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Leaders of Mennonite mission agencies have talked for two decades about increasing global partnership and accountability with churches around the world. Now they have decided to boost the talk to a more strategic level.
The Council of International Ministries (CIM) affirmed plans for a Global Anabaptist Missions Consultation at its annual gathering Jan. 23-24 in Techny, Ill. Slated for July 12-15, 2000 in Bogata, Colombia, in conjunction with Mennonite World Conference General Council, it is expected to draw 250 participants, half of them MWC General Council members.
The goal of the consultation is to achieve more collaboration and partnership on each continent, and to get a better handle on the gifts the global community brings to a common Mennonite mission and how they might be deployed.
Peter Rempel, executive secretary of CIM, said, "We want to move toward actually sharing the decision-making and goal-setting for global missions with anabaptist churches around the world."
The consultation was proposed at last year's CIM gathering. The format will include a strong worship and celebration component.
The backdrop for the CIM discussions came from David Schroeder on a biblical theology of power. He explored God's authority and power, the fallenness of the powers and the way God's power is mediated and used by the church.
MWC President Mesach Kristeya of Indonesia praised the wholistic tone of Schroeder's presentations, saying, "Those who fail to use power wholistically misuse their power."
MWC Vice-president Bedru Hussein of Ethiopia called for a more visible theology of the Holy Spirit. He also suggested that Western preaching would benefit from more assertiveness. "The notion of non-interference is a cultural problem in the West," he said.
Both MWC leaders affirmed a need for global partnership.
Countries that used to be the object of mission are now becoming the initiators of mission, said Kristeya. He called for a new forum or "space" where Mennonite bodies could partner, and suggested such an entity be called Anabaptist Forum for Facilitation of International and Regional Mission (AFFIRM).
"It's not easy working at partnership because we're dealing with money," he added. "But the rewards of synergy make the struggle worthwhile. When you have true partnership and sharing, nothing is impossible to accomplish," he said.
While Kristeya acknowledged that MWC was not a mission agency nor was it meant to be, he said [MWC] is "the only international anabaptist agency where agencies can relate and develop vision with equal interdependence."
For its part, MWC has put together a tentative proposal to help create a permanent meeting "space" for all anabaptists engaged in international mission or service, and to do so by the time of the next MWC world assembly in Africa in 2003.
This space, said MWC general secretary Larry Miller, could take the shape of a forum, council, federation, alliance or a combination of several patterns.
The MWC proposal was received as information; no commitments were made.
While there was agreement in principle of the consultation, some were hesitant.
"It's easier said than done," said one agency leader. "Decision-making on a global scale is still cumbersome and expensive."
Representing MBMS International at the gathering were Harold Ens, general director; Franz Rathmair, secretary for Europe and CIS; and Dave Dyck, director of programs.
CIM is made up of 22 member organizations. It meets annually for fellowship, mission reflection and sharing of program information.--Wally Kroeker, for Meetinghouse
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