The future of Mennonite World Conference
by Gordon HouserPrint Article Email to a Friend
Asunción, Paraguay--Outgoing president of Mennonite World Conference Nancy Heisey of the United States and Danisa Ndlovu of Zimbabwe, the new MWC president, led a workshop July 15 on the future of MWC.
They listed some benefits and costs of these assemblies. Ndlovu said, "Nothing replaces personal contacts."
Heisey noted, however, that many in North America think assemblies is all that MWC does. She pointed out that MWC's executive committee meets annually, the General Council meets every three years, a koinonia delegation each year visits a member church somewhere around the globe, as well as organizing the Global Youth Summit, the MWC history project, ecumenical work and World Fellowship Sunday.
She reported that the General Council meets next in 2012 in Switzerland. At that time they plan to make decisions about the next assembly, which will likely be in 2017 or 18. They hope to hold an assembly in 2025, perhaps in Switzerland, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of MWC and the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Anabaptist movement.
"The key," Heisey said, "is how to make this living, breathing entity better."
Current Stories
Articles
News stories, digests and Meno Acontecer
- MWC Assembly 15 in Asunción, Paraguay
- The future of Mennonite World Conference
- Danisa Ndlovu of Zimbabwe assumes MWC presidency
- Former Paraguayan president attends MWC opening celebration
- Eleven Mennonite World Conference assemblies in a row
- Delegate Assembly passes three resolutions
- Pink Menno Campaign at Columbus
- A family friend's advice: Don't be shy
- Ed Diller is the new MC USA moderator
- Boyd tells youth normalcy is overrated
- Mennos in the News: From Honduras via Goshen: What coup?
- New DOOR opens for Atlanta Dwellers
- Church giving to Mennonite colleges up
- Louisiana family gives back to Akron Church
- Mennonite, Shiite scholars meet in Iran
- Fund for Peoplehood Education awards grants
- A resolution on following Christ and growing together as communities even in conflict
- Resolution on Healthcare Access: Next Step
- Statement against Human Trafficking, modern day slavery
Columns
- Observations on 36 years of leadership
- Complex inter-religious dynamics
- Mennonite (de)Central Committee
- Mennonites and governmental politics
Readers Say
- Can't make our own rules
- Strategy for unintended pregnancies
- Article helped enter the conversation
- Cover photo not Jesus-like
- More involved in 'life' issues
- Need more leaders to pitch manure
- Whose church is it anyway?
- Pedophile objects to being called a liar
- Waltner led a good process
Subscribe
The 15th Assembly Gathered of the MWC was an awesome experience. It was my first Assembly I participated in and I can't wait for the next one, wherever it will be. Due to the many interesting workshops I sadly had to decide not to go to the workshop concerning the future of MWC, but maybe I can submit my comment here: The Assembly is a great opportunity to get to know fellow sisters and brothers all over the world as Danisa pointed out, I did not know I had brothers in sisters in Cuba and, altough I did know it, I am now more aware of my many sisters and brothers in Africa. Therefore I think it is not a good idea to generally lengthen the span between them - altough I can agree on the idea to change it ONCE, and only once, to meet the "100th anniversary of MWC and the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Anabaptist movement". An issue some people rose was whether we should meet less often in order to care for creation. A good point - creation care is an important issue - BUT would any of the Mennonites from North America and Europe not travel if there had not been a MWC assembly in Paraguay? Maybe they would not travel to Paraguay, but to some other country. And those who normally wouldn't travel - those from Africa and Asia- were anyway underrepresented; Latin Americans also presumably would not travel but they did not go on such a long trip. Those who destroy creation most are we Europeans and the North Americans - and sadly most of us would not cease to do so if there were less Assemblies - so creating the possibility of giving extra money to eliminate the carbon footprint or encourage participants to fast on using cars and other creation-pollutioning inventions before and after the assembly, to ask the organizers to use more reusable dishes and to create possibilities to separate waste ... the different solutions are uncountable. I would also propose to have the MWC Assembly at least more often, if not only in the continents Africa, Asia and South America simply because our brothers and sisters there otherwise probably would not be able to come regardless of how desperately they would like to and how well MWC tries to balance the prices - also visas are easier to get for these continents rather than USA, Canada or Europe, who isolate themselves more and more. In Asución we could luckily meet many of our South-American sisters and brothers - but from Africa and Asia only met delegates. The European and North American Mennonites can come if they really want to - or at least the vast majority - the others cannot. Let us just be that honest. These were my humble thoughts - I hope they might get taken into account. Thanks to all the organizers and ushers at Assembly 15th in Asunción, 2009. Your spirit of a servant allowed us to enjoy this great event. PS: Another suggestion: If it were possible to serve as a voluntary only part-time, so that you can still participate, I think more people (or at least I) would have liked to serve, but I just did not want to come to Paraguay from Europe to serve the whole time and not hear any sermon or participate in any workshop.