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Previous | Next United States MB 1999 District Conventions
Renewal and planting
Over 300 people attended the Southern and Central districts conventions hosted by Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kan., Oct. 29-31. The two districts first met together for a joint gathering in 1995, brought together by their common interest in Christian higher education. The 1999 gathering focused on church health and growth.
News that Mission USA, the church growth and renewal ministry of the US MB Conference, had the week before set a goal of establishing a network of 20 new MB churches in US urban centres by 2005 contributed to an overall tone of optimism regarding church growth (See MBH, News, Dec. 17).
Ed Boschman, MUSA executive director, explained that the MUSA board envisions several networks of urban churches, with the Phoenix area targeted as the first centre.
Keynote speaker Terry Walling, vice-president of church revitalization for Church Resource Ministries, laid out a game plan for building a strong Mennonite Brethren Church led by well-equipped leaders with a commitment to discipleship and evangelism.
His messages focused on three ways God brings renewal to the church: through His messengers (Jeremiah 29:10-14); through their mission (Mark 2:1-5); and through the gospel message (Mark 10:17-29).
In his first message, Walling used the illustration of a boat to describe the importance of anchoring the future in the past and of understanding the lessons of the past. “Every good vision is anchored in the past,” he said, “but is not bound by the past.”
Mennonite Brethren “have something we all need. Clarify the lessons of the past. People cling to the methods if they don’t understand the lessons.”
In his second address, he said that today’s church is unable to influence the culture despite its vast array of resources because the church no longer shares Christ’s passion to save the lost. “Lost people matter to Jesus but found people matter to the world. The problem is not a lack of resources. It is that the passionate heart of Jesus needs to come back to the people.”
He used the account of the four men bringing their friend to Jesus for healing. “What would it look like if there were stretcher-bearers running through the streets of your city bringing lost people to Jesus? It would look an awful lot like Jesus’ heart.”
In his final address, Walling emphasized the importance of discipleship with the story of the young ruler. “The church has put a lot of emphasis on the door of the gospel but not enough on the cost of the gospel.”
Even Christians have “kingdoms” that can keep them from fully following Jesus, he said. “The irrational fear of losing what we have often keeps us from surrendering to Jesus.”
Two afternoon sessions gave practical suggestions for promoting renewal in individual congregations. Larry Nikkel, president of Tabor College, gave a presentation on church leadership.
Modelling a Christian view of money was the theme of a stewardship seminar led by Jon Wiebe, president of MB Foundations. District ministers Roland Reimer (Southern) and Clint Grenz (Central) joined with Boschman and Walling to address the issue of church health. They helped church leaders to understand better the Natural Church Development survey used by many congregations.
A seminar on spiritual warfare attracted about 100 participants. Workshop leaders and Tabor faculty Lynn Jost (associate professor of biblical and religious studies) and Wendell Loewen (assistant professor of religious studies) applied biblical truth and academic studies to the topic.
In addition to worship sessions and workshops, delegates from the two districts met together for a business session Saturday morning during which they heard reports from various MB and inter-Mennonite agencies.
Nikkel invited both districts to meet again jointly on the Tabor campus in 2003. As co-owners of Tabor College – together with the more distant North Carolina and Latin American conferences, meeting together is somewhat natural for the SDC and CDC.
This year, each district dealt with a recommendation regarding the college’s line of credit with MB Foundation and elected representatives to the Tabor Board of Directors. The Saturday night program focused on Tabor and included testimonies by students and faculty. The college provided music for all of the worship-centred plenary sessions.
SOUTHERN DISTRICT
The Southern District, including Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, drew 160 delegates and 12 guests.
District minister Roland Reimer reminded delegates that just as God blessed Abraham and Sarah with a child in their old age, the SDC can also give birth to new congregations in spite of its age. He told delegates that of the 37 congregations in the district, 10 are over 100 years old, 10 are between 50 and 99 years, six are less than 24 years old and 11 are between 25 and 49 years.
SDC delegates accepted into the conference United at the Cross Community Church, a congregation planted in Wichita, Kan., in cooperation with World Impact, an agency dedicated to ministry in America’s inner cities. In his remarks to the delegates, Fred Stoesz, church planter and interim pastor, said that the church’s vision is to plant another congregation in Wichita.
