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News archive
Contact: Laurie L. Oswald (316) 283-5100, E-mail: LaurieO@MennoniteUSA.org
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Mentoring draws new leaders into Mennonite Church USA |
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by Laurie L. Oswald
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| Marlene Frankenfield
(left), youth minister for Franconia Mennonite Conference
and campus pastor for Christopher Dock Mennonite High
School in Lansdale, Pa., mentors Carlie Frederick, a
youth ministry intern and senior at Eastern University
in St. Davids, Pa. |
NEWTON, Kan. (MC USA) -- It's not what Marlene Frankenfield
said to Carlie Frederick that drew the 21-year-old into a
youth ministry internship with Frankenfield.
And it wasn't anything Frankenfield did, even though as youth
minister for Franconia Mennonite Conference and campus pastor
at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School in Lansdale, Pa.,
she's well aware of the need for "shoulder-tapping."
It's simply who Frankenfield is and who she's helping Frederick
to become, the intern said. Frederick is from a broken home
and became a Christian only five and a half years ago. But
because Frankenfield and others have befriended her and believed
in her, Frederick is sharing her faith and helping young people
to grow in theirs.
Mentors such as Frankenfield are drawing young adults and
people of all ages into pastoral ministry, as Mennonite Church
USA focuses on its denominational priority of "cultivating
a culture of call." Becoming more intentional about this
calling is helping to fill an ever-increasing need for a generation
of new leaders such as Frederick.
"The biggest
joy of all is having someone who believes in me and who won't
give up on me," said Frederick, a senior at Eastern University
in St. Davids, Pa., who will graduate in May with a major
in youth ministry and a minor in psychology.
"She's
not a supervisor but a friend. We hang out and talk about
deep personal things. She's shown me who Jesus is by actions,
not words. And she's there to point out blind spots and my
gifts.
"It's both scary and exciting, because
Marlene tells me God has big plans for me. But I calm down
when I realize that I can be just who I am. Youth ministry
feels very natural. It feels like this is what God meant me
to be."
Mentoring, modeling, risking
Frankenfield has given Frederick opportunities to discover
her gifts and freedom to risk. Frederick helped plan chapels
at Christopher Dock, taught Bible studies and led a seminar
and worship at a youth leaders retreat. This winter, she will
complete her internship with co-pastors Dawn Ranck and Michael
Derstine at Plains Mennonite Church in Lansdale. Among other
tasks, she will help lead worship and teach Sunday school.
Frederick's congregation is Perkiomenville (Pa.) Mennonite
Church.
Frankenfield gives credit for gaining mentoring skills to
Elaine Moyer, principal at Christopher Dock. Moyer mentored
her during a confusing season of her life and helped her reconnect
to God and to persevere in ministry.
"Elaine
provided safety for me to share my weaknesses and struggles
and was a strong role model for what I'm doing now,"
Frankenfield said. " What she taught me is not something
you learn in a seminary class. It's something given to you
that you pass on.
"When we tap someone on the
shoulder, it's not over. It's just beginning. We have a responsibility
to walk with them and to love them and to spend time with
them. It's not something you teach from books. It's about
being yourself."
Calling, cultivating, collaborating
Frankenfield and Frederick aren't the only ones across Mennonite
Church USA forging supportive relationships. The denomination's
priority of "cultivating a culture of call" is helping
leaders and laity to be more intentional in identifying, mentoring
and training new leaders, said Keith Harder, co-director of
Mennonite Church USA's Executive Board Office of Ministerial
Leadership that's focusing these efforts.
Mennonite Church USA, like many denominations, needs new pastoral
leaders to replace a shrinking pool of candidates. The denomination
is striving to make strong leadership not only a priority
but also a reality that is shaping the church, Harder said.
"I hear of increased awareness in area conferences,
congregations and schools about the importance of encouraging
people to consider pastoral ministry and experimenting with
different things to get this on the agenda of their organizations,"
Harder said.
"I hear of pastors who are encouraging
people to try out ministry in the congregation. I hear of
congregations finding new ways to encourage people -- young,
old and middle-aged -- and to provide financial support for
students. And I hear of people leaving jobs -- like a doctor
who recently left his practice to enroll in the Hesston (Kan.)
College pastoral ministry program."
