Mennonite Trust presented a cheque for $5000 to the Conference as one of three Mennonite conferences which sponsor the credit union. The Conference boards have decided to use the money to start a fund to help small churches with urgent, short-term needs.
Help for churches is a growing concern in the Conference, particularly as there are many small churches in rural areas with declining populations. A survey of the churches by the Board of Management in the past year revealed agreement that the Conference should give financial help to small churches. Responsibility for three churches receiving long-term Conference subsidies has been transferred from the Board of Church Extension to the Board of Reference and Counsel.
The convention approved a recommendation to pay off the Yorkton church mortgage of about $42,000. Yorkton is a small, subsidized congregation that has had some key members move away but has also seen some recent spectacular conversions. The money will come from accumulated Conference surpluses, and ownership of the Yorkton building will now rest with the Conference on a more direct basis than other local church buildings do.
The Conference finished 1995 with a budget surplus of just over $21,000, based on income of $162,129 and expenses of $141,120. The 1996 budget will drop to $151,185, with an anticipated deficit of $4000, but this can easily be covered by accumulated surpluses. The Conference has an accumulated operating surplus of $33,000 and accumulated capital savings of about $95,000 (from which the Yorkton mortgage will be paid out).
Even the usually formal closing resolutions were fun at this convention. Gerald Peters and Kathy Varcoe added humour to the resolutions with informal language and additional interpretive comments. For instance, they thanked the host church for padded pews, cinnamon buns and generous cuts of ham, and gave a special blessing to new pastors: "May your ministry be broader than pumpkins and taller than sunflowers."
These upbeat reports were frequently interspersed with applause and prayers for specific individuals and ministries. Two items raised major discussion on the floor.
Standard conduct
The Board of Reference and Counsel presented a "Staff Conduct Policy" to be used and signed by pastoral and Conference staff. The policy was developed as "a reminder of our biblical standards" and as a legal safeguard against challenges brought under the Saskatchewan Human Rights Act. The policy allows churches to fire pastors for such things as sexual immorality and substance abuse.The policy raised a number of questions: How should local churches integrate it with their current employment policies? (The churches should use this policy, and BORAC will study the integration question.) How broad is the statement that pastors can be fired for "breach of trust or confidence"? (Confidential disclosures to pastors are only those disclosures which both parties have agreed beforehand will be confidential. Pastors may have legal and moral obligations to disclose some things, and they should not agree to keep these confidential.) Are the camp directors included under this policy? (No, but Conference agencies are encouraged to use this policy.) Does the "Disciplinary Action" section imply that all those accused will be found guilty? (No, since it says that disciplinary action "may be" recommended. An attempt to amend the policy to clarify that guilt must be determined failed when it was pointed out that "guilt" was a legal concept and that editing the policy on the convention floor without legal advice might create unforeseen legal problems.) What Canadian Conference employee policies apply? (BORAC will study the matter.)
The policy was approved by a strong majority.
A desire to reach out
Dan Warkentin, chair of the Board of Church Extension, repeated BOCE's understanding that planting new churches is its priority because God uses church plants in a unique way to bring people to Christ. However, BOCE had earlier in the year postponed a church plant in Saskatoon after feedback from Saskatoon church leaders convinced BOCE that the timing was premature. Choked with emotion over the prospect of winning the lost to Christ, Warkentin asked convention delegates to hold hands and pray for renewal.While delegates were moved by the call for renewal, Warkentin's report also raised several concerns and questions from the floor. Some delegates wondered if BOCE was overlooking other methods of evangelism because of its focus on church plants. Some urged BOCE to work with existing churches to plant daughter churches. (BOCE is evidently now talking to Forest Grove Community Church and West Portal MB Church about planting a daughter church in Saskatoon). Judy Hall of Forest Grove urged BOCE to plant churches in the inner city or to help Hope Fellowship in inner-city Saskatoon rather than planting churches in rich suburbs. Arnie Armstrong urged BOCE to help small rural churches reach out.
Underlying many of the comments was a desire for BOCE to broaden its mandate and ministry. That desire resulted in Armstrong being elected to fill one of the vacant slots on the Board of Church Extension. Assistant moderator Clarence Peters noted that the intensity of the discussion had shown that there was a real desire in the Conference to reach out.
Moved and inspired
The business discussions, ably chaired by moderator Lorne Willms, were limited to Saturday morning and afternoon. The Friday evening, Saturday breakfast and Saturday evening sessions were given over to worship and teaching. The worship featured a variety of styles of music and drew a good response from the congregation.For many, the highlight of the convention was three moving messages by H.B. London, "pastor to pastors" and assistant to the president of Focus on the Family. London got into the fun atmosphere of the convention, giving out copies of Focus books and videos to "the person with the most grandchildren", "the longest-serving youth pastor", etc.
On Friday night, London outlined statistics demonstrating that church growth has virtually come to a halt in North America. Noting that there is a movement of prayer, he stated that in II Chronicles 7:14 there is more to renewal than just prayer. For revival to come, Christians must also "humble themselves" and "turn from their wicked ways". London concluded with an experience from his own life. Feeling his spiritual life and ministry had become superficial, a matter of merely using the right techniques, he lay down before the altar of his church and cried for renewal. God told him, "If you love Me, live like it."
On Saturday morning, London told how contact with Paul Smith of People's Church in Toronto had given him a heart for missions. He had learned to pray for three things: Stretch my mind; sensitize my conscience; and stimulate my courage.
On Saturday evening, London encouraged the congregation with a message called "Don't ever give up", based on I Kings 17. Like Elijah, Christians often experience times when the brook dries up, when bad things happen and Satan tries to discourage them. At such times, Christians must concentrate not on the situation but on God, who has abundant, everlasting resources waiting just down the road.
JC
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