United at the Cross traces its beginnings to 1994 when SDC leaders met with representatives of World Impact to consider a joint church planting venture. It seemed natural to work together. Stoesz had the vision for a multicultural, inner city congregation and the SDC owned an unused church building in the target neighbourhood.
WI staff and local believers worked to grow the congregation and were aided in outreach projects by volunteers from Wichita neighbour First MB Church, as well as other central Kansas congregations. Tabor College students helped with weekend children’s activities.
SDC leaders also highlighted three other areas of growth since the last convention:
- Church health. According to the Faith and Life Commission report, Church Resource Ministries resources are being used extensively by SDC congregations. CRM is a church growth and renewal agency endorsed by Mission USA as the means by which congregations address issues of evangelism and renewal. SDC chair Daryle Baltzer thanked Mission USA for the “vision and direction they provide to us as a district.”
Pastors and lay leaders from 30 congregations were enrolled in the CRM leadership renewal phase. This involved pastoral networking groups and an intensive educational component at the annual Pastor’s Advance.
Twenty SDC congregations completed the Natural Church Development Survey to help determine church health and seven congregations have moved on to the “Refocusing Your Church” phase.
Since the last convention in 1997, the district’s Target Church Program has helped both Pine Acres Church of Weatherford, Okla., and Memorial Road MB Church of Edmond, Okla., add a staff member.
- Facility improvements. Three congregations involved in facility expansion projects received financial help from the SDC in the form of a matching grant, said Ted Goertzen, Stewardship Commission chair. According to Goertzen, the SDC’s portion of the matching grants came from the Church Builders Fund, a fund currently at $200,000 originally intended for use by church plants rather than by existing congregations.
A number of churches used various methods to fund their portion of the matching grants, from traditional fundraising to harvesting trees and then selling the lumber to selling used building materials.
While delegates enthusiastically responded to the reports of facility growth, at least one delegate expressed disappointment that the Church Builders Fund was no longer being used exclusively to finance church plant facility needs.
- Youth minister. Delegates unanimously voted in favour of a recommendation that a district youth minister be hired quarter-time, beginning Jan. 1 in order to administer the district’s growing summer camp program, mission trips and youth convention.
Delegates raised a number of concerns. Why not add staff in church planting or some other area? Given the amount of work to be done, why not create a half-time position? Who would take on this kind of job?
Reimer said the future of district ministries may well involve hiring individuals on a part-time basis to carry out commission work. In this case, he said an individual had been identified who was able to give a quarter of his time to this job.
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With little discussion, delegates passed a budget for 2000 of $265,300, an increase of just over 7%, and $276,100 for 2001.
In other business, the Christian Education Commission announced that senior adult and children’s ministries would be new focus areas. Delegates approved acceptance of a new Policies and Procedures manual on an interim basis. New officers and commission workers were also elected.
CENTRAL DISTRICT
Representing the Central District were 91 delegates and 12 guests from churches including Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Illinois.
Business at the Central District Conference meetings was dominated by the theme of the joint convention: church planting and growth. The district’s four church plants – a large undertaking for a district of 27 churches – were celebrated during the meetings.
The church plants are at various stages of growth. Iglesia Agua Viva and Millard Bible Church, both in Omaha, Neb., are supporting themselves financially. Walter Preza, pastor of Agua Viva, reported in a letter that the congregation is actively involved in outreach ministries to the Hispanic community. The Millard congregation, which gave some of its members to help form the Rolling Hills Church, has been rebuilding financially and numerically, reported pastor Leonard Reimer.
Rolling Hills Church purchased 3.5 acres of land in Papillion, Neb. Pastor Rod Anderson said, “Land is not the end, and building on this land is not the end. The ultimate goal of this church is to use the most effective means to win people for Christ.”
BridgePoint Church in Minnesota’s Twin Cities is just beginning to gather a core group of people to launch their congregation.
