Conference News

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.

Planners for the Mennonite Church USA Convention 2011 focused on their mission and setting during the convention planning committee meetings as they met for the first time Jan. 14 to 16 in downtown Pittsburgh, Pa., site of the next national gathering. Youth and adult planning committees joined together to discern the theme and initiate other convention plans.

After two-and-a-half days of prayer, reading Scripture and small group brainstorming, “Bridges to (the) Cross,” and 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 surfaced as the theme and Scripture text for the next convention. Convention dates are July 4 to 9, 2011.

Pittsburgh, known as the City of Three Rivers, is connected by many bridges. Planners agreed on the importance of being missional within one’s context and surroundings and used the bridges and rivers idea to connect with their theme.

“The committee recognized that the theme is twofold. First, as instruments of Christ’s reconciliation, we too have many bridges to cross. Second, God calls us to shape our culture as ambassadors for Christ, instead of continuing to have our culture shape us. We are called to serve as bridges to Christ,” Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, director of Convention Planning for Executive Leadership, said.

A high point of the weekend included discussion of a proposal from the Intercultural Relations Reference Committee that suggested convention include a day of showcasing and celebrating the gifts and talents of racial/ethnic members and congregations. Planners welcomed this proposal with excitement and affirmation.

Another high point came after learning that the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, where the Mennonites will gather, is one of the largest green buildings in the United States. It is certified with a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Building Rating System rating by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“We want to challenge our attendees to partner in our attempts to be the greenest convention this center has ever seen,” said Stephen Kriss, Philadelphia, Pa., adult committee member and Franconia Mennonite Conference staff.

Planners hope the churches within a few hours of western Pennsylvania will be willing to sponsor those at a distance. “The majority of our constituents live fewer than four hours from Pittsburgh,” noted Marty Lehman, director of administration and advancement for Mennonite Church USA. “This majority will have decreases in travel costs to convention. It is our hope they will consider giving 10 percent of their fund-raising dollars to other groups hesitant to attend convention due to cost and distance.”

Committee members encouraged staff to tell the stories of youth and adults who have been sponsored at past conventions.

“I was able to attend San Jose, and I promised to never miss another convention,” Olufemi Fatunmbi, Los Angeles, Calif., adult committee member and a pastor in Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference, said. “However, I am from a small congregation and need financial help in order to bring more participants from my church.”

Committee members ended the weekend with prayers of thanks and praise for the Lord’s leading and for the opportunity to be involved in this work for the broader denomination.

Each committee includes 12 volunteers from across the denomination, including several from Pennsylvania, the hosting state. Rachel Swartzendruber Miller chairs both committees.

Members of the committee planning adult sessions and activities are Darrell Baer, Chambersburg, Pa., Marilyn Handrich Bender, Pittsburgh, Pa., Erin Clymer, Pittsburgh, Pa., Sue Conrad, Lancaster, Pa., Tory Doerksen, Denver, Colo., Olufemi Fatunmbi, Los Angeles, Calif., Makmur Halim, Highland, Calif., Karen Howard, Pittsburgh, Pa., Paula Killough, Elkhart, Ind., Stephen Kriss, Philadelphia, Pa., Donna J. Mast, Leola, Pa., and Donna L. Mast, Scottdale, Pa. Executive Leadership staff on the adult committee include Marty Lehman, Carol Epp, Ken Gingerich and Nancy Kauffmann.

Members of the committee planning youth sessions and activities are Marisa Aleman-Cantu, Rock Island, Ill., Alyssa Cable, Johnstown, Pa., Joy Cotchen, Johnstown, Pa., Thomas Dunn, Kidron, Ohio, Andrew Gordon, Lansdale, Pa., She’ Tenique Hall, Hampton, Va., Jon Heinly, Lancaster, Pa., Shelly Miller, Walnut Creek, Ohio, Clark Oswald, Newton, Kan., Grace Pam, Corona, Calif., Jason Widmer, Wellman, Iowa, Derek Yoder, Cassopolis, Mich. Jeremy Ours of Kalona, Iowa will serve as worship logistics coordinator and Tonya Keim Bartel of Hesston, Kan., as seminar coordinator. Executive Leadership staff members Glen Guyton and Scott Hartman are part of the youth committee.

After a sweeping yearlong study, Mennonite Church USA leadership has received a consultant’s report on how the denomination operates and with suggestions to improve its witness. Consultant LaVern Yutzy’s 22-page “Report on Alignment Opportunities for Mennonite Church USA” puts forth recommendations for 15 different areas of church organization, addressing issues such as the role of area conferences, Executive Board composition and the four church-wide program agencies functions and structures.

To introduce his work, Yutzy states, “I consider it a very rare privilege to have had the opportunity to talk with 142 persons… Meeting these persons and participating in a variety of conference and denominational level meetings have underscored the high levels of commitment and competence that are present. There is clear evidence of a strong passion for the church and an appreciation for worship and prayer as an integral part of following Jesus.”

Yutzy observed Mennonite Church USA as a denomination in change and affirmed our ability to live into the future. The alignment effort, he said, must be seen within the vision and commitment of Mennonite Church USA to embody and extend healing and hope. “Alignment efforts are not an end in themselves…if it has any value, this report will support our efforts to faithfully follow Jesus.”

Noting area conferences’ “significant frustration” at feeling marginalized, Yutzy calls for giving them greater prominence in the church. The role of denominational-level activity, he said, should be supporting the 21 Mennonite Church USA area conferences rather than congregations. Serving congregations should then be the conferences’ responsibility.

“In order to identify resources that will facilitate the work of conferences, conferences themselves must be integrally involved in this ongoing conversation,” Yutzy said.

One way to do that, he proposes, is reconfiguring the Executive Board to include five representatives from area conferences as well as one representative from each recognized racial/ethnic group in Mennonite Church USA.

Other recommendations include:

• Executive Leadership and the four churchwide program agencies sharing support services as much as possible.
• Adding MHS Alliance as a fifth agency.
• Implementing a process to identify strategies to address each of the four churchwide priorities.

The Executive Board, which had hired Yutzy a year ago, received his report last month and has since distributed it to other denominational leaders and staff for their consideration. The report and responses will be a major agenda item at the Executive Board’s Feb. 18-20 meeting in Hampton, VA. At that time the board will develop a plan to receive feedback over the next number of months from those potentially most affected by the recommendations.

Executive Director of Mennonite Church USA, Ervin Stutzman, noted that no decisions have been made about any of the recommendations in the report at this time. Each recommendation will be considered on its own merit over the next months in an appropriate forum for discussion and decision-making. Within this process there will be wide opportunity for participation by people who have a stake in the outcome. Stutzman is calling the church to prayer as we move into this period of discernment.