Finding Our Way Through an Impasse

by Stephen Kriss

The conflict between Paul and Barnabas in Acts has always unsettled me. Why couldn’t the brothers work it out? Their conflict was about who to include in their journey, and it was also about a difference in posture.  

They were at an impasse. The need to share the Gospel far and wide was better served by parting ways than remaining in their relational quagmire.  

Were there personalities at play? Absolutely. Were the frustrations real? Certainly. Were their separate endeavors successful? Seemingly, yes. Was the Gospel harmed in their solution which meant separation? Ultimately, no. But this story reminds me that even necessary partings can be painful.  

Mosaic Mennonite Conference faces a similar moment. We have spent significant energy and time considering how Mosaic might realign our relationship with Mennonite Church USA. After years of negotiation, the Mosaic Conference Board is advocating that it’s time to discontinue the relationship in its current form. 

The Mosaic board’s recommendation is an invitation to focus on what is possible together outside of our current denominational alignment and toward global relatedness through Mennonite World Conference. 

I believe this is the best choice for our Mosaic future. Though I am deeply rooted in the communities that make up Mennonite Church USA, I recognize that the fragmenting of our denomination has been part of our Conference’s beginning. 

Eastern District Conference split in half rather than join Mennonite Church USA. Southeast Mennonite Conference split into multiple parts. Over a half dozen former Franconia Conference congregations have left Mosaic since our formation in 2019. We have not always been prepared for how costly the journey would be. Shifting alignments and connections are part of our Anabaptist story. It is not new. 

Paul and Barnabas were not caught in an impasse for as long as we have been with Mennonite Church USA. Though at the beginning of Mosaic Conference, the question of alignment with the denomination came into play, the struggle boiled over in 2022. Questions of inclusion of BIPOC and queer persons have driven much of this conversation (not dissimilar from the ongoing conversations in the Book of Acts). These questions address how people are honored and their voices valued.   

In our conversations with Mennonite Church USA, some of us have, for years, felt minimized and that our concerns were not validated.  

Though Mennonite Church USA is now only about one third of the size it was when created, the denomination operates with bylaws and structures that were created for a much larger system, and that at times have not responded to concerns from people of color, have taken years of advocacy for inclusion of queer persons, and been slow to respond to changing financial and demographic realities. Many in the denomination have accepted a narrative of decline while hoping for renewal. 

We sought to negotiate with Mennonite Church USA open handedly. We followed through on all that was requested from us. We showed up consistently. We asked for counsel. We met face-to-face and on Zoom. We moved forward in good faith. We maintained relationships with other Conference leaders in the USA and Canada. 

We believe that we are struggling with systems and powers, not individuals. We believe that our siblings in Christ are acting with good intentions. We recognize that change is difficult and takes time in large structures. 

At the same time, communication has been difficult. Public communication that has come from Mennonite Church USA has often felt condescending rather than collaborative. We have been willing to lean in and share resources. Yet there has been very little movement.   

Mennonite Church USA’s invitation for mediation in May came too quick for our board. We followed up in July with a willingness to move forward with a conversation (mediated or not) between Mosaic moderators and executive staff with Mennonite Church USA moderators and executive staff. 

We have received no indication of a willingness to move forward. We are left owing our delegates a recommendation without what feels like good faith negotiation or clarity from leaders in Mennonite Church USA. 

At the same time, we are ready to pursue a path as Mosaic. After settling on the affiliation question this week, our board affirmed a centering document (also available in Spanish, Indonesian and Haitian Creole) that names how we have been operating and represents the direction we are moving.   

We are recognizing Jesus as our Center. We are orienting around Mennonite World Conference’s Seven Shared Convictions (an intention that we delayed at the formation of Mosaic due to counsel we received from Mennonite Church USA). We are living into restorative practices rather than punitive conversations around our differences.   

This will allow Mosaic, and the diversity of communities that already exist within us, to flourish. This is our path ahead. 

Sometimes we have to let go of the familiar to discover our future. Our Mosaic future is bright though the way forward might be turbulent.  

We will seek to cultivate partnerships that allow us to both give and receive. We will be gracious and generous. We will anticipate that the Spirit will bring forth and sustain the fruit we need. We come to this place with humility, with lament, and with hope for Jesus’ ongoing redemption for us and for our broken and beautiful world.   

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish) Indonesia (Indonesian)

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish) Indonesia (Indonesian)