A name is an important thing. It is the first thing a person is given when they are born. It identifies a person and distinguishes between that person and another person.

If you think about it, the sound of one’s own name is the sweetest thing an ear can take in. If you have been in a crowded place and heard someone call out your name (but really meant for another person), there is a moment of exhilaration followed by a brief moment of despair that you are not the one they were calling to.

To change a name is a big deal. It can signify a new union as in the case of a married woman taking on the new last name of her husband, or it could be changed for a multitude of other reasons.

This past Sunday, the church I pastor changed our name to mosaic church. There is so much excitement about this new change that I thought I would share a few reasons why and the significance behind the meaning.

When we started this church back in spring of 2021, we were sent out and supported by Cornerstone Church in Ames. The DNA of that sending church is a large reason why we do some of the things that we do.

As a result, it is why we teach through books of the Bible while focusing on the gospel message and why we emphasize our Connection Groups as a way to connect. It has influenced our heart for Marshalltown, and it is why we believe in having a plurality of leaders both in decision making and in preaching.

The goal from the beginning of planting was to get to a spot where we had local leaders feeding into our decision making, a growing congregation, and enough local support to stand on our own feet financially. Thankfully, we hit those health metrics quicker than we had anticipated!

Enter in the transition to becoming mosaic church.

The name mosaic carries a few layers of meaning for us. In one sense, we wanted to have a name that represents the diversity of our community. In a deeper way, we often talk about the concept of how a stained glass window is made. In order to make a stained glass window one must take many different colors, shapes, and sizes of glass, and then use them in the midst of their brokenness by putting them into the hands of a master craftsman, who can make something beautiful.

That is what we see the church as being. We desire to become a church that is made up of different colors, shapes, and sizes of broken people who God is using in the midst of their brokenness as He puts us into a community to shine the beauty of God’s message of light and truth.

In our logo, we have a few intentional pieces as well.

The broken vessel is meant to describe how the church operates. A vessel does not produce water, but it provides the water where it is needed. The vessel does not transform the water but merely transports it holding that water until it is ready to be poured out.

We desire our church to be a vessel of God’s Word — not producing it, but providing it. Not transforming it, but transporting it. We desire to pour out the grace of God and let Him do the transformational work needed in the hearts and lives of people.

The frame around the vessel intentionally breaks at the word “church.” We desire to be a church where chains are broken and people experience true freedom in Christ.

The “c” in the word “church” is intentionally lower case. We understand that we are one “small c” church in the town of Marshalltown. mosaic is not God’s “Big C” Church, rather we represent one local body of believers who is a part of God’s “Big C” Church.

The red color is intended to highlight some of the historic buildings of Marshalltown. The color red is also the only similar color in the American, Mexican, and Myanmar flags.

All together, the new name and logo are meant to be reminders for myself and the members of our local church as to who God is calling us to be. We seek to be a church that is focusing on the transformational power of the gospel while we seek to love this city well and meet people in the midst of brokenness.

Wounds are real. Brokenness is experienced by all of us. We believe that the power of healing and transformation has a name. His name is Jesus!

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Steve Bensema is the senior pastor at mosaic church.