every follower of Jesus grows in Christ-like character.
See: Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 8:4-15, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Ephesians 4:17-5:2, Genesis 2:7, Isaiah 64:8, 2 Corinthians 4:7-11

Core Convictions:

The Bible is God’s authoritative word to us.
Jesus is the only hope for a lost and broken world.
The local church is God’s agent for redemptive change.
Every Christian is called and gifted by God to serve the Body and seek the Lost.
The Church is called to whole earth evangelism.

What is your Doctrine?

The absolute best way to understand and learn about any community is to experience it on the relational level. Statements of faith can tell you what a community of faith’s beliefs are, but they can’t tell you who they are. If you’d like to discover who we are at Mosaic, please come to one of our gatherings on Sundays. A list of times and locations can be found on our home page at www.mosaic.org.

If unable to make it to Los Angeles and you want a more in-depth and relevant look at Mosaic (e.g. our core values and philosophy of ministry), please pick up a copy of the book An Unstoppable Force, by Erwin Raphael McManus. You can get it on sale at Amazon or probably find it at any major bookstore.

If the actual “statements of faith” are what you are still interested in, please go to the Origins Project or reference the Baptist Faith and Message here.
Do you have resources available?

We recommend purchasing books by Erwin McManus and other leaders on our team from online stores such as Amazon or your local bookstore.

How do you make a request for Erwin McManus to speak?

The first step in requesting Erwin to speak at an event is to go to the speaker section of Erwin’s website www.erwinmcmanus.com. Fill out the speaker request form in entirety in order to ensure we have enough information to respond to your request.

Erwin reads all of his emails and genuinely appreciates your comments and input. Unfortunately, due to an extremely high volume of correspondence, Erwin is unable to respond to each one personally (which by the way, drives him crazy!).
Are there any mentorship programs for pastors through Mosaic?

Although we do not offer any mentorship programs for pastors through Mosaic, there is a growing alliance of churches and leaders who are committed to the mission of Jesus Christ. You can get more information about The Mosaic Alliance at mosaicalliance.com. Although there are no classes or programs available at this time, there are opportunities to connect and be invested into through experiences like The Mosaic Leadership Experience called Origins.

We are also a part of a team called The Origins Project.

The Origins Project:

Our Vision: This network is a community of followers of Jesus who are passionate about seeing people know God and experience life as He intended. As we are guided by the Scriptures we will inspire one another to embrace innovation and creativity as a means to fulfill this mission.

Our Passions: Jesus, Humanity, and Innovation

Jesus: Jesus and the inspired Scriptures are our guide for everything we do.

Humanity: God ’s extreme love for people infuses this mission with urgency.

Innovation: Creativity will be normative for our mission.

We are friends, pioneers, misfits, leaders, artists and innovators who want to dream and work together rather than alone in participating in God’s mission in this world. We are from different backgrounds and use different methods in different cultural contexts, but share the same passion to love, serve, and take risks to see others connect and experience the transforming love of God in Jesus.

Visit www.theoriginsproject.org for more info

Does Mosaic offer any internships?

Mosaic does not currently have an internship program available.

Is Mosaic hiring?

We currently have a precedent of hiring paid staff from those who have served in a volunteer capacity at Mosaic and have demonstrated the characteristics of faithfulness, humility and gratitude; we hire based on character, not only on talent or experience.

Everyone at Mosaic, from the elders and lead pastor, to the assistants, were all active participants and servants before they were asked to become a part of our paid staff. Of course, you are always welcome to come to Los Angeles and join in on what God is doing here through Mosaic as a member of our 800+ volunteer staff!

