Friday, March 9, 2012

The Perfect Mosaic: God's Church

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17

This has always been, and will always be God's church. He is in charge. He makes decisions and we just follow. The last few years the leadership of Washington Cathedral has felt led to continue in the process of becoming a diverse, multi-ethnic, and multi-generational church; what we call the “meta church”. When we read the book of Acts, we see a church composed of all types of races, ethnicities, social-economic background, languages, and ages―God's perfect mosaic. This diverse group would learn from one another on their journey of following Jesus, becoming disciples. This movement spread like wildfire from a small sect in Jerusalem to a worldwide church. We feel called to continue that traditional at Washington Cathedral, a meta-church that is diverse community of friends who are learning the way of Jesus together.

I am honored to be a part of fulfilling God's mission for Washington Cathedral. I look forward to helping Washington Cathedral lean into the future and am excited to join this great team.

As Lead Pastor I have two main initiatives:

1) Build a discipleship culture to help Washington Cathedral become a movement. I will build this culture through communications (preaching half the time), leading our TLC's, and introducing a new discipleship language and vehicle.

2) I will also oversee the professional ministry staff and develop systems for our church that will allow us to continue growing.

Since we are restructuring our org chart, here is what it will look like. Pastor Tim will continue in the role of Senior Pastor along with his wife Jackie who is Co-Senior Pastor. He will oversee all of the congregations of Washington Cathedral and all our non-profits. He will also continue sharing and preaching about half the time. I will be Lead Pastor over ministry and staff and Linda Skinner will oversee all operations including finances and administrations.

We feel we are on the verge of a breakthrough- - - a revival- - - a move of God that will sweep the northwest. But we need teamwork and full cooperation with God to see this come about. Change is never easy but it is necessary for growth. Please pray for us as we go through this change and commit to supporting us. Paul said it best, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." (1 Cor. 3:6) God will continue to lead, build, and grow this church.

Pastor Rey Diaz

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