“The heart of our ministry is people,” said pastor Tom Cartney, adding that he and his wife are involved in everything from door-to-door surveys to participating in school and athletic clubs. “We try to do anything we can to involve ourselves in the lives of the people.”
A budget of $208,600 was approved for 1999-2000, almost $23,000 more than last year.
“This is the most aggressive budget we have had,” said trustees chair Gavin Banik, adding that the budgets had been pretty stable for the last several years. “We have a lot of things going on. It costs money to do church ministry.”
Supporting Rolling Hills and BridgePoint, the two church plants on subsidy, facilitated the need for the increase, said district treasurer Richard Walter.
In order to meet the increased budget, delegates approved an increase in church norms, the amount each church is designated to give per member to the district in support of its ministries.
Like other districts and the national conference, church giving has been down in the Central District. Despite being in the black $12,000, Central District churches gave $14,000 less than the district expected last year, says Walter.
However, the district is on top of things, according to Walter. BridgePoint pastor Cartney will be visiting all the CDC churches, and the district will be keeping churches informed through the Sentinel (a district publication) and personal contact with each church treasurer or moderator by a district trustee.
Church planting board member Peter Thomas reported that some churches are going through the process of revitalization. The district is reaching out its hand to the rest of the churches with the healthy church conference, he said. “A church cannot experience renewal unless it is willing to experience renewal.” The conference for pastors was scheduled for November.
“I would rather work at fire prevention than fire extinction,” Board of Faith and Life chair Herb Schroeder told delegates as he presented the conflict resolution covenant.
The document outlines scriptural principles churches can follow to prevent and resolve conflict: “The healthy resolution of conflict honours Christ and results in mutual growth and fruitful witness.”
Delegates approved the covenant as a model for churches in the district.
District minister Clint Grenz officially announced his intent to retire in December 2000. He thanked the delegates for their prayers and support. The executive board will be surveying churches to see what the needs for this office are and then work at filling it.
Delegates also heard from the youth committee and women’s ministries and elected new board members to various committees. – from The Christian Leader
PACIFIC DISTRICT
Uniting vision dominates West Coast district convention
Bakersfield, Calif.
A wide range of worship styles – from a college choir singing spirituals and choral arrangements to Ethiopian men and women singing in Ahamaric to a church choir singing traditional hymns and modern choruses – reminded Pacific District convention delegates of the diverse cultures that make up the churches of the West Coast district.
“A vision to last a lifetime” was the theme of the convention held Nov. 5-6 at Heritage Bible Church in Bakersfield, Calif., attended by 192 delegates and 205 guests.
“What is it that will keep a conference of churches united in vision, focused on mission and motivated for service?” asked PDC chair Roger Poppen in his keynote address. The answer has something to do with a vision of the Lord, he said.
Delegates voted to accept into fellowship Korean, Hispanic, Slavic, Ethiopian and English-speaking congregations, embracing the wide range of languages and cultures in its family. Delegates laid hands on the leaders and prayed for them.
The new congregations are a result of church plant efforts by the PDC Board of Home Missions, the US Conference’s Integrated Ministries and local congregation extension efforts. Seven more congregations will be processed this year for membership in 2000.
BUDGET SHORTFALL
This year, the district experienced close to a $19,800 shortfall in funds. The difference was covered by funds from earnings of a church plant fund, a small general fund reserve and gifts to the district, reported district treasurer Jim Enns.
“Nothing was overspent,” said Enns, “but income did not come in as we expected.”
In partial response to this shortfall, the trustees recommended an eight per cent increase in church norms, the first increase in four years.
Delegates expressed concern, asking how the executive board and trustees were planning to avoid such a shortfall in the future.
“We need to do a better job of not only talking to churches who aren’t here,” said trustee Bud Klassen, “but those of us here as delegates need to go back and better represent what the conference is doing to generate interest in our individual congregations.”
Delegates unanimously approved next year’s budget, noting church giving income was projected at a higher level than 1998-99.
BYLAW AMENDMENT
Delegates voiced concern regarding an executive board recommendation to change bylaws pertaining to participation of churches in the conference, urging the committee to rethink its proposal.
The executive committee presented an amendment for consideration that would give convention voting rights based on financial contributions to the PDC.