What Others Are Saying About Erwin and Mosaic

“If I could only require one text for all my divinity students, if I could only recommend one book for every religious leader, this would be the one.”
–Leonard Sweet
E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism
Drew University, Madison, NJ

“Erwin is not predicting the future, he is demonstrating God’s next wave as the prophetic leader of a multi-cultural authentic faith community. A must read.”
–Michael Slaughter
Pastor, Ginghamsburg Church

“I love Pastor Erwin McManus’ heart for the Kingdom, for the city and for reaching people for Christ—he’s one of the great visionaries and innovators when it comes to church leadership of our day. Growing out of his own incredible experience, An Unstoppable Force contains insights and principles that I believe can help any church grow and reach it’s full potential in Christ!”
–Bill McCartney
Founder & President, Promise Keepers

“You can hardly find a book more engrossing from page to page—because you rarely meet a man with as fascinating a story to tell. Loaded with profound insight as well as constant interest, McManus clearly has a lot to offer church leaders today, presented out of the raw, real context of actual ministry.”
–Ralph D. Winter
Founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission

“This book is dynamite! Defying conventional church growth wisdom at every point, McManus articulates a fresh, bold, radical, counter-cultural, compelling, exciting, and absolutely biblical model of the Church. His style is as readable and funny as his thinking is profound. I wish this book were required reading for every pastor and every seminary student in the country!”
–Dr. Gregory A. Boyd
Professor of Theology, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

“Erwin McManus excites me—from the first time we met to the end of An Unstoppable Force. Read this intelligent analysis of the church and clear-minded takes on culture. It will equip and inspire you to approach church life with the kind of faith, hope and love found at Mosaic.”
–Todd Hunter
Former National Director, Association of Vineyard Churches, USA

“Uprising is a thoughtful and restless look at what the church needs to do and be if it is to touch the soul. I hope it produces restless and thoughtful readers.”
–John Ortberg
Willow Creek Community Church

“Erwin McManus is one of the most creative young leaders I know. Every time I have the opportunity to hear him speak or read his words, he brings fresh perspective on basic truths. Uprising will take you on the most important quest of your life – the quest for character.”
–John C. Maxwell
Founder, The INJOY Group

“If you feel as if you have been sleepwalking through life and you want to change, this book is for you. If you gave your life to Christ believing the journey would be the adventure of a lifetime and you have lost your compass, this book is for you. If you want to live life with passion, purpose and no regrets, pick up this book and start reading today.”
–Sheila Walsh

“I wish I could say I couldn’t put Erwin Raphael McManus’s book down. The fact is, I had to put it down many times to think about what I had just read! Seizing Your Divine Moment challenged me to examine my thinking about ministry and life, and it motivated me like no book I have read in years. I marked almost every page and found myself saying ‘yes’ out loud on several occasions. You owe it to yourself to ‘seize the moment’ and read this book.”
–David Jeremiah
Senior Pastor, Shadow Mountain Community Church
President, Turning Point Radio

“Erwin Raphael McManus forcefully presents the fact that we know the regular and reliable presence of God’s kingdom in our lives only by acting for God now. We make our moments divine by not postponing acting for Him, but by stepping in action now beyond what is regarded as safe and proper, into situations where only God can help us. If we follow Jesus in this way, the glorious language of the Bible and the creeds will become our day-to-day reality—not something we are hoping just might be true.”
–Dallas Willard
Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern California
Author of The Divine Conspiracy and Renovation of the Heart

“It’s easy to see an opportunity after it’s passed⎯and to regret it. When I teach leadership, the most difficult questions I am asked often concern how to discern a divine moment. Erwin Raphael McManus provides the answer in this book. Examining the life of Jonathan, he beautifully illustrates how anyone can have a life transformed by the God factor. Don’t miss this book!”
–John C. Maxwell
Founder, The INJOY Group

“Erwin Raphael McManus stands firmly on biblical principles in his life and leadership. He is practicing, personally, and leading his church, in the life of adventure that Christ promises to those who seek to walk in His steps. Creative, dynamic, real life and not theory—that is the heartbeat of one who walks on the cutting edge of faith.”
–Jim Henry
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Orlando
Former President, Southern Baptist Convention

“Erwin McManus has penned a book of such magnitude it will be a catalyst for every believer’s faith, creating a divine impact that will rock your ministry, our Church and this world for God’s ultimate glory. Don’t leave one page unread! My prayer is each of us will be shell-shocked to the core by what Erwin has articulated on these pages. Herein you’ll discover the key to explosive faith… something that will shape the next level of your faith walk! I want this for all the people in my life!”
–Wayne Cordeiro
Senior Pastor, New Hope Christian Fellowship O’ahu, Hawaii
Author of Attitudes that Attract Success

REVIEW of The Barbarian Way:

“A world without God cannot wait for us to choose the safe path…If Jesus would not avoid the place of the skull, then we should not be surprised where He might lead us.” So cries McManus’ voice in the wilderness of a Christianity he says has become far too civilized, calling us to repent of our pharisaical religion and be as revolutionary as the early disciples were.

