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As God’s children we are belong to a spiritual family that is made up of many parts. “For as one body we have many members…so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another” (Rom. 12:4-5). We most often experience this in terms of the local congregation.

But we are also members of a larger body—the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. Our denomination is called to be one family, serving one Lord, unified by one mission—transforming individuals, families and communities with the good news. We accomplish this mission most effectively when we pull together as 200 congregations.

The essays that follow highlight this benefit of denominational affiliation. You will read how six pastors complete this statement: Partnering together as one national family is important as we…. Their stories and reflections remind us that together is better.—Connie Faber, CL editor

Essays in this series:

Working with the larger family by Josue Aaron Hernandez

Living our faith in the world by Chris Eidse

Discerning together what the Bible teaches by Brad Bonnett

Planting churches by Paul Robie

Striving to be missional by Phil Stangland

Preparing leaders by Paul Bartel

There is nothing more exciting than seeing people in our communities surrender their lives to God. No church denies this as central to their purpose or mission, but at Grulla MB Church we felt that we needed to be intentional about it.

We did not pray to become a particular type of church—traditional, contemporary, modern or relevant. We prayed that we would become Christ’s church with his vision, his plan and his purpose.As we began to seek God for direction, God moved Grulla MB into a new phase that will allow us to do more for his kingdom. God told us what he repeatedly told Joshua: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). This meant that our faith-risk factor had to increase.

If God was going to lead, then he was going to provide the resources needed for us to accomplish his vision for our church. In other words, “If it is his will then it is his bill.” And God has faithfully been doing this in every way. Our congregation has continued to be faithful in their giving and God has blessed us through a new partnership with Mission USA and Don Morris.

MUSA’s financial assistance only begins to scratch the surface of our partnership. MUSA has joined us in constant prayer and Don has provided words of encouragement and advice drawn from his years of experience. MUSA has been strategic in partnering alongside us in the direction God is leading. Don has not dictated our moves or direction but has been very sensitive and supportive in believing with us the vision that God has for Grulla MB Church.

Moving into a new phase of renewal brought challenges that we had not considered or foreseen. MUSA has been a catalyst in helping us to better confront these challenges. One specific point of help has been in the area of staffing. Grulla MB has always been very active in serving our community by means of service projects, basketball tournaments, outreach/family events and hosting other Mennonite Brethren church groups who come to serve in South Texas and Mexico.

However, as our vision became clearer we realized we needed to increase our staff in order to cover a wider range of ministry and to develop a team that would better serve the needs of our church and community. By joining with MUSA in prayer and discernment we have been blessed as God has sent the right people for his work at Grulla.

We currently have one full-time pastor and one part-time worship leader, but expect to end the year with at least two more part-time staff that will help in ministering to our youth and children. Increased staffing has helped us be more effective in reaching our community for Jesus and targeting specific areas of ministry that needed more help.

I am amazed and grateful that God wants to use us to increase his kingdom and that he has provided people like Don Morris and Mission USA to help our efforts to reach our community for Jesus. At Grulla we are in a long-distance race that requires discipline and sacrifice from those in our church. But even now, God is blessing us with small samplings that bear the fruit of our partnership with MUSA. As I write this we are but a few weeks removed from an Easter weekend in which we rejoiced to celebrate 12 baptisms, five new confessions for Christ and 350 people joining our celebration.

Being part of the U.S. Mennonite Brethren family really is a good thing for us. It adds value to our church life as we aim to increase the kingdom of God.

People in their 20s and 30s are staying away from church more now than at any other time in modern history. The stats show that the majority of this rising generation views us evangelicals as largely irrelevant at best and judgmental bigots at worst. How did we get to this point, and more importantly, what can we do to change this perception?

I believe that this upcoming generation really matters, and if we want to see them embrace the Christian faith we need to figure out how to improve their perception of us. The future of faith in our country depends on it. We as a Mennonite Brethren family have a lot to offer, and I believe we can make a real impact on this changing culture.

Part of our image problem has to do with what we stand against. Evangelical Christians are known for their stance against some pretty controversial things. We take a stance against abortion, gay marriage, embryonic stem cell research and all kinds of things that we believe are sinful. Standing against these things is not the real problem.

