LISTENING TO

I’m not yet finished visiting all the churches.

But there are some things I’m already sure about.

I’m sure that...

I have visited 170 congregations in our church in every area church.

It’s been an exhilarating experience for me.

I’m sure that...

We have lots and lots and lots of sincere, faithful, committed, and wonderful people in Mennonite Church Canada congregations. So far I haven’t found a single one I didn’t like. So that’s a challenge, I guess, to those I haven’t visited yet.

I’m sure that...

The reception has been very warm and the appreciation expressed for this initiative has been positive, passionate, and even emotional.

I’m sure that...

The hospitality has been genuine.

I’m sure that...

I appreciate so much our staff that has done the planning and made the logistics work; and the staff that has accompanied me on the different legs of the tour; and Irene, my wife, who has been able to accompany me on significant pieces of this tour, and the area church representatives that have supported this tour and participated in it. Thank you all so much.

I was asked to provide a brief glimpse into what I’ve heard so far.

I want to do this by allowing you to listen, as we have listened, to the voices that come from our congregations. As you can well imagine, I’ve heard a great deal.

It may be a surprise to know that not everyone is saying the same thing. Listen to these voices.

Let the people speak! They have important and

wise things to say.

Thoughts on congregational life…

Thoughts on congregational life…

“Ten years ago we were like a couple of German shepherds first meeting each other; circling each other from a distance and snarling at each other. Now there has been a lot of healing that has happened; all of it closely linked to the study of scripture and its application.” 

Thoughts on congregational life…

“The maximum contribution the conference can make does not meet the minimum needs that we have.”

Thoughts on congregational worship…

“We do not tolerate the question: ‘what do you like in a worship service?’ But rather ‘what enables us to worship well’? That’s the question we need to answer.”

Thoughts on congregational worship…

“Music keeps me sane; I sing to the cows.”

Joy and love for the church…

Joy and love for the church…

“I give thanks for the dairy farm and the church. It’s easy to work in places you love.”

Joy and love for the church…

“Our church is like a little song bird: we are small, but we have everything we need to be who we are.”

Demographic challenges:

Demographic challenges:

“Challenge for leadership will be to get us old-fogies off our butts to do something.”

Demographic challenges:

“We’re a 55+ congregation with arms open to those who don’t yet meet that criteria.”

Demographic challenges:

“The churches in our community are kind of like hockey teams; we put people on waivers and then trade members with each other.”

Demographic challenges:

“For us men, if there’s not a woman around, we don’t meet.”

Demographic challenges:

“We just got tired of hearing about the Ladies Salad Supper, so we organized the Men’s Meat Meal. And that’s been very successful.”

Demographic challenges:

“The 55+ generation is putting up its feet a bit too fast.”

Demographic challenges:

“We have lots of young couples but we have few babies, and so we need to preach more on the first part of Genesis in the next while.”

Demographic challenges:

“Our church is going from a grape to a raisin.”

Demographic challenges:

“I feel comfortable saying that our church is a dying church. But even though we’re dying, it’s important that we live well until we die.”

Learning to be hospitable:

Learning to be hospitable:

“We don’t want to be welcomed: we want to be embraced. And there is a big difference.”

Learning to be hospitable:

“It’s easy to welcome people; to embrace them is challenging.”

Learning to be hospitable:

“I’m not sure we like each other but we do care for each other.”

Learning to be hospitable:

“The older German-speaking people really like having us Hispanics here in the congregation: they just haven’t learned how to show it yet.”

Learning to be hospitable:

“Welcome to our church; we don’t have room for you but welcome anyway.”

Change and transformation:

Change and transformation:

“If the Anglican Book of Common Prayer was good enough for Paul and Silas it’s good enough for us.”

Change and transformation:

“We are open to change ---a little bit.”

Change and transformation:

“You can’t pull a tree out by the roots and say that’s change. That’s something else than change.”

Change and transformation:

“We kind of like - get in a rut, and we kind of like - like to stay there because we kind of like - like it there.”

Change and transformation:

“Our church had outreach this year too: this Christmas we sang the ‘Friedensfurst” in English.”

Change and transformation:

“I had a brain-wave and someone asked me if it hurt.”

Identity:

Identity:

“We’ve tried to be a “Mennonite in brackets” kind of congregation. And that doesn’t work.”

Identity:

“The Anabaptist vision is getting world-renown recognition, and we’re going to be ashamed of it at home? No way!”

Identity:

“20 years ago we made the decision to stop using Conference Sunday school material, and started using David Cooke instead. Since then we’ve “won” some people, but we’ve “lost” our peoplehood.”

Identity:

“We have not been devout members of MC Canada. You better have better members out there than us or else you’re in trouble.”

Identity:

“We’re kind of like an anchor; we drag you down. We simply can’t think of a good reason why we should be enthused about being part of MC Canada.”

Identity:

“I am denominationally agnostic.”

Identity:

“I don’t have time to go to the conference. My sock drawer demands too much of my attention.”

Identity:

“Relationship is building a bridge that’s strong enough to carry the truth.”

Identity:

“In our congregation we don’t need to say “I crashed my car this week, praise the Lord.”

Identity:

“People just want to be heard.”

Pain:

Pain:

“For a little while, if the pain is too great; it’s important to step off the tack.”

Pain:

“There is something that wants to destroy us.”

Pain:

“I’m over-discerned.”

Pain:

“Our church is ok. No one yells at membership meetings anymore.”

Pain:

“Our congregation is ecologically friendly. We could disappear without a trace. And no one would realize that we’ve been here nor that we’ve left.”

Missional character:

Missional character:

“There is a form of resurrection that will come here.”

Missional character:

“At our very worst we’re like a Christian country-club where God is just one more member.”

Missional character:

“We are well adjusted to our society in general but totally disconnected to our community in particular.”

Missional character:

“Often new people invite new people more than old people invite new people.”

Missional character:

“This tastes like more; the missional thinking has started to grab a-hold of people.”

Missional character:

“We’re a Mennonite church partnering with an Anglican church to do a Baptist vacation Bible school.”

FAQ: Is there any hope?

Yes, there is a mountain of hope, because hope is a gift that God gives to the church and the church is incapable of erasing Christian hope. So there is hope. That is a given. Maybe more importantly, there are also many reasons for optimism.

FAQ: What are the most significant concerns you hear most often?

FAQ: What are the most significant concerns you hear most often?

1) Enlisting our youth and young adults with a compelling vision to participate in the church;

FAQ: What are the most significant concerns you hear most often?

2) Generating a sense of unity and sufficient common ground upon which diversity can be constructed;

FAQ: What are the most significant concerns you hear most often?

3) Working at concerns of de-population of regions and the probability of decrease in church growth in many areas.

FAQ: What are the most significant concerns you hear most often?

4) Learning to apply the missional church perspectives more fully to the life and structure of the church.

What can we do now?

Pray for each other;

What can we do now?

Talk to each other;

What can we do now?

Visit each other;

What can we do now?

Work together;

What can we do now?

Gain strength locally, regionally, and nationally.

FAQ: Are you drained by this experience?

No, far from it. I am energized by seeing our church at work in so many places, with so much commitment and creativity, and with so much success.