Taking John the Baptist as the poster child for radical Christianity, the author says, “Discipleship has become the mechanism for uniformity rather than uniqueness. Yet if we learn anything about God through John, it is that God has no problem with spiritual eccentrics…his intent is never to domesticate us, but to liberate us.” He says we as Christians are called to be passionate risk-takers, a far cry from the polite pew-sitters that populate most churches.

Filled not with rebellious ramblings but with the deepest love and respect for God, his Word, his Church, and those who are fully committed to following Him, McManus’s book is none the less a call to revolution against “civilized” Christianity and a quiet but sincere manifesto for a Spirit-led uprising of radical Christ-followership. Read it, and let the revolution begin.
–Gary Hassig

FOREWORD to An Unstoppable Force:

We all have mornings when it’s hard to wake up. Perhaps it’s 40 minutes of guilt-ridden dozing, hitting the snooze alarm every eight minutes. Perhaps it’s sitting in a trance watching the long line of slow-moving taillights on the freeway ahead. But then there is the feeling that hits after the second cup of coffee or after an hour of morning exercise. Same day, different awareness. We feel alive, active, and fully awake. We realize how much we would have missed otherwise.

An Unstoppable Force is an abrupt opening of the window shade, revealing that we’ve all been hitting the snooze button for decades. On the other side of this book is a different faith, a new awareness, a new excitement and a new burden that the need is even greater than we realized before. In talking with hundreds of church leaders each year, I’ve seen two movements of God that seem to cross all boundaries of denominations, geography, and church styles. An Unstoppable Force certainly hits the bulls-eye on both.

First, we see church leaders progressing beyond the church growth movement of the 1980’s, which opened up a new awareness of the culture around us. They’re also moving beyond the church health movement of the 1990’s, which created a new emphasis on intentional discipleship. What church leaders are increasingly talking about is church dispersion. We’ve worked so hard to get people inside the church and on a path to maturity; how do we now move them back outside of the church to serve in the marketplace, community and the world? Church growth and church health really don’t make sense without church dispersion; yet that may prove to be the most difficult task yet. We like comfort. We like safety. It is a daunting task to change church from a place that serves consumers to a place that creates servants. An Unstoppable Force tackles this challenge head-on.

Second, the role of church leaders is changing. In the last two decades pastors have been told they must be good preachers… er, actually we meant teachers… uhh, more accurately leaders… well, what we really mean is visionary CEO types… wait, that’s not it… we really meant system builders and equippers. Now we see that church leaders must be spiritual directors: builders of the culture and creators of the soul of the church. An Unstoppable Force provides great wisdom on building the internal culture, or ethos, of a church without succumbing to a faddish role. And it also provides a demonstration of how that happens. This is a book of timeless wisdom, explained in a present perspective that seeps authenticity and reality.

Erwin McManus is unusually qualified to write this book. I first knew him as we pastored churches about a mile apart in the shadow of downtown Dallas. For years he has been a trusted friend and mentor in new ways of understanding God, the church, and spiritual maturity. He is now the pastor of a vibrant church community who is on an authentic journey to wholeness in the heart of Los Angeles. Mosaic is certainly a unique church. It is multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-locational, and in a rocket ride of transition. It is a rare work of God to see so many principles that other churches merely talk about come to reality in one community. It is evident that Erwin holds this jewel lightly: it is not a product of five transferable steps; no one person created it; and while Erwin is a great leader, he knows he is not what maintains it or keeps it on track.

