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2007-11-06 issue:

CLC sees unequal racial, gender balance

Constituency Leaders Council discusses ways to better represent congregations.

by Anna Groff

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The Constituency Leaders Council (CLC), which met in Colorado Springs Oct. 15-17, showed concern for its gender and racial/ethnic makeup by dividing into three separate table groupings: racial/ethnic people, Anglo women and Anglo men.

Leaders said this table division served several purposes—one being to literally see the overwhelming majority of Anglo men present, another being to have discussions in affinity groups.

This meeting fell at an all-time low with the percentage of women: 80 percent men and 20 percent women attended. The highest was in October of 2005, with 62 percent men and 38 percent women. Most churchwide agencies seek a 50-50 ratio.

“When more than half the people in congregations are women, and God calls both men and women, can we make space to hear women’s voices?” asked Gay Brunt Miller, CLC vice chair, at the end of sharing her personal story to CLC.

Ron Byler, associate executive director, said, “CLC is not a representative group … we want leaders of conferences here.” He added that CLC “works well” because conferences decide who to send; however, it would “work even better” if the conferences’ leaders reflected the gender makeup of its members.

At the table feedback time, one table reporter asked that CLC intentionally balance gender makeup by recommending that conferences send women as at least one of the three representatives. The reporter also encouraged addressing systemic issues related to women, such as the theology of women in leadership, family and practices, as well as requesting child care at CLC meetings.

Antiracism discernment process
The percentages of racial/ethnic representatives were also provided. This meeting was 82 percent Anglo and 18 percent racial/ethnic people. The average for CLC meetings is 87 percent Anglo and 13 percent racial/ethnic people.

Iris de León-Hartshorn, director of Intercultural Relations for Executive Leadership, reviewed the process and findings of the antiracism discernment process of CLC. Earlier in the gender discussion, she said that “women of color are invisible in settings like CLC but are the ones that do the work in their churches.”

She said both systemic and relational approaches are needed in this process and recommends prioritizing trauma healing options for people hurt by the church. After discussion, CLC passed a proposal to affirm the appointment of a small group from within CLC to make recommendations for specific systemic tasks by CLC to make progress on the antiracism goals of the denomination and CLC.

The proposal stated:

“The primary focus will be on actions that the CLC can take, but the group will also look at the entire churchwide system. In its work, the group will address the hurt and isolation experienced by many of our racial/ethnic brothers and sisters and try to identify ways for the broader church to understand the fullness of that experience and the part the church community has played in it.”

Resolution on National Identity
CLC reviewed the resolution on National Identity brought to the delegates at San José 2007, to which the Executive Board will respond.

Dorothy Nickel Friesen, conference minister of Western District, asked that the 2009 churchwide convention theme be “identity.” She also recommended that Conrad Kanagy’s profile of Mennonite Church USA be used and that The Mennonite run a column on Mennonite identity in North America in each issue.

Chuck Goertz, moderator of Southeast Mennonite Conference, recommended that we drop the name Mennonite to begin a “raging conversation of who we really are.”

Health-care access
Keith Harder, project director for the health-care access for church workers initiative, brought a proposal from the initiative’s reference group. Harder said the health-care access reference group proposes a “shared risk” model to fund a health-care plan for all eligible congregational church workers rather than a market plan that will generate funds to cover uninsured pastors.

Churchwide agency participation is needed, he added.

Conference structuring
The tables discussed “God’s dreams” for Mennonite Church USA’s conference structuring.

One table said conferences offer important diversity and relationships. Another table wondered if the current model is still valid and recommended a model of six or seven regional conferences with church clusters. With about 60 percent of conference ministers retiring in the coming decade, this is an “opportune time for new structures,” said the table reporter.

The reporter also said young adults seem to have less invested in current structure. Another table reporter said, “Geography matters; conferences that overlap definitely know this.”

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