Mosaic

Five Questions

What’s your full name?

Richard L. Kentopp, MDiv (the only time I get to use the title! BOOYAH!)

How do you spend your free Saturdays?

What’s a free Saturday?  Just kidding, I watch basketball, play basketball, and scream at the TV with Jackson, Don, and Travis H.

 If you had one book to read for the rest of your life (other than the Bible), what would it be?

I’m pretty sure the current issue of McSweeney’s would be just fine.  

Favorite local joint in Austin?

My favorite local Austin joint is my house. I live with one of my best mates, we have a recording studio, an Xbox, lots of room for our friends to hang out, and plenty of Shiner.  What would I need to leave the house for?

Favorite music?

Favorite music?  How long do you have?  Let’s just say Tortoise, Joan of Arc, Mogwai, the Smiths, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor and leave it at that.

Richard’s Story

Richard, by his own admission is a very contended person. He is involved with lots of different things and each thing is something he loves and feels led to be involved in. He is in numerous bands at any given time. He has a recording studio at his house.  He helps co lead a bible class each semester.

Richard got saved when he was 16 at the church that his parents had helped start. They had left the church when Richard was little and he hadn’t been back. But a friend invited him to the youth group one day and he met God there and fell in love with community.  He got involved with the youth group and began playing with the worship team. It is where he really began to play music and to learn the guitar. He never had any formal music training.

After attending UT and helping to start a number of churches here in the Austin area as well as some other states he decided to  get his Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological University in California.  He admits though that after leaving Fuller he did not want to help start or work in anymore churches. He was burned out on fundamental Christianity and considered teaching theology instead. He is passionate about scriptural interpretation and loves studying the bible, specifically the New Testament.

When he first came to Mosaic in 2008 he told Don he didn’t ever want to work in a church again and definitely didn’t want to play music on a worship team. But after a little less than a year here he agreed to be on the  leadership team and he helps lead worship for our sister Servant Church with Eric Vogt. He says he loves it though. By his own admission he said that being involved with churches is something he can’t seem to escape. “Apparently I’m an expert on church planting,” he said.

He likes being involved with Mosaic and Servant Church. He appreciates  that the leadership team plays more of the role of a servant team, helping to fill the logistical gaps and support the staff rather than being solely for decision making.  He feels strongly that Mosaic provides a place for people to seek and ask questions. He says, “The work of the church is to help figure out life.”He likes being a part of that.

The only thing he feels his life is missing in a vocational and hobby context is more involvement with basketball, specifically he would like to be coaching.  Other than that, he is quite perfectly contended. Really, he is.