A group of about 50 "call ambassadors" are inspiring
congregations and other organizations and schools to be more
intentional. Call ambassadors include area conference leaders,
denominational staff, pastors, educators and churchwide agency
personnel commissioned to keep this culture alive and well
in their areas.
In one example, call ambassadors Merv Stoltzfus, conference
youth minister for Atlantic Coast Conference, and Dawn Yoder
Harms, co-pastor at Akron (Pa.) Mennonite Church, recently
spoke with a group of retired pastors and spouses. They invited
the couples to share call stories, give counsel for how to
better tap shoulders and to become mentors.
"When
we asked what they saw as obstacles for people considering
pastoral ministry, many participants shared their own struggles
very candidly," Stoltzfus said. "They said they've
seen the pastorate drop in esteem in the last couple of decades.
"Pastors chosen by lot [one candidate out of
several became pastor by choosing the book that held a slip
of paper] had more grace extended to them, because the congregation
gave them time to grow. But with the professional ministry,
a pastor is a paid employee and expectations are higher. It's
become a lot more about performance."
Despite these concerns, the eagerness of retired pastors to
mentor others brought him hope, Stoltzfus said. "These
pastors have a lot of energy and wisdom to share with younger
people," he said. "Retired pastors can move congregations
in ways that younger pastors can't. It holds a lot of weight
when a 70-something person encourages a 20-something person."
Growing, broadening, educating
Dealing with calling females as pastors is one area of challenge
for call ambassadors, Harms said. She said that openness toward
having women pastors varies within regions, and she hopes
that acceptance of female pastors grows more widely.
"My home congregation made a lot of space for me to try
out my gifts, but I know that some of my sisters in other
places don't have that same encouragement," Harms said.
"Women have a lot to contribute and work in complementary
ways with men. To have both genders in the pastorate brings
a lot more completeness to the ministry."
Other challenges include developing leaders from all racial-ethnic
backgrounds and helping educators to partner with conferences
and congregations (see sidebars). Expanding educational opportunities
within conferences is yet another challenge.
"We
want to provide more educational opportunities that fit into
this culture of call emphasis," said Duncan Smith, a
call ambassador and a conference minister for Pacific Northwest
Mennonite Conference. "We offer courses in Anabaptist
history and theology but that still doesn't get at how we
can better call people into pastoral ministry."
No matter what textbook or program is used, collaborating
with the Holy Spirit is essential, he said.
"Recently
we've had four people -- unbidden by us -- ask for help in
testing a call to ministry," he said. "That shows
that our priority in calling new leaders is in step with how
the Spirit is moving already. We just need to keep our eyes
open and be ready."
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Calling
all colors to share Christ
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Even though Victor Vargas and Leonard Dow are both pastors
of people-of-color congregations, they differ on what it means
to call out new leaders from their midst.
Vargas is a Costa Rican pastor of Iglesia Menonita Pentecostes
in Woodburn, Ore., one of eight Hispanic congregations in
Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference, and a quarter-time
conference minister.
He'd prefer that Mennonite Church USA didn't use the term
"people of color," he said. For him, the most important
factor about the denomination is not differences in skin color
but the commonality of having good news to share about Jesus
Christ.
In Latin America, many people have left empty "religion"
and embraced salvation in Jesus Christ -- the most important
aspect of the Anabaptist faith, he said.
"I don't even use the term 'people of color,' because
in my viewpoint, God has created us all with color,"
Vargas said. "God gave all of us a pigment. That's not
to say that I don't respect Mennonite Church USA's desire
to be an anti-racist church. I really support that.
"But when I encourage new leaders in my midst, I don't
make an issue of race. I just encourage them to become more
aggressive about sharing the gospel. When I put out a call,
it is a call to become light and salt so that the world may
know about Jesus."
For Dow, pastor at the multiracial Oxford Mennonite Circle
Church in Philadelphia, knowing how color is integral to one's
culture and calling is important, he said. People need to
be sensitive to obstacles that people of color undergo in
a denomination that consists largely of Caucasian families
who've been Mennonite for generations, he said.
Being aware of these issues can help first-generation Mennonites
such as Dow to encourage the next generation of African-Americans,
such as his two small daughters -- Carmela and Marcela --
to remain rooted in the Mennonite family of faith.
