We can do better
I always write this column with pastors and congregations in mind. I was a pastor for 23 years in two congregations. I have been in churchwide leadership for 12 years. You have been reading of the six-year-review of Mennonite Church USA. The Executive Board has studied many pieces of information and perspective on the state of our church since 2001, the birth date of our church. The board has concluded that we can do better than we have done. Our customs of relationship, the way we use our time and resources, the organizational patterns of our larger church need a second look. The Executive Board is considering combining some boards to gain more focus and more impact in the placement of certain ministries. All this can seem a bit remote a great distance from the ministry, cares and conflicts that congregations experience. We live in a time when the local bodies of the church have lots on their own plates—membership growth or losses, challenges of reaching out to your communities, complications that arise from newcomers and old timers in the congregation, generational changes of style in worship, finding leadership for Sunday school classes and committees, and so forth. |
| So I want to remind you pastors and
elders/deacons — whoever might be reading this—that you are the
forefront of the future, not only for your congregation and community,
but for the body of Mennonite Church USA, of which you are a vital link
to the world around us. You are the most influential leaders of our
church because you meet the flesh-and-blood needs of people where they
are. You extend the Gospel of Christ’s love and transformation that
changes lives in ways that make a difference. Congregations are the
vanguard of the missional designs and calling of Mennonite Church USA. I pray for you often that you might
know the far-reaching impact of your ministry! Pray for the churchwide
ministries of Mennonite Church USA now as we reach for a higher
expression of stewardship, meaning and effectiveness together.
—Jim Schrag is Executive Director of Mennonite Church USA see also: |