An Unstoppable Force is not about easy steps, but is a journal of what God is doing in an amazing congregation, explained in ways that can be applied-but not mimicked-in the churches of those who read this book. This book is probably best read with a leadership team. It fosters challenging dialogue. It does not attempt to mechanize something that can only be achieved organically and spiritually.

At Leadership Network, we spend our days looking for innovative, God-empowered churches. Mosaic is a pioneer among pioneers. We have sent many church leaders to Mosaic to see the future firsthand. This book is cheaper than a plane ticket, and perhaps good incentive to go anyway after reading it. Better yet, it convicts me, and hopefully you as well, that we have been pursuing is a slumber-filled Christianity. The light of God on my comfortable Christian life might tempt me to squint and want to snuggle deeper into the warm bedcovers of complacent Christianity. I am thankful that Erwin has opened the window shade so wide that God can use this book to jolt me to a new awareness of God’s intention, and God’s purpose for me and his church.
–Brad Smith
President, Leadership Network

FOREWORD:

This inspiring book is written by a survivor. Eight years ago, my friend Erwin McManus was called to pastor a church with a great history in urban Los Angeles. The Church on Brady was known for its creative pastor, its diversity, and its heart for missions. Most church consultants would have recommended that Erwin not accept the leadership of the church for 3 reasons: First, he’d be following a great senior pastor who served 25 years and created a very unique culture. Second, the church had been plateaued for 15 years and in decline for a few years. Third, the congregation was land-locked on 3/4th of an acre on a one-block street. Conventional wisdom would say “You’d be a fool to try to change a church with so much history. You’ll be martyred.” Transitioning this church for a different 21st century ministry would be difficult and painful. But Erwin stepped out in faith and accepted the challenge. Now he has led the church through a process of transition and renewal that is amazing, even changing the name of the church to Mosaic, (which, by the way, I think is one of the coolest names for any church). He has not only survived the transition, he has grown and thrived. That is rare.

To get the most out of this book pay close attention to the metaphors and stories. If you want to lead people, regardless of whether they are modern or postmodern, boomers, genX, or millennials, you must learn their metaphors, use the right metaphors, and change the metaphors when necessary. If you change the metaphors you can change the world! Jesus did. That’s what being a “cultural architect” or spiritual leader is all about.

This book models what a post-modern purpose-driven church can look like. Every church is called to fulfill 5 eternal purposes that Jesus gave in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. These purposes never change. But the styles and methods we use to fulfill these purposes MUST change with every new generation and target. And how you say it makes a difference. Mosaic uses 5 elemental metaphors to represent the 5 New Testament purposes: Evangelism as “Wind”, Fellowship as “Water”, Service as “Wood”, Worship as “Fire”, and Discipleship as “Earth”. These images are poetic, deeply profound, and perfectly match the church’s target of reaching artists, cultural creatives, and those attracted by aesthetics and images in the Los Angeles basin.

For 25 years I’ve taught pastors, “The church is a Body, not a business. It is an organism, not an organization! It is a family to be loved, not a machine to be engineered, and not a company to be managed.” Pastoring is an art. It has nothing to do with being a CEO. It’s all about servanthood and authenticity and taking risks in faith. In this book you find story after story that illustrate these timeless truths.

I love Erwin’s self-deprecating humor. It’s an endearing trait I’ve found in all pastors who are greatly used by God. Too many Christian leaders take themselves way too seriously and don’t take God seriously enough. Humor and humility come from the same root word.

Most of all, I love this book because Erwin loves the church. I’ve read too many self-serving critics of the church who attack straw men, use their books to vent unresolved personal anger issues, and never really give any useful insights for helping churches change and be healthier. Erwin, like a true leader, wastes no time criticizing or attacking others. Instead he dreams and focuses on what the church can be. This book is not the theories of an academic, a pollster, or a pundit. It’s written by a real pastor who serves in the real trenches of local church ministry day in and day out. He understands what ministry is really like.

So read it and learn. Read it with an open mind. The moment you think you’ve got the ministry all figured out, you’re finished – in ministry and life. Growing churches require growing leaders. This book will help you along the way.
–Rick Warren
Lead Pastor, Saddleback Church
Author, The Purpose Drive Church