Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Conference News

Conference Board hires consultant

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March 15, 2010

Statement from the Franconia Conference Board

We deeply regret the pain and confusion that has resulted from our announced plan to lay off conference staff later this year. As a board, we acknowledge that we have not handled this well. Randy Heacock, Assistant Conference Moderator, adds, “We have been sobered and are distressed by the erosion of trust that has resulted from our actions.”

The plan to lay off staff is on hold while an in-depth review of our conference is undertaken. This review will include our Conference, its Board, executive minister, staff and congregations. It will involve listening broadly and assessing the various aspects of our Conference as well as the recent decision regarding staffing.

The Conference has retained LaVern Yutzy, a consulting associate with Mennonite Health Services Alliance. In addition to his work with other conferences and Anabaptist health care organizations, LaVern has just completed a one year review of Mennonite Church USA. We anticipate that his review will include recommendations about changes that are needed and that it will provide guidance about how we might move forward.

The listening meetings scheduled for March 16 and March 23 will take place as scheduled. The review process will provide additional opportunities for your perspectives and counsel to be considered.

It is our hope that we can better understand the role of Franconia Conference in supporting our desire to increase the health and growth of leaders, churches, disciples and connections by fulfilling our mission to Equip Leaders to Empower Others to Embrace God’s Mission…in the world.

Urban leaders take first steps toward forming global network

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by Linda Espenshade

A newly formed network of urban Anabaptist leaders, facilitated by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), is developing organically. Person by person, they are gradually connecting with each other because they share the commonality of engaging the city as Anabaptists.

The formation of the network is based on one founding principle – Anabaptist leaders who are committed to caring for the cities they live in can benefit from relating to urban Anabaptists from all parts of the world. Once connected, they will better understand how they can support each other in their efforts.

“We have Korean Anabaptists longing to be in relationship with other urban Anabaptists,” said Joe Manickam, Asia director for MCC. “We have urban Anabaptists in London who are longing to be in relationship with other urban Anabaptists. The same can be said for Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Vancouver and the list goes on.

“So this initiative is here to give credence to this voice coming out of the city,” said Manickam, who together with the Rev. Leonard Dow, pastor of Oxford Circle Mennonite Church in Philadelphia, birthed the idea. MCC’s role is simply to connect the urban voices. Dow is vice chair of the MCC U.S. board of directors.

“We want it to remain very organic,” said Manickam. “We want it to evolve as the people want it to evolve without outside pressures telling it what it should be.”

The first steps of the network took place in August when a group of urban leaders, most from Philadelphia, flew to Seoul, South Korea, where they were hosted by the Korea Anabaptist Center (KAC). Starting with these two groups was logical because KAC already participates in MCC’s exchange programs and was interested in more interaction, and Philadelphia is home to the largest group of MCC urban constituents on the East Coast.

For participant Ron Tinsley, communications director at Philadelphia Mennonite High School, the most valuable experiences of the trip were the personal discussions and times for reflection that were amply built into the schedule. Tinsley is a member of Oxford Circle Mennonite Church.

“Sometimes we get so busy looking at programs that we don’t get a chance to understand where (the other leaders’) hearts are at and listen to their dreams and fears,” Tinsley said, adding that a prophetic sense can emerge from these kinds of conversations.

Some of the discussions, including those about stereotypes and racism, were difficult, Tinsley said. Instruction by Jeff Wright, an urban missiologist from Southern California, revolved around “theology of place” or building of intentional community in the city.

The Philadelphia guests also visited two Anabaptist churches and learned about several peacemaking organizations. KAC teaches peace-building skills to North Korean defectors and South Korean young people. The organization also works with other peace groups to create understanding of past hurts among people from South Korea, Japan and China.

When KAC Administrator Kim Kyong-Jung paid a return visit to Philadelphia and then to Los Angeles in November, he was glad to witness urban churches at work within a multicultural society. South Korea, which once was predominantly homogeneous, is becoming increasingly diverse.

“This means that many different types of conflict issues exist, which makes churches’ jobs harder,” he wrote in an e-mail after his visit. “The churches’ missional approaches are being challenged as they look to this kind of social phenomenon.”

Encouraging young people to serve in cities around the world through MCC’s Global Service Learning program is important to this emerging network. For example, Korean Jung Joo Park, who is a participant with MCC’s International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP), is working with Oxford Circle Mennonite Church and its community partners.

“Here in the U.S., I am valued as Asian, adding to the cultural diversity of Philadelphia, and it does not seem to matter that I am a foreigner,” Park said. “Once I go home, I hope to introduce a deeper understanding of and respect for diversity in South Korea.”