The heart of our image problem comes when we are only known for the things we stand against and not for the positive things that we stand for. To mend our image we need to be known for all those great attributes that made Jesus a hero. Imagine if we were known 90 percent of the time for the fruits of the Spirit and only 10 percent for trying to legislate what is right. If so, our efforts could influence the country more than winning a few political victories at the expense of embittering our opponents.

Was Jesus known for his stance against prostitutes or crooked tax collectors? Was Jesus known for his stance against homosexuals and divorcees? When I think about Jesus I think about the people he stood up for more than the people he stood up against.

Jesus was a champion of the sinful masses. He was known for his outrageous love for people who were a mess. His love for sinful people shocked the culture. There is no doubt that Jesus spoke the truth about sin, but his outstanding love for people formed the lasting impression that built his reputation.

As Mennonite Brethren we have some pretty remarkable beliefs upon which to stand. Here in North Carolina we have a rich history of standing up for racial equality and integration. This sets us apart in an area that has struggled with these concepts in the past. We have a reputation of empowering the underprivileged and teaching the Word of God in a way that is relevant and trustworthy.

Building our reputation on these attributes will continue to attract people that are searching for real meaning and depth in a shallow world. Our U.S. Mennonite Brethren family has many great things to stand up for. I hope we are known for our emphasis on community, peace, justice and reconciliation. These are characteristics that people are crying out for. They are focal points for us that can change our image from judgmental to loving, from hypocritical to genuine.

The U.S. Mennonite Brethren family has solidly stood alongside our churches in prayer and support in our quest to shine our light in North Carolina. Together we need to stand and rebuild our reputation as evangelical Christians who are known for their outrageous love of Jesus. Now more than ever we need to stand with one voice saying, “This is who we are.” Let’s pray that it can be as shocking today as it was 2000 years ago when Jesus spoke his message loud and clear.

This desire and tension is not new, as those who follow Christ can attest. We have in our history the record of a church that was likewise in this tension-filled dialogue. The question at hand dealt specifically with how followers of Jesus are to live. How must their lives change because of their allegiance to Christ? What is essential to follow Christ and what is nonessential?

As this church struggled with this question, they looked beyond themselves for guidance. They sought direction from those who were in positions of church leadership. This led to one of the first recorded gatherings of church leaders, now referred to as the Council at Jerusalem. Read Acts 15 for more about this gathering.

As Christ-followers who gather under the Mennonite Brethren family label, we follow the examples of those before us. Organized as an identified portion of the kingdom, the Mennonite Brethren denomination strives to live out our faith in the context of a greater gathering of accountability. This means living out our commitment to one another to strive, arm-in-arm, to corporately follow Christ in a faithful biblical manner.

Guided by our Confession of Faith, every church united by this common quest seeks after dynamic orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right practice). First century Christ-followers needed guidance in changing cultural times as they carried an unchanging message. Is that not at least equally as true for Christ-followers today?

As the globe encounters rapid change that knows no geographical or cultural boundaries, the body of Christ continues to be charged with carrying the unchanging message of the good news. Immense change once again meets foundational truth. It is partially for this reason that as Mennonite Brethren we have resurged in our valuation of the U.S. Conference Leadership Board to plot a course.

It seems that at no other time in history has the potential magnitude of impact been as great for the Word of God. The church of Christ is spread throughout this world, encountering questions of biblical interpretation daily. This tension-filled truth is seen in every mission-focused church, both foreign and domestic. What is essential to the Way/Truth/Life, and what is non-essential?

Our quest, therefore, is fraught with great potentials along with great threats. How might the direction of the church been changed had the Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15) decided to follow the legalism (a need for circumcision to follow Christ) dictated to them by a powerful Pharisee force? Rather than encouragement to preach the freedom found in Christ, the message could have become diverted with religiously cultural burdens. Simple focus prevailed. They were able to focus on “one mission,” which we Mennonite Brethren subsequently rally around.