Currently, each church is invited to send one voting delegate per each 25 members as well as two additional voting delegates. The recommendation suggested amending bylaws by dividing churches into categories which reflected their giving. Those giving 50 per cent of suggested conference norms or three per cent of their local church annual budget income would be represented according to the current system. The amendment to the bylaws would state that churches not meeting these requirements would be represented by only two voting delegates, regardless of size.
“What does it mean to have ownership without participation?” asked Eugene Enns, a member of the task force appointed to study the procedures of receiving churches into the conference. Enns said the goal of the task force was not to suppress the ministry of the PDC or place a “guilt trip” on churches, but to address the need to encourage churches to participate in conference giving.
Delegates, however, noted that the recommendation could have other ramifications.
“There are extenuating circumstances which this recommendation does not take into account,” said Loyal Funk, US Conference minister and director of Integrated Ministries. “This recommendation moves in the direction that places a premium on those ‘economic haves’ against those who are struggling to become ‘economic haves’. . . . I think we need to recognize that we have something systematically wrong when churches are not giving, but that should not be answered by a stratification that would demotivate full attendance at convention.”
Several delegates stressed the Mennonite Brethren value on community and family and expressed concern that those churches that are struggling financially might be made to feel unequal or like outsiders.
“If how much I give dictates how much I belong,” reflected Mary Elizondo, member of the Christian Education board and Hispanic Assembly and Council, “then I don’t feel like a member.”
“The dual level of ownership is not the biblical model,” said trustee Ken Neufeld. “I don’t believe this would be the way to get the giving up.”
Poppen thanked the delegates for their comments and noted the executive committee would review the proposal and decide whether or not to bring it to a vote at the next convention.
Jose Elizondo, associate district minister, reported that the Hispanic Assembly and Council reached its 1987 goal of 30 new Hispanic churches by 2000.
Fresno Pacific University, an MB university, reported good attendance and enrollment will be capped for the first time next year. Two students gave testimonies about the value of the university education and student life.
The annual home missions banquet pulled in $20,521.84 in support of the PDC’s 28 churches and five programs, most supported in full or in part by the district’s home missions board’s budget. Eleven of these churches were accepted into membership during the convention; 12 churches remain on subsidy with most of these ready to be processed for PDC membership in 2000. Four churches are being planted in partnership with Mission USA. Three church planters shared their testimonies of the struggles and rewards of planting churches.
A VISION OF GOD
Convention speaker Jim Holm, dean of students and director of constituency relations at MB Biblical Seminary, challenged delegates to seek a fresh vision of the Lord.
Beginning with Isaiah’s encounter with God in the temple, Holm reminded delegates why it is important to start with a vision of God before making plans. “God said to Isaiah, ‘Go’, and he went. Why? Because he had a vision of God,” he said. “For Isaiah, it was a vision that lasted a lifetime, and it will be for us as well if we seek the Lord.”
Holm then encouraged delegates to take seriously Jesus’ commission to make disciples and teach people to obey all He commanded. He explained his vision of discipleship. Spiritual disciplines such as solitude, silence, fasting, worship, celebration, and prayer produce “kingdom people”, he said.
Jesus had a vision of calling out and training leaders, he said, recounting how Jesus called fishermen and tax collectors to be His disciples. “You and I look at people like that and say fisherman or tax collector. But Jesus looked always with an eye for what God could do with this person. Jesus asked, where’s the leadership potential?” When Jesus sent people out in ministry, He encouraged and affirmed their ministry.
“We are to be senders,” Holm concluded. “As we keep our eyes open for people, as we train and as we encourage them, we also need to ask, where do we send them?” – from The Christian Leader
CONVENTION ANNUAL HISPANA
Hispanic MBs gather for fellowship and inspiration
San Bernardino, Calif.
Times of praise, inspiration and fellowship filled the agenda at Convention Annual Hispana 1999 held Oct. 29-31 at Oak Glen Christian Center near San Bernardino, Calif. Over 130 people from Hispanic Mennonite Brethren congregations of the Pacific District Conference attended.
