Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Centered-Set Church

Centering on Jesus in a World of Change

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by Marta Castillo

In a scattered, distracted, and diverse world, we value being centered. A centered person is focused, balanced, and grounded–mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. As we center ourselves, we connect with an essential, internal, and authentic self in the present moment. We do this through spending time with God in prayer, silence, reading Scriptures, Sabbath rest, and in community. Centering helps us find peace in chaos by quieting our minds and making space for grace. 

For the thirty years that I attended Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life–a culturally, theologically, and economically diverse body of believers–we survived and thrived because we centered ourselves on God’s vision for us: to worship the Lord in unity; to experience the transforming and gifting power of the Holy Spirit; and to proclaim the gospel of reconciliation through Jesus Christ in word and deed. We had so many differences, but we centered ourselves on God and on our relationships with one another to be a witness and a community. 

In June, the Mosaic Mennonite Conference Leadership Ministers met with Mark Baker, the author of Centered-Set Church. Our conversation focused on the challenges and opportunities of maintaining a centered approach within a conference composed of diverse congregations with varied identities and beliefs. We reflected on Mosaic’s experience accompanying these congregations and the importance of creating a centered vision that can hold us together while offering grace and manageability. 

 Mosaic’s vision and mission–and our three priorities of missional, formational and intercultural transformation–are part of the center that we can continue to develop. We discussed centered-set concepts in Mennonite theology including from the Anabaptist Essentials: Jesus as the center of our faith; community as the center of our life; and reconciliation as the center of our work. 

The group explored how different congregations and ministries define their center. Some long for clear boundaries and others desire a more centered approach. We acknowledged tensions between maintaining unity and making space for diverse beliefs. We affirmed the need for grace margins, for discernment, and for time and trust to work with differences. We asked: How do we balance necessary boundaries with room for interpretation and transformation? How do we approach future dialogue and collaboration? 

Mosaic Mennonite Conference is a young organization, shaped by old and new elements, navigating rapid change —experiencing both loss and growth in relationships and membership, while facing upheaval in the world around us. Let’s continue the conversation on what center we need to have to live into our vision together to “embody the reconciling love of Jesus in our broken and beautiful world.” 

Listen to Dr. Mark Baker (part one and part two) to learn more about Centered-Set Church.   

Marta Castillo

Marta Castillo is the Associate Executive Minister for Mosaic Conference.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To contact Marta Castillo, please email mcastillo@mosaicmennonites.org.

Mosaic Leaders Explore Jesus-Centered Leadership at Regional Gathering

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by Rose Bender Cook

Over a dozen Mosaic Mennonite Conference staff and leaders traveled to Delaware during the last weekend of June to a Jesus Collective Regional Conference. Founded in 2019 in Canada, Jesus Collective is a relational network of churches, organizations, and individuals who use an Anabaptist lens to center their faith and lives around Jesus.  

Given our work at Mosaic with the centered-set model and our emphasis on Jesus as center of our faith, we were curious to hear their perspective on Jesus-centered leadership, and how this approach intersects with power, justice, and conflict. 

Photo by Jesus Collective

The event was different than what I expected. Jesus Collective embraces a many-voiced, participatory approach. Rather than a series of lectures, the conference offered a conversational format: interviews, multi-voiced presentations, and space for small group discussion. Rather than providing answers, they invited us on a journey of shared discovery. There was time to wonder, to imagine, and to pray. 

One of the most intriguing aspects for me was to consider how holding Jesus as the center of our faith can be lived out in our congregational decisions, budgets, and in navigating differences.  

In the conversation around Jesus-centered power, Marlena Graves and Leonard Dow answered questions about their experiences. Dow shared that during his time as pastor of Oxford Circle Mennonite in Philadelphia, PA, he utilized a tool from Andy Crouch’s book Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing. The model calls Christian leaders to embrace the authority God has given them while also being vulnerable and taking risks, so that those they lead might flourish rather than be controlled.  

Graves shared how she was called by God to use her influence as a writer to advocate for justice when immigrant families were being separated at the U.S. border. Her story reminded us that we often have more power than we realize and that Jesus may call us to use it in disruptive, surprising ways that challenge unjust systems. 

Personally, I found myself drawn to the broader questions being asked about the church and what God is doing in the world. So often, my focus is narrowed to the needs of my congregation or our conference. This gathering invited me to zoom out. 

Leaders from Jesus Collective voiced a shared sense that we may be living through another reformation—one that, like the upheaval of the 1500s, will reshape institutions and power structures. Unlike revivals or renewals, reformation can be painful. It can feel as though the foundations are shaking. 

A diagram that Leonard Dow used during his seminar to explain Jesus-centered exercise of power.  

In the 16th century, the printing press sparked a technological revolution that changed everything. Today, we face an equally disruptive wave of technology: the internet, social media, smartphones, and AI. Information—true and false—moves rapidly across the globe. How will the church respond? 

In the first reformation, the Bible became accessible and was rediscovered by everyday people. Jesus Collective believes that in this era of change, the Spirit is inviting people to rediscover the Jesus of the Gospels. Institutions and formulas have had their day. 

The invitation was to pay attention to where the Spirit is moving and join God’s mission in the world, recognizing that it may look quite different than we expect. God is always doing a new thing. 

Rose Bender Cook

Rose Bender Cook is the Leadership Minister for Formation and the Mosaic Institute Director. She is also a pastor at Whitehall (PA) Mennonite Church.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author, contact Rose at rbender@mosaicmennonites.org.