Rachel Swartzendruber Miller appointed to lead Convention Planning

by Laurie Oswald Robinson

Shortly after Rachel Swartzendruber Miller was appointed as director of Convention Planning for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership in mid-July, she took a week’s vacation to return to her Iowa farm and faith roots.

There, in the corn and cow smells of her family’s fifth-generation dairy farm near Kalona, Swartzendruber Miller, outgoing associate director for Convention Planning, reflected on how her past shaped her journey and brought her to this new juncture.

As she did farm chores, spent time with her family and rested from her labors at Convention 2009, the 29-year-old became more grateful than ever for how Mennonite community prepared her for this new responsibility. Swartzendruber Miller, of Phoenix, Ariz., where she lives with her husband, Tyson, was named to the post after Jorge Vallejos, director, announced his resignation. Swartzendruber Miller helped plan conventions in her associate role since 2006.

“I loved growing up on this farm and in Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church,” Swartzendruber Miller says. “My parents are heavily involved in their congregation. They taught me that you get out of something whatever you put into it.”

Also impacting Swartzendruber Miller were Mennonite educational experiences. She graduated from high school at Iowa Mennonite School in Kalona in 1998. She then graduated in communication from Hesston (Kan.) College in 2000 and Goshen (Ind.) College in 2002. After years of studying within the Anabaptist framework, she sensed a growing passion and call to work within the church.

“I hear comments that Mennonite schools keep kids in a Mennonite bubble,” she says. “But why not allow these communities to help our youth gain an Anabaptist foundation? It is what prepares us to go out into the world, do our life’s work, follow our passions and raise our families within a faith framework. I can’t separate who I am from being Mennonite, and I largely credit that to Mennonite education. I couldn’t compartmentalize my faith when my faith journey and school were one and the same.”

After graduating from Goshen, she was hired as an admissions counselor for Hesston College. She left that post in 2004 to earn a master’s degree in communication from Wichita (Kan.) State University, where she spent time studying Mennonite women’s writings in the church press. After graduating, she became the associate director of Convention Planning in August 2006 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in leadership theory in the School of Education from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich.

This integration of faith and life and Christ-centered identity in young adults also appears in the way Swartzendruber Miller is now providing resources for Mennonite Church USA.

“I’m excited about Rachel in this new role,” says Marty Lehman, director of communication/development for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership. “She brings her passion for Mennonite Church USA, her gifts in working with youth and young adults, her communication skills, as well as a fresh perspective to her work and this assignment.”

Swartzendruber Miller has reflected on the responsibility of young people to grasp the torch of faith from those handing it on. She has a vision for the ministry of conventions, held every two years, in the life of Mennonite Church USA. The next convention is set for July 4 to 11, 2011, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

“My long-term vision is that conventions will continue to do what they have always done so well — celebrating what unifies and energizes us as God’s Anabaptist people,” she says. “Because of conventions, I want Mennonite Church USA and its congregations and individuals to better know how God is calling us to serve his people.”

After having helped plan the last two conventions in such areas as youth worship, young adult activities, audio visuals, late night events and overall logistics, Swartzendruber Miller knows it is easy to do things the same each time. She wants to stay fresh.

“I want to always ask ‘How can we do this better?’” she says. “I always want to add a little something different. At Columbus for the first time we added a 5K race. And we added a step show for teenagers who had rhythmic dance teams, who performed at our last worship services. Adding variety helps people of all ages and interests feel welcomed.”

Swartzendruber Miller is not pie-in-the-sky about the challenges convention planners face. There are tough topics the denomination addressed during delegate sessions in Columbus, such as gay and lesbian involvement and human trafficking.

“We can’t ignore these topics, but the question is, ‘How can we have the conversation in a loving way and how can we be honest with one another without creating sides?’” she says. “Raising our voice to one another is not agreeing and disagreeing in love; pointing out each and every way someone has wronged you is not agreeing and disagreeing in love. We must all challenge ourselves to not only believe the way of Jesus, but also act that way. As humans we all fall short of the examples of Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we have the right to disrespect each other,” she says.

Trusting the process of spiritual discernment in our delegate body is key. “Sadly, we as humans are so quick to criticize process, yet make little effort to get involved. As my parents taught me, you get out what you put into something. This is what drew me to work for the church. If we want to see the Mennonite denomination doing God’s work in the world, we need to individually seek out ways to assist in doing that work. This includes volunteering at the congregational level and in our communities, supporting service workers and service organizations, encouraging our Mennonite schools and the mission they proclaim, spending time in God’s Word and helping neighbor, friend or coworker understand the joy of a ‘third way’ found in the Anabaptist tradition and the life of Christ.”

When she is planning worship or delegate sessions, Swartzendruber Miller’s farm upbringing has helped her know visions are realized by hard work. Conventions happen successfully only to the extent that convention planners, volunteers and church leaders roll up their sleeves and deal with the nitty-gritty details, as well as the lofty ideals.

“Today as I was hauling corn and felt in awe of how gorgeous this Iowa farmland is,” she says, “I was thinking about how great it would be to be a farmer, but I also remembered the tough stuff — how hard it is to go out on icy cold days and feed the cows.

“Convention planning is like that. There is a lot of hard work, and it can feel like I am farming during an Iowa winter. But during the week of convention, I forget all of that, as I see the beauty unfold, and suddenly, everything has been worth it.”