“Our purpose is to fellowship,” said Pacific District associate minister Jose Elizondo. “It’s an opportunity for churches to meet, to get to know each other.”
A wide variety of activities incorporated the selected theme from Ephesians 5:16: “Aprovechando bien el tiempo porque los dias son malos” (Make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil).
Fermin Garcia Jr. served as keynote speaker. Garcia and his father pastor a 4,000-member church in Tijuana, Mexico.
In his four messages, Garcia focused on the responsibilities of a Christian in the church. He also addressed the topic of evangelism. According to Elizondo, Garcia asked whether the delegates were doing their own thing or God’s will.
Workshops centred on topics such as prayer, discernment of gifts and ministries in the church, formation of groups for growth, ministries for children and youth, and parenting.
Students from Fresno Pacific University presented a skit and gave their testimonies. Later they accompanied 25 young people from the convention to a bonfire, where they sang together and roasted marshmallows.
A communion service was also held during the convention.
Elizondo called the weekend spiritually edifying. “There were times when you’d feel the presence of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Convention Annual Hispana meets annually in different regions of California to encourage participation from the Hispanic churches of the Pacific District. Initially, the convention was held during the month of May. For the past two years, however, it has been held during October.
“This year we did not have much response from the churches in the Central Valley [of California],” reported Elizondo. “It was too far, too inconvenient.”
Changes for next year include meeting in closer proximity to the Central Valley and meeting in May. Elizondo also believes conflicts with the Pacific District Conference convention may limit participation. This year the two conventions were held on consecutive weekends.
In 1987, the PDC included eight Hispanic congregations, and district leaders set the goal of growing to 30 Hispanic congregations by 2000.
“The Lord has fulfilled that goal,” he said. “Today we have 30 Hispanic churches in our district.” – Ellynne Wiebe for The Christian Leader
NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT
Conference focuses on church life and flood relief
Lenoir, N.C.
The 60th annual North Carolina District Conference convention was held Sept. 24-25 at Laytown MB Church in Lenoir, N.C. Events covered everything from reports on local church activities to a sermon on new life in Christ to a decision to help in East Coast flood relief efforts.
In his opening remarks, Earl Yount, pastor of West End MB Church in Lenoir, addressed the convention theme “God’s will, not ours”. With 1 Samuel 15 as his text, he emphasized the importance of obedience using a story of disobedience from the life of King Saul.
Yount and James Fox, NCDC district minister, officiated at an ordination service. Reggie Hunt was ordained as the NC youth pastor, Todd Williams as the new pastor of Darby MB Church in Ferguson and James Wilfons as the West End MB Church assistant pastor.
Delegates committed to equipping each leader with a copy of Following the Call, the leadership manual of the MB church produced by the Board of Faith and Life. Fox presented a seminar on the topic of church organizational structure with the manual as his resource and said the seminar would continue throughout the year.
Each of the six congregations in the district, represented by two delegates and pastors, reported on membership information and told of their services for the year.
Russell Schmidt, Asia program director for MBMS International, gave the Saturday morning message based on Matthew 24. Speaking from his own experience as a missionary to Thailand, he challenged the audience to consider how some Christians in other parts of the world suffer when they attend church services or read their Bibles.
James L. Hunt, a pastor from Winston-Salem, N.C., brought the Saturday evening message. Using II Corinthians 5:17 as his text, he compared the Christian life to a dressing room.
“In every department store there are dressing rooms that you have to take clothes into to try them on. Also in each are mirrors to see yourself,” he said.
“In God’s dressing room you don’t have to bring any clothes in,” said Hunt, “but you have to take some off – the old sin nature. In God’s mirrors you do not see yourself. You see the reflection of Jesus.”
A recommendation that the NCDC send $1,000 to aid those on the east coast affected by flooding earlier in fall was approved. A representative of Darby MB Church, the district’s smallest congregation, indicated that they could give an additional $500. Three other congregations – West End, Bushtown and Laytown – also committed to an additional $500, bringing the total to $3,000 for the flood victims. – Terry Hunt, pastor of Bushtown MB Church in Lenoir, for The Christian Leader
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Last modified May 4, 2000.
© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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