MCC executive committee ponders recommendations for closer MCC/Mennonite World Conference relationship

Mennonite Central Committee
Saturday, 29 April 2000

AKRON, Pa. -- Mennonite Central Committee's (MCC) relationship with Mennonite World Conference (MWC) was a major discussion item as the MCC executive committee met here April 14 and 15.

In 1997 the two agencies committed themselves to an exchange of "participant observers" between executive committees and to a "journey of mutual exploration." The agreement called for a review in 2000, which was written by church leaders Ray Brubacher and Pakisa Tshimika and presented at the meeting by Brubacher. Tshimika, traveling in Africa, joined in the presentation via video.

MWC is a fellowship of 84 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in more than 50 countries. Its first activity was to organize a world conference in 1925. John A. Lapp, historian and former MCC executive secretary, pointed out that MCC and MWC have a long history of working together. MCC's executive committee helped organize the 1948 MWC assembly. More recently MCC workers in India assisted with the 1997 MWC Calcutta assembly. Over the years MCC's Peace Office has worked with MWC on peace concerns and since 1997 an MCC staff person has given some time to serve as associate secretary of MWC Peace Council. Last year MCC and MWC sponsored a Jerusalem seminar for Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Bible teachers from 12 countries.

The next several years will be "pivotal for MWC," predicted Brubacher and Tshimika. "MWC member churches, especially those in the South, continue to cry out for mutuality, dignity and respect. MWC is increasingly becoming an important, if not the most important, global arena for the southern hemisphere churches."

Since MCC and MWC were established, phenomenal church growth has taken place in Africa, Asia and Latin America while numbers in Canada, United States and Europe have stagnated. MCC, which currently represents 17 conferences and various MCC entities in Canada and the United States, has begun considering opportunities to become more international in its structures.

Brubacher and Tshimika's recommendations for future action will be considered in July 2000 at MWC's general council meeting in Guatemala. That meeting brings together official delegates from MWC member churches. The MCC executive committee will continue its discussions and the MWC/MCC relationship will be back on the agenda at its June 2001 meeting.

Recommendations included:

* that MWC establish a committee to develop a five- to 10-year strategic plan for MWC. This will include vision, goals, strategies and methods for monitoring and evaluating results as well as a long-range plan for establishing a financial base.

* that MCC expand the discussion of its relationship with MWC to include more program and field staff around the world. As Brubacher and Tshimika wrote their review, they drew on comments solicited primarily from MCC executive committee members and senior program staff. All MWC staff have been part of the discussions. All MWC staff have been part of the discussions.

* that MWC and MCC continue the exchange of "participant observers" between executive committees; this could eventually lead to MCC inviting MWC to appoint members to the MCC executive committee.

* that MCC support MWC during its visioning/planning process. This commitment would be financial but could also include staff time and other support.

Brubacher and Tshimika also suggested that MCC work at "being an advocate for MWC" through its network in the United States and Canada. Several executive committee members commented that they had little background on MWC and felt many other people are not aware of MWC's vision or purpose. "Curry and fellowship," is how Jeannette Neufeld, MCC executive committee member from Regina, Sask., summarized North Americans' knowledge of MWC. She was referring to the last MWC assembly that drew thousands of Mennonites from around the world to Calcutta, India.

MWC staff reiterated that they want to move beyond the perception that MWC is simply an organization that plans an assembly every six years. "MWC receives a continually growing number of calls, particularly but not only from the South, to develop further as an instrument of the global church," asserted Larry Miller, MWC executive secretary.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org