Making these kinds of “flesh and blood connections” between Anabaptists from different cities is exactly what Ruth Keidel Clemens, executive director of MCC East Coast, hopes will happen as the network develops. “Urban Anabaptist churches are a priority for MCC East Coast, and bringing its leaders together with those from other countries strengthens all involved, as we seek to engage the cities together as Anabaptists,” she said.

Clemens and Manickam are discussing possibilities for holding a conference of urban Anabaptist practitioners as another way to bring people together to learn from each other. Until then, the conversation will continue, person by person.

Conference Board communication to constituency

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Franconia Conference Board
March 3, 2010

The Conference Board is deeply saddened with the confusion that has been created in parts of the Franconia Conference Community and beyond. We take responsibility for not communicating quickly enough and with clarity.

  • The news has gone out that Franconia Conference Board has made a decision to dismiss all the staff.
  • The reality is that the staff has been informed that in the coming year the direction the Board is calling for requires a mid-course correction, to come into a greater alignment of fulfilling our mission to Equip Leaders to Empower Others to Embrace God’s Mission.
  • A smaller Conference staff to include LEADership Ministers, will continue, but will be narrowly focused on equipping congregations to becoming missional.
  • We lament the deep pain and suffering that this decision has caused staff and others by not including the staff directly in the decision-making process.
  • We will work towards a healthy ending process and seek to build upon the hard work and creativity by which the staff has carried out their work to date.

The Conference Board will be facilitating public meetings to engage in further dialogue regarding all that has transpired. The following times and dates have been set as follows:

  • Monday, March 8, 2010 from 7-9 pm at Towamencin Mennonite Church for all Credentialed Leaders of Franconia Mennonite Conference;
  • A second meeting will happen on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 9-11 am at the Mennonite Conference Center.

Special Event: Celebrate Women Joining Together

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The day will include a morning and afternoon session of worship through music, prayer and sharing of the Word by Bonnie Stevenson, missionary in Mexico, serving at Monte Maria Tierra Prometida, Mexico City. The theme of the morning session will be “Laying Down the Burden” and the theme for the afternoon will be “Picking Up Joy”.

Lunch will be provided, as well as opportunities for fellowship and pampering such as head, neck and shoulder massage, light stretching and prayer stations. Child care will not be provided.

Click on the image above to download a PDF of the event flyer.

To register for this event by mail, download the registration form here.

To register online click here.

Kanagy encourages local leaders to think missionally

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from Biblical Seminary

Over 70 pastors, educators, and leaders from Franconia Conference recently explored the past, present, and future of Mennonite churches with author Conrad Kanagy. Dr. Kanagy, author of Road Signs for the Journey: A Profile of Mennonite Church USA, writes and speaks about the changing realities facing churches in the 21st century.

A thoughtful and compelling speaker, Dr. Kanagy believes churches should become more outwardly focused (missional) in order to better share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Road Signs for the Journey, his latest book, is based on a seven-page questionnaire sent to 3,000 members of Mennonite congregations across the United States in 2006. Inspired by the message of Jeremiah 31:21, Dr. Kanagy recognizes the importance of road signs and guideposts in helping God’s people stay on track.

The luncheon event featuring Dr. Kanagy was sponsored by the Catalyst for Missional Leadership (C4ML), the ministry arm of Biblical Seminary, and held on the seminary’s Hatfield, PA campus. Biblical Seminary, a nondenominational graduate school located outside Philadelphia, offers master’s degrees, the Doctor of Ministry degree, and certificates. Dr. Kanagy teaches in the school’s Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program.

“Conrad brings to our DMin faculty the perspective of a practicing sociologist, informed by his deep commitment to missional Christianity. His Mennonite background enriches the evangelical theological diversity which also characterizes our program,” states Mick Noel, executive director of C4ML and head of Biblical’s DMin program. C4ML creates learning opportunities for pastors, churches, and Christian leaders through its workshops, seminars, and community classes. It also helps churches and pastors develop missionally-directed congregations.

Conrad L. Kanagy is a professor of sociology at Elizabethtown College and an ordained minister in Mennonite Church USA. He is also a consultant to congregations and mid-level judicatories and has been involved in the Partnership for Missional Church since 2005. He holds graduate degrees in rural sociology from Penn State University and co-authored, with Donald B. Kraybill, Riddles of Human Society.

