"It was in this old Masonic temple," he remembered. "I had to get on this old, rickety elevator to get up to the service. I thought, 'This is going to be interesting.'"

What George encountered stood in stark contrast to the antiquated building that housed it. The pastor wore jeans and a T-shirt. He spoke in a casual, conversational tone. People ate during the service. Best of all, questions weren't frowned upon, but welcomed.

"It really spoke to me and my situation as a student," George said.

George has been attending Mosaic ever since, often hanging out with fellow members throughout the week.

"Sometimes we'll have conversations where the more conservative people, you can see in their faces when they are getting stretched," he said. "But that's the cool thing about Mosaic and the whole movement -- it gives people the permission to agree to disagree."

The "movement" George refers to is what many Christian leaders are calling the emerging church movement -- a response to the rigid traditions and rote rule-following of many mainstream Protestant and Catholic churches.

"Emerging" churches tend to be relaxed, relationship-based and flexible. They engage rather than preach, prize friendship over hierarchy and have worship styles that are organic and interactive rather than routine and institutional.

Indy.com recently spoke to four young leaders from local churches that share emerging qualities. We also spoke to the founder of the Indianapolis cohort for Emergent Village, an international network of people interested in the emergent movement.