Is the Mennonite Brethren denomination any different? Is there not continued and perhaps a greater need for groups of believers to be spurred on and encouraged as they navigate change? Great potential or great threat exists. The method of sharing the freedom in Christ yet challenges the message of freedom in Christ.

The proverbial winsome tie (i.e. shirt and tie) threatens the towel (i.e. the basin and towel that Christ bore). Cultural burdens both within and without the church walls should daily cause us to examine what is essential to transformation in Christ and what is nonessential. As I listen to the band Coldplay, eat lunch at the local bar & grill, spend time kneeling in prayer and talk with friends who are considering divorce, I am constantly navigating an unchanging message in perpetually changing times.

Followers of Christ have the unworldly gift of not walking alone. As Christ desires “transformation of individuals, families, and communities” through us, we have the potential of reflecting the same experience of that local church as recorded not so long ago in Acts. May we, by God’s grace, echo their response: “There was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message” (Acts 15:31 NLT).

As I reflect back on the 11 years that I’ve lived in Utah as a church planter for the Mennonite Brethren, it is my pleasure to give credit and encouragement to those that made it possible.

South Mountain Community Church began as a dream fueled by a growing distaste for the way the Latter Day Saints Church has successfully dominated an entire culture with a God-dishonoring false gospel called Mormonism. I visited Utah several times during my 10 years as an associate pastor at Laurelglen Bible Church in Bakersfield, Calif.

Scott McKinney, a friend from seminary days, was having success reaching disenfranchised LDS in Utah County, the hotbed of Mormonism and home to Brigham Young University and The Mormon Missionary Training Center which processes 30,000 missionaries each year. Scott talked to me about the need for good churches in Utah and drew my attention to a town called Draper at the south end of the Salt Lake valley. At the time, this town had a population of 20,000 and not one Protestant church. The Mormon church was thoroughly entrenched in every aspect of this community—government, education, social networks and religion.

With a new passion to try to reach the folks in Draper with the liberating news of the gospel of grace, my wife and I became intent on moving to Draper to start a church. Laurelglen Bible Church was the first to hear of our plan, but soon the Pacific District Conference Board of Home Missions and Mission USA were in the mix and showing interest.

By January 1998 all three entities had come together to form a coalition of partners on this project. I was to receive funding for two years minimum with a third year possible. Along with that funding, a Task Force was formed with representatives from each entity. This Task Force gave encouragement, counsel and accountability. This was a “parachute” church plant—we had no connection to a mother church in Utah and no core group to help us from the beginning—and so these men were especially important in navigating these uncharted waters.

SMCC opened its doors to the public for worship the second week in October 1998. Now SMCC has planted a church in West Jordan, Utah, with Cory and Trina Anderson. We also have two other campuses—one in South Jordan (The Daybreak campus) and another in St. George (SMCC @ the Springs).

All of us attending a Mennonite Brethren church on a weekly basis in Utah are now about 2,000 people. Without the confidence, encouragement and funding from Mennonite Brethren in North America—some funding came from Canada—none of this would have happened.

Each new Utah church plant or campus has had Mennonite Brethren backing. The initial investment made into this Draper project has resulted in a great harvest for God. That original investment has not only yielded over 500 baptisms but the ongoing mission of the gospel in Utah. As a Mennonite Brethren partner, SMCC has invested over $500,000 in Utah projects.

Why is it important that the national family of Mennonite Brethren has come alongside SMCC and is involved in other communities for church planting? It is so that God’s fame can be continually spread throughout Utah and other places.

Does the church serve the denomination or does the denomination serve the church? It’s clear that either extreme takes us down the wrong path. That is why we at Laurelglen Bible Church (LBC) seek to simplify our global mission emphasis by sending those in our family. Our immediate family is LBC. Our extended family is our Mennonite Brethren churches. This is not to the purposeful exclusion of others. It’s simply a result of so much mission activity with our immediate and extended families that we have our hands full, and that is a good thing.

At LBC we almost always support those who emerge from the immediate church family in their area of service and with the mission agency we agree that suits them best. We have the joy and privilege of discipling them over many years through the various ministries of the church and we walk with them as they sense God’s call to global mission. It is because of this approach that we end up with a very diverse group of missionaries in the LBC mission family.

