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Mission USA was born in 1994, when leaders from three levels of the Mennonite Brethren Church--the North American, US and district conferences--got together to discern priorities. They resolved that energies should be concentrated in one area: renewal and church growth. Mission USA was formed as a cooperative venture to put that vision into effect.
Mission USA has been slow getting off the ground since it had little money, no program and no staff. Momentum picked up in February, 1996, when the US Conference boards agreed to make money available, by borrowing if necessary, to make sure the program got going. The next step was taken with the appointment of Boschman.
Originally from Canada, Boschman and his wife Carol have two grown daughters. They have had 22 years of experience in pastoral ministry, in both Canada and the US. Ed was assistant pastor at Lincoln Glen Church in San Jose, CA in the late 1970s when that church planted a daughter church, Blossom Valley Bible Church. Then he became the first pastor of Laurelglen Bible Church, a church plant in Bakersfield, CA. Boschman stayed there 11 years, and by the time he left the church had grown to 500 members with a weekly attendance of 700-800. Since 1989 he has been senior pastor of Willow Park Church in Kelowna, B.C. During his time there, Willow Park has grown from 300 to 434 members; it recently planted a daughter church, Garden Valley Community Church.
Boschman will be at Willow Park until the end of August and then move to Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix has only one small Mennonite Brethren church (Desert Valley Community Church), but has been targeted for church planting by Mission USA and the Pacific District MB Conference. Phoenix is the seventh fastest growing city in the US, with an estimated need for 300 new evangelical churches in the next 10 years. Boschman will oversee the church planting in Phoenix but will also work at renewal and church planting in other parts of the US.
Boschman says that what excites him about the new venture is the double emphasis on planting new churches and renewing older ones: "Healthy churches are born out of other healthy and growing churches." While Mission USA is a new venture, he has little hesitation in taking on the new challenge, affirming, "I believe it is what God wants to do."
Boschman was elected moderator of the General (North American) MB Conference last summer. He plans to continue to lead the North American body until at least 1997.
Adapted from reports in The Christian Leader
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