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News archive
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| Project director named for health access for church workers |
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Keith Harder |
NEWTON, Kan. Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership announces the appointment of Keith Harder, Hillsboro, Kan., as project director for the health access for church workers initiative.
Delegates adopted, by a vote of 93 percent, a resolution calling on the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board to establish a collaborative process among all parts of Mennonite Church USA that would result in a plan. Harder’s appointment is the first step in following this directive.
The plan would provide health insurance access for all eligible congregational church workers. Current estimates of uninsured pastors range from 65 to 100 of the 1,300 pastors of Mennonite Church USA.
The churchwide conversation on healthcare access began at Atlanta 2003 with a broad focus on healthcare in the United States. The current focus seeks to establish practices that support congregational leadership and offer an example of mutual aid. Other insurance pools of agencies and schools will be invited to participate. Several, including MMA and the Mennonite Church USA Employee Health Plan (Executive Leadership and Mennonite Mission Network staff), have already expressed strong interest in joining the initiative.
Harder has served for eight years on Executive Leadership staff as director of Congregational and Ministerial Leadership for Mennonite Church USA. He also served as a pastor for 28 years.
While the access initiative will demand the majority of Harder’s time, he will also complete several projects related to denominational minister efforts that support area conference ministers. Marlene Kropf of Elkhart, Ind., will serve as interim director of Executive Leadership’s Congregational and Ministerial Leadership staff.
“We are fortunate to have Keith’s knowledge, relationships and energy to lead the access initiative for church workers,” said Jim Schrag, executive director of Mennonite Church USA. “This work will address a basic need for church leaders, and it will help us determine what kind of church we are called to be, establishing the extent to which we can pull together for the good of all.”
In this role, Harder will focus his efforts at being a project developer and leader, as well as a spokesperson for the larger meaning of this initiative. Harder already has established a 12-person reference group that will meet in early October.
“This challenging project provides an opportunity to address the healthcare access needs of pastors and church workers and, in the process, shape what kind of a church we will be in the future,” Harder said. “Pray for those of us who will be giving ourselves to this project that we might carefully listen to the church and to God’s leading.” |
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