Here’s the current picture: We have 29 missionary “family units” serving with 13 organizations in 13 different countries. Six of these units are with MBMS International. No other organization has more of our missionaries—not by design; it’s just the way it is right now. We believe the strength of the mission ministry has come through this diversification. We don’t believe it has been to the detriment of MBMSI. As LBC’s global missions ministry has grown, so has our involvement with MBMSI.

Where has the growth come from? Mostly through a consistent investment in global mission emphasis that creates a cultural mind-set around LBC where we value taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. It occurs through a fall emphasis on supporting the poor around the world, an annual mission conference in the winter and through life-changing short-term—especially summer—mission opportunities. This summer we have 49 people heading out on five LBC teams. There are also at least 12 individuals who will serve on teams with other organizations. This is made possible through generous donors who believe in what we are doing and seek to use their resources to build into the lives of our young people and adults, many of whom have experienced missions for the first time here.

The investment has paid off dramatically this year. Four of our 29 units are heading overseas soon for long-term assignments. All of them have participated in LBC’s short-term mission program. Probably the most significant statistic is that over the last 10 years, with the exception of national missionaries and Mennonite Brethren missionaries we have “adopted,” all of our new missionaries have been “homegrown.”

How does our connection with the Mennonite Brethren mission family work with all of this? It works because of the mind-set that is already established at LBC and the consistent dialogue and participation we have with MBMSI. The key words are partnership and networking. One comes from trust and the other from communication.

Some examples: It was easy to be one of the first churches to jump on board with the Thailand Team 2000 almost 10 years ago. The Lord connected us to the Delhi Team almost five years ago through a trip I took with MBMSI to Thailand. A visit to north India two years ago with MBMSI has resulted in a growing interest in India. And about a year ago, we heard about John and Geri Warkentin who had a vision to serve with MBMSI to help tell the stories of our MB missionaries around the world. Adopting them into our LBC mission family was one of the easiest decisions we ever made. And next month, as a result of our long-term relationship with Otto and Marjorie Ekk, we are sending one of our homegrown missionaries, Doug and Myra Gentry, to serve with the Ekks in Portugal.

Is MBMSI serving us? Yes, and they are doing a great job. Are we serving MBMSI? Yes, providing finances and people is our calling as part of the Mennonite Brethren family. With God’s blessing, the mission agency and the local church can both flourish as we each do our job.

I believe in our academic institutions. I am a supportive alumnus of Tabor College and MB Biblical Seminary. I have seen dozens of high school students grow in their faith and their commitment to ministry thanks to Ministry Quest. I have watched Tabor College, Fresno Pacific University and MB Biblical Seminary graduates become leaders within communities and local Mennonite Brethren churches.

And yet, when we think about our denomination as a family and these different institutions as a part of that family, we seem disconnected. Certainly money is exchanging hands—many churches are supporting these schools. And these schools have a keen focus on training leaders—particularly Mennonite Brethren—for the church and the world. Yet we are detached from each other, and it would be good for us to become better connected.

We will forge new connections when Tabor College, Fresno Pacific University, MB Biblical Seminary and the local churches band together in partnerships and communication, developing new methods of teaching and training the leaders that will lead our churches in lay and clergy roles. If we truly are a family—and I believe we are—then we have to openly work together, discovering improved ways to partner those among us who are the most gifted educators with those who want to be trained as leaders in the church.

We can reconnect churches and institutions by rethinking education methodology. Traditional methods of leadership training—primarily on-campus, classroom education—are no longer the choice of many. This is especially true of those pursuing seminary education, although our undergraduate schools are not immune. Mennonite Brethren institutions must change methodologies in the midst of a changing culture.

Leadership development happens in two realms. It happens through the local churches as people volunteer on committees and boards and serve as deacons, elders, musicians, teachers and small group leaders. It happens at a seminary for those who desire a more thorough and in-depth training. Perhaps as a family of churches it is time we begin thinking creatively of ways to merge these two levels of leadership development. Can we find new ways to partner our institutions with the churches in Christian leadership development beyond financial partnerships? These dynamic partnerships are vital to our success with future leadership development.

