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2009-02-17 issue:

Horst's assessment of the witness goal

by Loren Horst

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Is the Mennonite Church USA farther along in its goal of witness than it was six years ago, is it about the same, or has it backslid?

I usually have a pretty positive outlook on life although at times I give way to cynical moments too. Sometimes, seemingly, I can switch almost at will. When asked to evaluate Mennonite Chuch USA in regards to its goal of witness, should one be joyful or grumpy, hopeful or discouraged? We might find evidence for either, or both. Membership has declined, our peace witness is softening, and fewer members are willing to share their faith. Such statistics are sobering realities.

What else might be said? 

Our missional priority has sparked significant discussion and planning. Mennonite Chuch USA’s adoption of a missional priority gave rise to question and debate. What does “missional” mean? Will the word “missional” simply be redefined to reflect what already is? If everything is mission might nothing be mission? Then, in the midst of the conversation, we noticed something else—that we are having significant conversations around being a missional church! Hardly a congregation, conference, or institution has not had some discernment and planning around the question of God’s missional intentions for the church!

Congregations are reaching out. While congregations will always struggle to keep a right balance between maintenance and mission, almost every congregation is trying. “Mission,” though variously defined, is still one of the highest values in the church. People still rejoice in the testimony of a changed life in Jesus Christ. At a recent meeting I attended the most moving moment was the testimony of salvation prompted by forgiveness. One who had done wrong was forgiven by the one wronged!

There is a resurgence of new church formation, albeit taking various forms. Church planting is again on the rise.  A recent tally by a number of conferences in the east totaled 47 new churches or ministries in some stage of vision and formation. They are taking various forms.  The pace is accelerating compared to the last number of years. While the number of people willing to be supportive of church planting may have declined a bit, they still represent 78 percent of Mennonite Chuch USA members according to Conrad Kanagy in Road Signs for the Journey. That translates into 6,678 persons in my own conference!  The challenge is to help people move from “willing” to “doing.”

Mennonite Chuch USA is becoming more global and multi-cultural. Nearly 30 percent of the members in my conference are members of racial/ethnic churches. Further, such congregations are the growing edge of our denomination, so the percentage will continue to grow. Such congregations still do not carry corresponding authority or responsibility for Mennonite Chuch USA so work remains to be done.

 Most congregations now have members who are globally aware and many are even capable of mounting mission efforts far beyond our own borders or neighborhoods, with or without the help of mission agencies. Some confusion will result, but much Holy Spirit energy will be unleashed.  Given the choice between orderly control and a dynamic Holy Spirit global movement, I’ll take the latter.

Which brings me to a final comment—we are integrating with a global movement of God that will nurture, admonish and encourage us in our moments of spiritual weakness just as the Western mission movement did for other peoples of the world for 200 years. We have been instruments of God’s grace and are now becoming recipients of God’s grace! The missionary God is paying attention to us too!