"The history of the Mennonite Church in Philadelphia
in the last 25 years shows that the second generation of potential
leaders go elsewhere," Dow said. "That means that
children of a first-generation Mennonite African-American
like me are likely to go into another denomination when they
are old enough to make their own decisions.
"I've asked myself many times why that is, and all I
can say is that it is a variety of factors. But I'd really
love to see our children, like my daughters, make the choice
to remain and to become second-generation Anabaptists who
can say, 'this is our church, too. This is part of our history
and our community."
Dow believes that young people of color lack connections to
educational institutions, church agencies and the knowledge
of Mennonite acronyms. And so it's easier for them to disengage
from a tightly knit circle they feel they can't enter. Even
though he graduated from Christopher Dock Mennonite High School
in Lansdale, Pa, and Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg,
Va., it took him at least 10 years to begin to feel connected,
he said.
"It can be an upward climb to identify with the longtime
generations of Anabaptist people, even though you deeply believe
in Anabaptist theology," he said. "It can be a real
struggle to fit in, and many people get discouraged after
awhile and say, 'Why even try?'
"But I believe in and am committed to the Mennonite Church,
and I look forward to the day when the Dows and the Gonzaleses
are as common as the Moyers and the Swartzendrubers.
"That's when we'll know that being a multiracial denomination
is not just about being politically correct and has become
a true Revelation 7:9 church, where people from every tribe
and every nation are called to be united before the Lord.
We need to hear every voice because God calls us to offer
every voice." -- Laurie L. Oswald
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| Educators,
area conferences cross borders to collaborate |
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For people like Bob Yoder and Del Glick, the borders between
Mennonite Church USA's educational institutions and its area
conferences are opening up. And both leaders are seizing the
opportunity as they establish new partnerships that are "cultivating
a culture of call" across the denomination.
Yoder, conference minister of youth and young adults for Indiana-Michigan
Conference and the eastern portion of Central District Conference,
is also a professor of youth ministry at Goshen (Ind.) College.
He helped to launch "Journey" this last September.
Journey is a conference-based leadership program conducted
in conjunction with Indiana Michigan and Central District
conferences and Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS)
in Elkhart, Ind. It helps people of all ages to explore a
possible call into pastoral ministry -- or to deepen and broaden
a current call through more theological education.
"This program intentionally provides mentoring relationships
for those who want to test a call, and it can last up to three
years," Yoder said. "AMBS is providing the studies
and resources and is sponsoring a retreat twice a year for
those who are exploring."
Some challenges that Yoder sees from his post as a youth minister
is that even though new programs such as Journey are beckoning
young people, he isn't sure that congregations are yet prepared
to receive younger and inexperienced pastors.
"I think the denomination is going in the overall right
direction," he said. "But I sometimes wonder whether
congregations are willing to provide pastoral opportunities
for pastors with little or no experience?
"And I also ask whether we are ready for young adult
pastors? I am a product of a small congregation who called
me as their pastor when I was 23 years old, but I know that
is unusual among many congregations, especially the larger
ones."
Like Yoder, Glick is also involved with the culture of call
within a broad-based education network. As director of church
partnerships at Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS), he administers
a new program called "Creating a Culture of Call."
The program -- which also has a yearlong high school component
called "Learning, Exploring and Participating (LEAP)
-- is supported through a $2-million grant from Lilly Endowment,
Inc.
The grant also enables EMS to partner with four Mennonite
Church USA area conferences -- Virginia, Ohio, Lancaster and
Franconia -- with hopes of soon including more conferences.
This portion of the program has several stages.
In stage one, Glick is working with area conference leaders
to plan annual or semi-annual vocational banquets in the different
regions. So far, conferences have held six banquets. Pastors
invite someone who wants to explore pastoral ministry. Also,
congregations were invited on Sunday, Oct. 19, to focus on
the joys and rewards of the "pastoral office."
"This wasn't to be a pastor appreciation Sunday but to
focus on a wider sense of what pastoral ministry is all about,"
Glick said.
In stage two, Glick is working with conference leaders to
plan a retreat Dec. 7-8 at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center.
It's for pilot congregations and pastors who want to be part
of an intentional three-year discernment, calling for a spiritual
formation process for identifying pastoral candidates. Leadership
teams from these pilot congregations -- about 50 to 60 persons
-- are gathering for this retreat.