Ministry Quest is an example of this. This program employs the theological insight of seminary and college professors, the ministry of the local church and the wisdom of lay leaders in local churches to provide a dynamic leadership development program for high school and college students. This program carries enormous potential for leadership development in our churches and illustrates the creative ways our institutions can serve to facilitate that process.

I am completely convinced that as a family of churches, it is vital that we continue to support our educational institutions as they create leaders. I am totally persuaded that as a family of churches, it is essential that we continue to support these institutions as they create leaders and that we support the congregations in their efforts to nurture leaders. However, when we band together as a community of churches, we are able to do much more than we can alone—which is why we are a family.

By Myra Holmes

The U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches relies on multiple “pocketbooks” in the form of 200 congregations in carrying out its ministries. When these individual congregations make it a priority to give to the denomination, ministry expands beyond the reaches of any single congregation.

The number of congregations that open their wallets for the U.S. Conference isn’t very big—just 65 out of 200. What prompts these churches to give? To find out, I talked with pastors and church members from several faithfully-giving congregations. I learned that a sense of what Mennonite Brethren can do better together is a key motivating factor.

Loyalty helps, especially for congregations that have a significant history with the denomination. Fairview (Okla.) MB Church—now 114 years old—is a good example. Interim pastor Brad Penner says that the influence of loyal givers throughout the church’s history means that supporting denominational ministries is “in the DNA,” as Penner says. “It’s a good habit that has grown out of the vision and the mission of the forefathers of this congregation.”

A church doesn’t have to be 100-plus to have that sense of loyalty. Those I spoke with—from old and young congregations alike—say: “It’s just part of who we are;” “It’s our tithe;” “It’s nonnegotiable.”

At 40-something, Grace Bible Church, Gettysburg, SD, is significantly “younger” than Fairview, but denominational giving habits were similarly established early on. Long-time member Phil Hamburger cites the influence of early pastor Wilfred Fadenrecht: “He instilled that in us.”

But loyalty isn’t always enough. Two pastors of well-established congregations told me that rocky relationships with denominational ministries have impacted their giving, in spite of tradition. One closed the church pocketbook for a number of years before resuming; the other has become more selective in giving.

So what takes a congregation beyond “good habits” and loyalty to motivate giving? Time and again, pastors cite the importance of being part of something larger than themselves. In the end, it’s the vision that inspires giving.

“There are things we can do together that we can’t do by ourselves,” says David Froese, pastor of Heritage Bible Church, Bakersfield, Calif. He points to church planting and evangelism as examples: “We can expand beyond our borders in a way we couldn’t if we didn’t link arms.” Others point to Christian education, publishing and missions as things we just couldn’t do as individual congregations.

The local church benefits from the support of that larger family as well. Daniel Clubb, pastor of Shorelife Community Church, Capitola, Calif., appreciates the counsel of district leaders, the budget advice from MB Foundation and the prayer support from conference leaders, to name a few. “There’s something positive about being part of a bigger family,” Clubb says.

Personal connections help bring the vision home. For example, at Enid (Okla.) MB Church, the church invites conference leaders to come as often as is practical, both to preach and to help equip the congregation, which gives a face to denominational ministry. Dinuba (Calif.) MB Church had a part in the founding of Fresno Pacific University and MB Biblical Seminary, both in nearby Fresno, and continues to be actively involved at the schools. That feeling of personal investment makes giving easier, according to pastor Jim Aiken.

So if loyalty isn’t enough and if vision is the bigger motivator, communicating the vision will become increasingly important in the days ahead. Some of that responsibility to communicate lies with denominational leaders, and you can be sure the CL will continue to do what we can.

But congregations have a responsibility, too. I like what Pat Coyle, pastor of Shafter (Calif.) MB Church, says: “Take some time to look into what the district and the conference and the denomination do. If you’re currently not supporting any of those, look at their vision and decide as a congregation what part you want to have in that.” Because it really is true that 200 pocketbooks are better than one.

Myra Holmes is the Christian Leader assistant editor. She and her family worship at Trailhead Church, a Mennonite Brethren church plant in the greater-Denver area.