Today we’d like to introduce you to Noah Filipiak
Hi Noah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Coming out of the racial injustices that rocked our nation in 2020, we were led to start a new church that values racial justice and multi-ethnicity as part of a living out of traditional Christian belief in the Bible. What I mean by that is we don’t think that racial equity is something separate from the Bible, it is a part of the Bible and a part of Christian discipleship. When we put our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, we are repenting, meaning we want to live according to his will, not ours. We are committing to obey him to the best of our ability, instead of sinning. Racism and injustice are included in these sins that we are repenting of and asking forgiveness for, thus it is a part of our mission as a church and as individuals to live differently and to live according to the things Jesus cares about. This also includes many things outside of racism and injustice, but this value was one of our founding principles at Mosaic Church as we wanted to be a place where people could see the connection between equity and the good news of Jesus, as that hasn’t always been the case in the church.
We planted with the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination. I chose the ECC because they have a focus on Scripture and saving faith in Jesus, but also emphasize and equip their churches for racial justice ministry, as well as strong theology around ministry to the poor, marginalized, and oppressed.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This is my second time church planting and it’s never a smooth road. You are trying to get all the systems of running a church off the ground at one time, with very limited human resources when you first start out.
You need enough volunteers to run the ministries of the church, but you don’t have a lot of people yet, so it’s easy to burn people out, and to get burned out as a leader by trying to do too much.
You also have all the life stories of each person in the church. “Life” happens to all of us, but there’s a level of trauma and even dysfunction that some carry more than others. As a pastor, you are shepherding people through these difficult issues, some of which are chronic, others of which come up as crisis events. It can be difficult to maintain boundaries as a pastor and to “leave work at work.” Self-care and boundaries are really important, as is developing a great team of leaders.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Outside of pastoring, I’ve traditionally published two books (one is under contract) and have self-published another. They are all Christian non-fiction. In my free time, I’ve been writing a sci-fi novel which I just finished the first draft of and am very excited about. This creative endeavor is my right brain’s “happy place” and it brings me a lot of joy. My books are “Beyond the Battle: A Man’s Guide to His Identity in Christ in an Oversexualized World” and “Needed Navigation: A Teen’s Guide to His or Her Identity in Christ in a Sex & Porn-Filled World.” I have a forthcoming book with Our Daily Bread Publishing currently titled “Shelter in the Storm: A 30-Day Psalms Devotional for the Grit of Life.”
I host The Flip Side Podcast and blog at noahfilipiak.com as a part of my author endeavors.
I guess you could say I’m a serial entrepreneur as I also founded New Humanity along with a team of other urban pastors from Grand Rapids. We are working at being a church network that is an urban community development non-profit specializing in interest-free business loans to business owners of color and also funding urban, multi-ethnic churches.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
“The journey is the reward.” -Steve Jobs quote of an ancient Chinese proverb. You’d better be called to the journey and you better enjoy it, even when it’s super painful. The journey needs to fill your gas tank and get you out of bed in the morning, because it’s a grind. You have to love the grind. You have to want to make a difference and be energized that you get to do your part to make the world better.
You need a foundation and identity that is deeper and truer than success. For me, this is Jesus Christ and his love for me. This is the rock of who I am and I’ll always have it with me, whether I succeed or fail from a cultural or financial definition.
Practicing gratitude is also huge. Be thankful for what you’ve built thus far and celebrate it, not looking at how far you have to go to get to the ambiguous goal of “arriving.” Be thankful that one more person read your book, not feeling like a failure because you aren’t a NYT Bestseller. Be thankful for each person you impact. That’s what it’s all about. If that’s not your reason for doing it, you’re probably doing it for the wrong reason.
You also need to be aware of your battery life and know when you need to pull off the throttle. Take breaks. Take your Sabbath. Take time away. Take sabbaticals. Build a great team (and share leadership) so it’s not all on your shoulders.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.noahfilipiak.com, www.mosaicgr.org
- Instagram: @noahfilipiak
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/noahfilipiak
- Twitter: @noahfilipiak
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/noahfilipiak
