Top Row: Edith Yoder (MennoMedia Board of Directors), Karen Zehr (MC USA Executive Board), Amy Gingerich (Executive Director and Publisher, MennoMedia), Roxy Gehring (Mennonite Mission Network Board of Directors), Marty Lehman (Moderator, MC USA Executive Board), Kelsey Hochstetler (Mennonite Mission Network Board of Directors).
Bottom Row: Marisa Smucker (Executive Director, Mennonite Mission Network), Horace McMillon (Mennonite Mission Network Board of Directors), Todd Lehman (Moderator-elect, MC USA Executive Board), Pauline Steinmann (MennoMedia Board of Directors), Rachel Gerber (Mennonite Mission Network Board of Directors), Glen Guyton (Executive Director, MC USA).
Photo credit: Camille Dager
Mennonite Church USA leaders identified three priorities to guide the next two years of the Reimagining MC USA process: equipping congregations for change, strengthening a united peace witness and building a more connected church.
Board members and senior leaders from the MC USA Executive Board, Mennonite Mission Network and MennoMedia gathered near Philadelphia on Oct. 8, 2026, for a daylong workshop led by MC USA Executive Director Glen Guyton. Their discussion focused on how to turn the broader Reimagining MC USA for 2040 vision into practical next steps:
- Equip congregations: Build a system for local congregations and area conferences that allows them to better navigate a changing world, from economic pressures to new technology.
- Sustain a united peace witness: Support a meaningful peace and justice witness by building on the work congregations are already doing locally and connecting those efforts into a clearer, united voice for MC USA.
- Find new ways to connect: Create a digital system and resources to strengthen internal connections and provide more ways for others to discover MC USA and learn about its good work.
These immediate priorities were selected from a broader list of 19 options identified through the Reimagining MC USA process, which began in 2025. Over the last few months, working groups from the Structure Review Committee expanded on these options, spelling out first steps and ways to measure the progress of each one.
The boards agreed that the MC USA Executive Board should serve as the lead for the initial three priorities, with Mennonite Mission Network as a key partner in peace and justice, an area where one table noted there is “already some momentum.”
Although no major changes to the structure of MC USA were proposed by the group at this meeting, further conversations are likely as MC USA moves forward in the reimagining process.
“It’s not the complete picture, but it’s a good start,” said MC USA Executive Board member Susan Hart, pastor of Koinonia Indian Mennonite Church in Oklahoma. “And now it’s tangible how we can approach this issue of reimagining.”
What resonated
Asked to picture success in 2040, one table group summed up its vision in a headline that borrows a phrase often used by Catholic author Richard Rohr: “Mennonites build communities that transcend and include.” The group described it as a hope, characterized by congregations serving their own communities, learning from one another and finding common ground by looking beyond themselves. This vision received the most affirmation from the other workshop participants. A headline about MC USA’s peace witness and conscientious objection also received strong support.
The participants agreed that faithfulness to the Gospel and Anabaptist values and intercultural integrity should serve as the primary criteria for evaluating future priorities.
The table conversations throughout the day were also full of practical hope, marking significant growth in the connection between denominational entities. For example, several groups imagined a shared online hub where congregations could find resources and learn from one another.
“I’m really encouraged with today’s process,” said Edith Yoder, MennoMedia board member and chief executive officer of Bridge of Hope National. “It was really invigorating to be with the other boards and dream about the future, think about the future and to ask hard questions.”
The MC USA Executive Board met the next day to reflect on the gathering. Members described the outcomes as timely, positive, hopeful, collaborative and reaffirming. They were also realistic about the road ahead.
“There will be headwinds,” acknowledged MC USA Moderator-Elect Todd Lehman. “But I’m confident that, with the leaders who gathered yesterday recognizing the work ahead, we can form a peloton and pedal into the wind together, sharing the effort.”
Where more work is needed
Those headwinds came up during the table discussions, too. Participants were candid about the hard questions, such as what does “streamlining” mean, and can it happen without erasing real differences between agency functions? They also mentioned concerns about donor competition and communication overload. One group asked whether church structures can help people understand and accept one another even without full agreement.
“We’re sitting at the tables, asking the tough questions and really wrestling with the different challenges,” said Horace McMillon, Mennonite Mission Network board member and pastor of Open Door Mennonite Church in Jackson, Mississippi. “There’s a lot of things that we can do, but given our size and our resources, we really have to focus on … the ways that we can best serve today.
What’s next in Reimagining MC USA?
In the coming weeks, the conversation will continue to widen. The Constituency Leaders Council, whose members serve as the “elders” of the denomination, will meet by Zoom on Oct. 24 to review, discuss and provide insights on the emerging strategies. MC USA staff also will engage area conference ministers at their Dec. 2-4 retreat in Savannah, Georgia.
Over the next nine months, the Executive Board will prepare for the Delegate Assembly, which meets on July 9, 2027, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Any decision with denominational impact will come before delegates for a vote. At this point, no actions have been identified for delegate discernment.
Reflecting on the ongoing Reimagining MC USA process, Guyton said, “The phrase that comes to my mind is ‘but God.’ No matter what we are thinking about, no matter what we do, ultimately, it’s all in God’s hands, and I think God has been faithful to us as we faithfully follow God in this church.”
Reimagining MC USA invites members to imagine the church they want to become by 2040. Learn more on the Reimagining MC USA webpage.
Visit Flickr to see more photos from the all-boards meeting in Philadelphia.
Written by Camille Dager.