Redefining the vision

WINNIPEG, MAN.

The Canadian MB Conference Boards met January 28-30 in Winnipeg. Following are reports from the Boards on decisions made at those meetings.

Executive Board

The Executive Board met first, on January 28. It consists of the Executive Committee (moderator, assistant moderator and secretary), the provincial MB conference moderators, the chairs of the other Canadian Conference Boards, and the senior executive staff (non-voting members).

1. Revisioning

The major agenda item, continuing work which was begun two summers earlier, centred on an attempt to redefine what Canadian Mennonite Brethren want to focus on. For several decades, the Canadian MB Conference has been known for higher education (MB Biblical Seminary, MB Bible College/Concord College) and periodicals (MB Herald, Mennonitische Rundschau, etc.). Over the last 20 years, the Conference has allotted over $8 million to each of these two ministry areas.

A shift is emerging. There is growing unanimity in the Executive Board for the Canadian Conference to be known for three new foci:

  • healthy churches,

  • planting churches, and

  • leadership development.

    The executive staff have been working cooperatively to develop a ministry map which will realign Canadian Conference ministries to focus on these three areas. The Executive Board will continue to set overall vision and direction.

    Next summer, the Executive Board has scheduled a retreat for August 25-27 in Saskatoon to work out this new direction. It is the Board’s desire to not deal with restructuring until a solid, well-thought-out vision is in place. The major foci will be embraced by all parts of the existing Boards and will be coordinated by the Executive Board. It is hoped that the three new foci will give greater profile to the provincial moderators’ role on the Executive Board.

    Until this last meeting, most of the agenda at Executive Board meetings consisted of reporting by the Boards. At this meeting, reporting was done under the three major foci (healthy church, church planting/evangelism, and leadership development). Later, the Executive Board dealt with the enabling ministries, Communications and Finance/Stewardship.

    It is the Board’s hope that the new foci will empower the Canadian Conference to be more intentional in reaching its goal for the next five years: "Healthy Growing Churches Reaching Their Worlds".

    2. Restructuring

    The Executive Board also spent time discussing the report of the General MB Conference Task Force on Restructuring. The Executive Board voted to support the recommendation to "dissolve the General MB Conference as a vehicle for delivery of our cooperative ministries". Looking toward the future, the Executive Board also reached the following consensus:

  • We are committed to maintaining some ministries with the US MB Conference on a cooperative basis (e.g., missions).

  • We are convinced that it is better that the national conferences develop their own structures in a way that best serves the fulfillment of their mission in their respective countries.

  • We as the Mennonite Brethren Conference of Canada are committed to finding ways to partner with other national Mennonite Brethren conferences in whatever ways are possible and feasible.

    Ike Bergen

    Board of Evangelism

  • Phil Wideman was appointed as the first Mission Calgary church planter. He is scheduled to begin his work on July 1, 1999.

  • Ewald Unruh, Director of Evangelism, will be on a sabbatical to pursue studies at MB Biblical Seminary from September to December 1999.

  • The Board is continuing its search for an Associate Director of Evangelism. Continued prayer is requested for this issue.

  • Youth Mission International, currently partly under the Board of Evangelism, is scheduled to be merged with MBMS International as of August 31, 1999. While approving this transfer of ownership, the Board reaffirmed its enthusiastic support for this ministry.

  • The newest MB church plant in Halifax, the Agora, has been launched and recently had 60 people in attendance. J.B. Robertson is the church planter. Peter Nikkel

    Board of Management

  • New Board members Larry Speiser and Ernie Friesen were welcomed by new chair Bernhard Harder.

  • Financial statements for the Canadian Conference and Stewardship Ministries were reviewed. Giving was up 8.84% at the end of December 1998. However, with five months to go in the fiscal year, it will be difficult to maintain this level of increase.

  • Stewardship Ministries will review and report at the next meeting whether it is time to have a part-time Stewardship Representative in Ontario.

  • The Conference funded five new church loans and 17 new pastoral loans in 1998, totalling $3,000,000.

  • The Conference pension fund grew by 7.54% in 1998.

  • The accounting systems and equipment are being updated. The target date for compliance with the year 2000 is May 31, 1999. Jake Neufeld

    Board of Faith and Life

    1. It was decided, in the future, to invite provincial conference ministers to sit in on BFL meetings.

    2. Pamphlets

    By the last Canadian Conference convention in summer 1998, 10 BFL pamphlets had been published. Since then, an 11th has been added: "Helping people with AIDS".

    Three new pamphlets will be available soon:

  • Baptism and Church Membership

  • Who are the Mennonite Brethren?

  • What is the Good News? (an evangelistic pamphlet for seekers)

    Two new pamphlets were planned at these board meetings:

  • How to Understand the Bible

  • Religious Pluralism

    Three pamphlets have been translated into Chinese and published:

  • Christians and Lotteries

  • What Should We Think about Suicide?

  • When Marriages Fail: Divorce and Remarriage

    (Two pamphlets were translated earlier, but published only in the Chinese Herald.)

    3. BFL heard a report on MCC Canada by Harold Jantz. (Two BFL members sit on the MCC Canada Board, and four more are appointed by BFL.)

    4. BFL heard a report by Gerhard Reimer of the Alberta MB Conference Faith and Life Commission re the South Calgary Inter-Mennonite Church. BFL decided to write a letter to Alberta MB Conference moderator Harry Heidebrecht expressing BFL’s satisfaction with the steps taken by the Alberta Conference to resolve the South Calgary situation.

