Board Members
Peter Nikkel (At large, 1998) Chair
Ray Wiens (Alberta, 2000) Vice-Chair
Adam Wiggins (Manitoba, 1999) Secretary
Patrice Nagant (Quebec, 1998)
John Block (Ontario, 2000)
Arnie Armstrong (Saskatchewan, 2000)
Bob Wick (B.C., 1998)
Merv Boschman (At large, 1998)
John Fishbein (At large, 1998)
Paul Francis (Atlantic representative)
Staff
Ewald Unruh, Executive Director
Rikki Oelke, Administrative Assistant
Jake Balzer, Volunteer Facilitator, Inter-cultural Ministries
Program
Quebec Church Planting--in consultation with the Quebec MB Association
Inter-cultural Ministries--encouraging cooperation with church plants among various cultural groups across Canada
National Church Planting Strategies--working with the provincial MB conferences to plant new churches
Evangelism--helping existing churches to reach out
Youth Mission International--training and sending youth ministry teams
Atlantic Canada--planting new churches
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Quebec Church Planting
The Board of Evangelism continues to support some ministries in the Quebec MB Association. The Quebec churches are strengthening. Financial support has been given to the Ste-Rose Church, which is now experiencing significant growth. Ewald Unruh has been involved in consultations with the Quebec Association regarding further cooperative projects.
Inter-cultural Ministries
The Board of Evangelism's role is to give encouragement and direction in the planting of churches in the various cultural groups of Canada. Jake Balzer continues as volunteer Inter-cultural facilitator. His primary responsibility is to facilitate communication and cooperation between the Canadian Conference Board of Evangelism and the provincial MB conference church extension boards in this area. He is available to speak in churches regarding this ministry and regarding church outreach in general.
National Church Planting Strategy
Church Planting Congress: The Board of Evangelism helped sponsor this significant congress in Bramalea, Ont. in October, 1997. Mennonite Brethren church extension representatives set faith goals to plant up to 170 new churches by the year 2010.
Support Systems: Realizing that without support systems, mission or vision is temporary, the Board of Evangelism is committed to developing systems for:
recruitment and assessment of church planters
effective start-up of churches
ongoing support for new churches
the process of churches planting churches
Church Planting Residency: Effective church planting rises and falls on whether there are effective, trained church planters. To develop strong church planting leadership, the Board of Evangelism, together with Mission USA and MBMS International, is cooperating with Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary to develop a Church Planting Residency diploma program at the Seminary. This will include one year on campus at MBBS and one year in a church planting situation.
Mission Calgary: See the next page and the Evangelism Canada Digest insert in this issue of the MB Herald for more details.
Evangelism
Associate Director: Our vision is to be a greater resource to our churches in providing evangelism training and community outreach strategies. It is for this purpose that we are proposing the addition of an Associate Director of Evangelism. (See next page for details.)
ReFocusing Networks: Our belief is that healthy churches reach out. Together with the Board of Christian Education Ministries and the Board of Faith and Life, the Board of Evangelism has been involved in assisting churches in the ReFocusing process. We will be assisting healthy churches to plant churches.
Resources Library: A lending library of the most current evangelism and church planting resources is upgraded regularly.
Evangelism Canada Digest is published twice a year for the purpose of stimulating evangelism and growth in our churches.
Staff: Staff are available on a limited basis to assist churches directly through consultations.
"Key City" Initiative for Church Planting
At the 1997 Church Planting Congress in Bramalea, Ont., Mennonite Brethren leaders overwhelmingly agreed to prayerfully plan for increased church planting. It was agreed to begin to pool resources and remove provincial conference boundary restrictions.
Proposal: To focus the resources of churches across Canada on one key city/province in each two-year period for the next 10 years. The vision is to plant up to 10 churches in each location.
Recommendation 1. That the Board of Evangelism be authorized to enter into a partnership with provincial MB conference church planting agencies for planting reproducing churches in Canada's key cities.
Mission Calgary
Calgary was chosen as the first "Key City" because of the tremendous opportunity and potential for growth there. At the 1998 Alberta MB Conference convention, a recommendation was passed to partner with the Canadian Conference Board of Evangelism in this venture.
Recommendation 2. That, in response to the invitation from the Alberta MB Conference, the first Key City initiative be implemented in Calgary.
Funding Proposal: $100,000 for each of year one and year two. (This will mean an increase of $5 per member in the Canadian Conference "norm".)
Associate Director of Evangelism
Need:
According to the Eight Essential Elements survey (done as part of the Canadian Conference ReFocusing strategy), "relational evangelism" consistently scores among the three weakest areas in Canadian MB Churches.
Churches are asking for assistance with developing an outreach focus.
Job Description
to develop evangelism training systems
to help churches develop community outreach strategies
involvement in Phase 3 of the ReFocusing Networks system
Rationale
No one in the Canadian or provincial MB conferences exclusively carries responsibility for promoting evangelism, providing training for evangelism and developing outreach strategies.
Because of the increase in church planting initiatives, Evangelism Director Ewald Unruh will have less time in future to assist existing churches.
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