God’s Mission Through a Shifting Mosaic
Every time we gather as a denomination, there are moments and events of significance. The Midwinter Conference last week was especially momentous.
The theme was “Mission Through the Mosaic.” All of the worship music, plenary talks, guided activities, and workshops were designed to help ask the question, “How are we, as a multiethnic mosaic of people, to engage in God’s mission?”
It’s a critical question, one that deserves more than cheerful slogans and pat answers. And God is bringing winds of change to the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the format of Midwinter itself.
The cancelation of last year’s event contributed to a palpable sense of hunger and desire for in-person connection, which is why more than 600 Covenanters gathered in person at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago. Nevertheless, with the omicron variant of Covid-19 surging in early January, many of us were only able to connect virtually. And so, just as many of our churches have been required to do, we adapted the Midwinter format to include both in-person and online interactivity. As hundreds gathered inside the hotel, still hundreds more participated in Zoom calls and watched, listened, and commented on various YouTube streams.
And so even in the midst of fear, anxiety, and loss, we celebrated.
MONDAY
The jubilant tone started with the music. A multicultural team of singers and instrumentalists led us in worship, under the direction of Eric Lige, worship director of Ethnos Community Church in San Diego, California. They brought an appealing mix of old and new worship hits and original tunes, blending not only musical styles like rock, funk, and gospel, but also multiple languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, Zulu, and Tagalog. Their diverse musical offering set the table for each day’s offering of speakers, presentations, and hosted meals.
During our opening worship service we heard from Danielle Strickland as she preached through Acts 27. She reminded us that the map that shows us the Apostle Paul’s journey was only created after his journey was over, and that we don’t get the map of God’s movement beforehand. She pointed to verse 22, where Paul reminded the ship’s crew that “not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.” And her admonition was clear: “We don’t need to invest in keeping the ship together. We need to invest in people. The people have always been the point.”
TUESDAY
In the morning we heard from Gwen Adams of Priceless in Anchorage, Alaska. Priceless is one of the domestic partners involved in FREE, the Covenant’s anti-trafficking initiative, which also offered an interactive prayer experience later that day. As part of her exhortation, Adams said, “Discipleship is for people at the margins. When you disciple people at the margins, the center heats up.”
Our plenary speaker was Rev. Mary Chung March, president of the Covenant Asian Pastors Association (CAPA) and chair of the Mosaic Commission. She spoke poignantly about healing from loss as she took us to Revelation 7. She reminded us that the road to healing goes through relationship, not otherizing. “In the end people from every nation, tribe, and language will be worshiping before the throne,” she said. “If we are going to worship like that in heaven, it would be great if we did it here too.”
Tuesday afternoon we heard from our president Rev. John Wenrich, who reminded us, “We are at our best when we’re grounded in the Scriptures, calling out the best in one another, and telling stories of transformation and hope. The ethos of mission friends is our roots, and the mosaic of mission friends is our future….We do this not through our own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, who is the blazing center of our mission.”
In the evening Rev. Dominique Gilliard was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award from North Park Theological Seminary for his scholarship and public advocacy as director of racial righteousness and reconciliation for the Covenant. Immediately afterward, we heard from Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley, Anglican theologian and New Testament professor at Wheaton College, who said that our current context is not as unique as we might think. “We keep having this idea that after the pandemic we’ll get back to normal,” he said, “but the normal state of ministry is pressure, disruption, and persecution.” Our call is not only to proclaim the kingdom of God, but to embody the kingdom in the way we treat each other, he said.
WEDNESDAY
Our morning speaker was Sandra Maria Van Opstal, executive director and co-founder of Chasing Justice, a training, advocacy, and consulting firm, who drew from Acts 15 to tell us that “when the Spirit disrupts, good leaders lean in,” and challenged us to embrace reform as a vehicle for transformation and liberation.
A variety of workshops were available Wednesday afternoon. Esau McCaulley explored a series of biblical texts explaining why the multiethnic mosaic is integral to the Church’s mission. Rev. Susan Cosio and Rev. Tammy Hallam peeled back some of the layers of grief and trauma unique to pastors and chaplains. Rev. Barbara Ettinger and Rev. Bryan Murphy led discussion around increasing capacity in five key areas of leadership (listening, inquiry, feedback, focusing, and follow-up). Pastor Michele Dodson and Rev. David Swanson explored specific challenges to leading multiethnic churches. And Rev. TJ Smith and Rev. Curtis Ivanoff were joined by Lenore Three Stars and Rev. Jim Sequiera in a discussion about the Covenant Church’s repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery and how to continue to stand in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
The evening worship service was hosted by Asociación Latina de la Iglesia del Pacto Evangélico (ALIPE) and featured music from international worship leader Coalo Zamorano, including his hit single “Gloria Sea A Ti.”
THURSDAY
After another stellar set of worship music, we heard from Rev. Lance Davis, outgoing executive minister of the Develop Leaders mission priority, and Rev. Susan Cosio, president of the Association of Covenant Chaplains, on the critical work chaplains do in challenging conditions.
Our plenary speaker was Rev. Jim Sequeira, who spoke to us via video from Cascade View Covenant Church in Vancouver, Washington. Sequeira—or “Uncle Jim” as he’s affectionately called—emphasized his Hawaiian heritage as he offered several indigenous practices to keep us grounded in mission, including the sharing of stories. “Practice engaging in story,” he said. “Stories are sacred, shared gifts… your story is just as important as all other stories of justice.”
Thursday afternoon we were treated to an in-depth presentation called BLESS Beyond, designed to help pastors and other leaders incorporate the BLESS evangelism initiative into the culture of their churches and organizations. Rev. Michelle Sanchez, executive minister of Make and Deepen Disciples, teamed up with Pastor Dave Ferguson of Community Christian Church to present the initiative, which encourages leaders to Begin with prayer, Listen with care, Eat together, Serve in love, and Share the story.
And then in the evening, we heard from Dr. Michael Emerson, professor and department head of sociology at the University of Illinois Chicago, who presented a series of research findings that support the key findings of his newest book.
That research, based on a series of survey answers across various demographics, suggests that a significant portion of self-professed practicing Christians engage in beliefs and practices that are not consistent with orthodox Christianity as is taught in the Bible. Instead, these beliefs and practices, which are often affiliated with a movement some describe as Christian nationalism, can best be described as “a religion of whiteness,” Emerson said. He concluded by suggesting that this contingent should be the next targeted demographic for mission work and offered his shared hope that the Covenant is uniquely suited to engage this critical work.
FRIDAY
Friday morning was the final plenary session of the week, and after the intensity and heaviness of Emerson’s assertions the previous night, we unpacked some related ideas through a panel discussion. The discussion was lively, heartfelt, and sometimes, somber. (You can read several quotes here.)
As we look back on all that transpired during the conference, I keep returning to the theme, “Mission Through the Mosaic.” Mosaics are often beautiful because of their colors, and because when you zoom out, the pieces usually form some kind of pattern or picture.
But the photos we see of mosaics are once they’re already finished. The reality is that in order for a mosaic to come together, many of the individual pieces must first be broken and rearranged. While we’re in it, the process might feel more chaotic than it does beautiful. But the master artist knows how to turn that brokenness and chaos into order and harmony.
My prayer is that, as the Spirit’s wind continues to blow change into our people, churches, organizations, and structures, we will lean into the Spirit’s work.
So, mission friends, let’s be unafraid to show our brokenness. Let’s get a little messy and allow God to blow us into a new configuration. Through humility and cooperation, we can become the beautiful mosaic that God intended all along.