The final stage includes having those identified with potential
pastoral gifts to serve as interns for the congregational
leadership team. This will include matching mentors with those
exploring ministry and providing training events in the conference
areas and the seminary during this emphasis.
"The new language of 'church partnerships' rather than
the older term 'church relations' identifies a real shift,"
Glick said. " 'Church relations' was more about making
sure the constituency knew what was going on at the schools
and securing funding and gifts.
"Partnership language isn't about recruitment or funding
but about making a commitment to share resources with each
other and to be accountable to each other." - Laurie
L. Oswald
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| Are
you a mentor or youth sponsor 'wannabe?' |
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If you've harbored a dream of being a mentor or youth sponsor
but fear you won't make the grade, area conference youth
ministers have recommended books that may give you courage
to risk engaging in supportive and mentoring friendships
with young people or people of other ages.
Career and Calling: A Guide for Counselors, Youth
and Young Adults, by Forrest C. Palmer (Presbyterian
Publishing Corp., 2002, $19.95): Chapter Six in this book
is a bit of a "how-to" manual for mentors, including
how to see parents as an integral part of the young person's
spiritual journey and development. This book gives a "job
description" for mentors, such as what to talk about
in first meetings, challenges and how to help one discover
his or her gifts. It helps mentors and youth leaders to
understand how to walk alongside those they mentor, rather
than "fix it" or do their work for them. It gives
suggestions for how to give honest but gracious feedback
in strong and weak areas.
 Let
Your Life Speak, by Parker Palmer (John Wiley &
Sons Inc. 1999, $18): In this very popular book, Palmer
speaks about how one can better understand her life. He
speaks about the time required to become who one is created
to be and the importance of building character as a preparation
for following one's vocation. This is not a how-to manual
for mentoring but rather a handbook for one's own soul.
Network: Participant's Guide -- The Right People
in the Right Places for the Right Reasons, by Bill
Hybels, Bruce Bugbee, Don Cousins (Zondervan, 1996, $10.99):
These three authors provide a gifts' inventory that Sunday
school teachers and others can use in classroom settings.
It helps people to learn to say "yes" to doing
those ministries that best fit with their gifts and personality.
It helps one examine their strengths and weaknesses.
One on One: Making the Most of Your Mentoring Relationship,
by Steve Ropp (Herald Press, 1993, $15.95): Ropp, a Mennonite
youth pastor, helps want-to-be mentors with some nuts and
bolts of the tasks that lie ahead.
 Shaping
the Spiritual Life of Students: A Guide for Youth Workers,
Pastors, Teachers and Campus Ministers, by Richard
R. Dunn (Intervarsity Press, 2001): Dunn extends a metaphor
of "pacing and then leading." He discusses how
important it is that mentors and youth leaders walk and
run alongside people first as a way to understand another's
world. Then, when some trust has built, he encourages the
mentor and youth leaders to run a little faster and point
the way. He gives stages of adolescent development and how
pacing should parallel those. He also gives helpful hints
for listening skills.
 The
Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern
Matrix, by Brian D. McLaren (Zondervan, 2000):
This author, who focuses on providing ministry in a post-modern
environment, gives down-to-earth advice about how to share
God's love with people in non-threatening and non-judgmental
ways. As one conference youth minister said, "Brian
helps people understand how to give others space. This is
not a book for those who are more fundamentalist in their
approach to Christianity. It's for those who want to walk
alongside others as encouragers and freedom-givers, providing
safety for people to ask questions." McLaren's views
helps mentors to avoid giving too much direction but allowing
people to figure out their own lives. It's a book about
being there but not being over-bearing.
 The
Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry,
by Kenda Creasy Dean, Ron Roster (Abingdon Press, 1998,
$15): All three conference youth ministers recommending
books spoke highly of this one. It is one of the best resources
for helping fearful "wannabes" who feel they have
nothing of value to offer to see how they can make a difference
just by being themselves. The authors discuss how mentors
don't need to try too hard but realize that they carry God
with them in every moment every day, and naturally share
God in their relating to others. It also defines gentle
guidance as "finger-pointing." That's when mentors
and youth leaders ask open-ended and non-judgmental questions,
such as "Have you ever thought about this, or have
you ever considered this?"
--Laurie L. Oswald
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