    5. BFL considered and responded to two questions from the constituency:

    a. Is it permissible to ordain someone who has been divorced and remarried? (It is permissible, provided that the divorce occurred prior to conversion.)

    b. Is it permissible to ordain (or to recognize the ordination of) persons who have not been baptized by immersion. (If the person has been baptized as a believer i.e., by believer’s baptism, not infant baptism, it is recommended but not required that the person be rebaptized by immersion. If the person has not been baptized as a believer, rebaptism by immersion is required.)

    6. BFL passed a recommendation requiring all pastors with no training in MB schools to take at least one course in the history, polity and theology of the MB Church. This course would be offered in different centres, in conjunction with MB Biblical Seminary. This recommendation will be presented to the next Canadian MB Conference convention in July 2000 for approval.

    7. BFL discussed the shortage of pastors and how to encourage more people to go into the ministry.

    8. BFL discussed how to get more women representatives on Conference boards. The number of women on the boards has declined, and there are next to no women on the boards now. This was part of a larger discussion on finding better ways to elect board members.

    9. BFL will request that the MB Herald address two issues: end times concerns related to the Year 2000, and the need for church leadership.

    In all of its deliberations, BFL wrestled with a dilemma: There is an increasing need for the Conference to take the initiative and be proactive, but churches are increasingly less open to accepting direction. David Ewert

    Board of Christian Education Ministries

    I. Children's Ministry:

  • Life Steps is a CEM plan to help those who work with children ensure that they are providing a balanced spiritual diet. Now a series of parents' lessons are in the final writing stages, in preparation for testing, editing and release to the churches by spring, 2000.

  • Tell It Again, a free Bible story reading program for elementary-aged children, will be sent out to the churches again this spring. It was decided to cover three of the Life Steps diet items in each year, so that over every two years the children will have read Scriptures pertaining to all six of the key areas for their spiritual nourishment (Salvation, Bible Knowledge, Expressing Devotion, Servant Heart, Christian Community and Outreach).

  • Workers: The Board has begun to explore several ways to address the increasing need for both professional and lay children's ministry staff: working with MB schools to develop specialized training and internships in children's ministry; looking at provinces that already have internship programs; and finding teaching churches that could train interns.

    II. Youth Ministry

  • National Youth Convention: NYC ’99 was a life-changing success (see MBH, Feb. 5). Typical comments included: "I'm committed to doing the things I know I should", "I committed to not letting fear of what others will think of me control my Christian life and prevent me from witnessing" and "This week, God was so real to me." Youth leaders from North Kildonan MB Church in Winnipeg, Vineland (Ont.) MB Church and Westside Community Church in Morden, Man. all reported that they had a "breakthrough" with their groups on New Year's Eve.

  • A budgetary shortfall due to the use of multi-media at NYC ’99 will be covered by creative fundraising efforts in the next 3 years.

  • The Board expressed strong affirmation to the NYC team for their very effective ministry.

  • The Board approved a recommendation to hold the next national youth convention again in Banff, Alta., January 3-6, 2002.

  • Y-Net is a supportive network among MB youth leaders across Canada. There will be a coach’s clinic held June 5-8, 1999 at Camp Evergreen in Alberta. Each province is responsible to send its Y-net point people to this clinic.

    III. Adult Ministry

  • Provincial CE chairs are setting up forums where CEM director Dave Wiebe will reflect with leaders in adult ministries regarding the needs of adults, the models that are being used to address these needs, and ways to assess these ministries. These think tanks will help the CEM Board create a strategy for adult ministry similar to the Life Steps Plan for children.

  • Mobilization of lay people according to their gifts and passions is an important Conference goal. David Wiebe will research this area during his sabbatical, and bring a report to the CEM Board’s July 1999 meeting.

    IV. Intercultural Ministries

  • Common Cents for Kids: This offering project saw children in10 churches raise $1,288 for the French-Language Curriculum Project at Institut biblique Laval in Montreal in 1998. For 1999, it will raise money an MBMS International Spanish-language curriculum project in Latin America.

    V. Higher Education

  • Annual Youth Census: At the inter-institutional meeting for Canadian MB post-secondary schools, David Wiebe will present the CEM Board's decision to accept responsibility for doing the annual census of MB youth. This will eliminate duplication of efforts, and create a more central record.

  • Bursary Proposal: Board member Vic Mensch was designated by the CEM Board to head up a commission which will test the viability of a bursary proposal for students attending MB post-secondary schools in Canada.

    VI. Endowment Fund

    The D.E. Redekop CE Ministries Endowment Fund has been created, thanks to an estate gift from the Redekop family.

    VII. Sabbatical

    Executive Director David Wiebe will be taking a three-month sabbatical starting February 15 and ending May 15, 1999. He will combine studying at Associated Canadian Theological Schools in B.C., reading, research, networking with other denominational leaders in Christian education, time for reflection, and evaluation of Christian education ministries in Canada. The Board solicits prayers from the constituency that God will bless this time away to further equip Dave for ministry to the churches.

    Arrangements have been made for all incoming requests to be handled by the CEM office in Winnipeg in Dave's absence. Sharon Johnson

    Board of Communications

  • New board member Helen Rose Pauls of British Columbia was welcomed.

  • The Board expressed gratitude for the continued hard work of the editors and staff of the MB Herald, Mennonitsche Rundschau, Le Lien, and Chinese Herald.

  • Marshall Janzen, the newly hired webmaster, presented possible directions for the Canadian MB Conference presence on the worldwide web. A new domain name was approved: mbconf.ca. (This will be phased in in the coming months.)

  • Abe Dueck, Director of the Centre for MB Studies, and Alf Redekop, archivist for the Centre, had been evaluated and were both affirmed, with much appreciation, for another term of ministry.

  • The Board continues to wait for the Canadian government to make a decision regarding whether the MB Herald (and Mennonitische Rundschau) will continue to qualify for Funded Postal Rates. Doug Heidebrecht

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