Michael King named EMS Vice President and Seminary Dean

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by Laura Lehman Amstutz

Michael A. King, a long-time writer, editor, publisher and pastor from Telford, Pa., has been named the new vice president and dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Va.

Dr. King will begin his new role July 1, 2010. He succeeds Ervin R. Stutzman, who held the position nine years. Dr. Stutzman has begun serving as the new executive secretary of Mennonite Church USA. Dr. Sara Wenger Shenk is interim dean.

The vice president and seminary dean provides leadership and oversight for all seminary programs and faculty.

“Michael’s years of pastoral experience, academic preparation and passion for preparing church leaders will serve us well in his new role,” said Loren Swartzendruber, EMU president. “We anticipate his contributions to EMS as dean and to the entire university as he joins the leadership team.”

“Michael King comes to us from a distinguished career as a pastor, scholar and publisher,” said Fred Kniss, EMU provost. “He is a serious scholar with a pastoral orientation and will provide a clear Anabaptist voice in conversation with diverse Mennonite and Methodist constituencies and other audiences. Michael is committed to the mission of our university and especially to the seminary’s key role in training the next generation of church leaders,” Dr. Kniss added.

King is the owner, editor and publisher of Cascadia Publishing House, an Anabaptist-Mennonite publisher supporting examination of faith, history and contemporary life from an Anabaptist perspective. Cascadia publishes theological and scholarly volumes under the Cascadia label and popular books through the DreamSeeker Books imprint.

He has been a pastor at Germantown Mennonite Church in Philadelphia, Pa.; Salford Mennonite Church, Harleysville, Pa.; Zion Mennonite Church, Souderton Pa., and most recently Spring Mount Mennonite Church, Schwenksville, Pa. He has been an adjunct professor at EMS Lancaster and Messiah-Temple in Philadelphia.

Books he has authored include “Trackless Wastes and Stars to Steer By: Christian Identity in a Homeless age” and “Preaching about Life in a Threatening World.” He has also edited multiple volumes including “Anabaptist Preaching: A Conversation between Pulpit, Pew and Bible.”

“Church, culture, and seminary education all seem to be undergoing tremendous ferment and transition,” King said. “This places seminaries in the center of much of the important action in our day. I look forward to journeying with seminary students, staff and faculty as together we seek to discern how the Holy Spirit is speaking in the thick of it all.”

He received a BA degree in Bible and philosophy from EMU in 1976, an MDiv degree from Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and a PhD in rhetoric and communications from Temple University.

King is married to Joan Kenersen King, owner of Joan Kenerson King Consulting and Counseling, through which she provides public behavioral health consulting services. She is also a family therapist. They have three daughters – Kristina, EMU 2003, Katelyn, EMU 2006, and Rachael, an EMU senior.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary, a graduate program of theological studies on the EMU campus seeks to educate leaders to serve and lead in ministry in a global context.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary offers cross-cultural seminar in United Kingdom

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Eastern Mennonite Seminary at Lancaster (PA) is offering its first ever cross-cultural experience to the United Kingdom.

“Struggle and Hope in Post-Christendom,” led by Stephen Kriss and Stuart Murray Williams, will explore Christian presence and witness in Bristol and London, England.

Kriss is director of communication and leadership cultivation with Franconia Mennonite Conference in eastern Pennsylvania and an adjunct instructor for EMS Lancaster, and Williams is a trainer and consultant with the Anabaptist Network in the United Kingdom.

“Post-Christendom is a new understanding of the place of the church and Christian life in a world of multiple faiths, multiple perspectives and spirituality that is not tied to a particular religion,” said Kriss.

“We want to give people a glimpse into both the possibilities and awkwardness that exist in post-Christendom context,” he continued. “What I have learned from my connections in the United Kingdom is that there is the real possibility for Anabaptism to thrive as church is decentralized.

“I hope that by listening to the stories of leaders in the United Kingdom the class would gain a sense of the possibilities in our present and future.”

Orientation for the course will begin May 1 at EMU Lancaster. The group will travel in the United Kingdom May 16-24. The group will reassemble June 25-26 to reflect on their experience and to discuss how to apply what they’ve learned to congregations in the United States.

Students may earn three hours of graduate credit. Travel, lodging and fees cost $2,750; credit tuition is $1,100 and non-credit tuition is $495. Priority will be given to students taking the course for credit. The deadline for registration is Mar. 15, 2010.

For more information, visit www.emu.edu/lancaster/seminary/cross-cultural or contact Mark Wenger, director of pastoral studies, at (717) 397-5190 or wengermr@emu.edu.