Dear Church:

As Mennonites, we have always believed congregational leadership was imperative.  In every confession of faith to which Blooming Glen Mennonite Church has subscribed throughout its history, leadership has been an important centerpiece of our shared confession.

The very first Anabaptist confession of faith, the 1527 Schleitheim Confession has an extensive article regarding leadership (article V).  In Blooming Glen’s first Confession of faith, the Dortrecht confession of 1632, the article on leadership (article IX) is the longest article in the confession.  Leadership also plays a central role in 1963 Confession (article 10), and the current 1995 Confession (article 15).  In short, Mennonite confessional theology about leadership seems to say five important things to the church:

1. Leadership matters.  Without designating sisters and brothers to keep the flock together and keep it moving toward God’s kingdom destination, the church will fail.  The Schleitheim (1527) Confession was so adamant about this point that it insisted that when leadership was martyred or exiled, the church was to gather amid that crisis and choose new leadership then and there.  The Dortrecht Confession (1632) says, “…the church cannot exist and prosper, nor continue in its structure, without offices and regulations that therefore the Lord Jesus has himself…appointed…”

2. Leadership has authority, responsibility, and accountability.  Leaders, according to our confessional stance, have been given by the congregation certain authority to act for the church.  Leaders are also responsible with the church for ministry to one another and the neighborhood.  Leaders are accountable to one another and the congregation for calling, character, and capacity.  Leaders do not, according to our confessional theology, sit and wait for a consensus to evolve out of nothing.  Leadership assists the congregation to form and act on the needs of the congregation to undertake the mission God has given the church with faithfulness, effectiveness, and transparency.

3. Leadership is different than the “priesthood of all believers.”  Menno Simons taught that the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers was an encouragement to lead a holy life as witnesses to the God who called us out of darkness and into His light.  Leadership is the necessary function that keeps a community of “priests” staying faithful to the holy life and mission to which God has called us.

4. Leadership in the congregation makes room for leaders outside the congregation.  Mennonites have always been a people of shared, regional leadership.  Over the centuries, we have called those leaders “bishops,” “conference ministers,” or, currently in Mosaic Mennonite Conference, “leadership ministers.”  Their voice and their actions are important to the health and well-being of the congregation.  In our current organizational life, Mennonite Church USA, has ceded the authority for discerning leaders to the congregations in consultation with the conferences.  So, leadership is a shared effort between Blooming Glen, 60+ sister congregations, and almost 40 additional conference related ministries and partners in mission. 

5. Leadership works toward going together rather than just going fast.  From old African proverbs to modern-day business book, the conventional wisdom has been, you’ve got to go slow to go fast.  Leadership in the Mennonite confessional tradition tries to go slowly to act nimbly.  It is important to realize that different points of view exist regarding speed.  A multi-year conversation about a capital improvement may never reach 100% participation in communication unless we are all willing to speak up when opportunity presents itself.

Our Gift Discernment Foundation Team has truly embodied these principles in calling leadership to serve this year.  Thank you, Paul Leichty, Phil Roth, Merrill Allebach, Jon Bergey, Tamara Giesbrecht, and Brenda Bishop for your wisdom and discernment in guiding this process.  Thanks Michelle Ahn-Doettger for your work to provide administrative support to this team.  As the congregation completes the balloting process on Sunday, June 9, we do so because of the loving efforts of seven leaders giving time and attention to communicating well our needs and inviting the congregation to affirm a direction.  Blessings on all of Blooming Glen as we call leaders to govern, provide expert advice on key areas, and collaborate in forming ministries.  May our work together to call congregational leadership please God and further His church.

Blessing,

Pastor Jeff

jeff@bgmc.net

P.S. | See you for the regular Friday afternoon coffees and Monday morning breakfasts!  I’m there to listen to whatever is on your mind.

Dear Church:

How do we keep “Transformation” from becoming another church buzzword?  As the CLB and the elders embrace the recommendation of the pastoral search committee to adopt a stance of transformation, it might be tempting to make “transformation” a word we use to describe everything. 

I had a mission professor in seminary who was fond of declaring, “if everything is mission, then nothing is missional.”  If everything we do at Blooming Glen is transformation…then it is unlikely we will experience much transformation.

In the post-Christendom, pandemic polarized, and digitally divided world we are inhabiting, transformation takes on at least three characteristics:

First, we are a transforming church when we decide to love one another.  Loving one another isn’t just avoiding conflict or relationship.  Loving one another is about caring deeply for, about, and with one another.  Loving one another is curious about one another.  Loving one another dialogues with one another.  Loving one another is empathic – seeking to understand first and foremost, before needing to be understood.  Loving one another welcomes one another’s creativity and recognizes my way may not be the best way.  Loving one another also cares enough to challenge one another.  Loving one another focuses on keeping the main thing the main thing in relationships.  Loving one another engages one another – we challenge each other and respect each other without compromising the calling we have.  Loving one another is authentic – it resonates from not just the head (our intellect), but also the heart (our feelings), and our guts (our intuitions).  Loving one another also is dignified.  It pays attention to the relational power we all hold in the church, and treats one another well, especially when we disagree.

Second, we are a transforming church when we decide to make God the center of our worship.  When we gather for worship, it is not to be spectators in a religious pageant. We gather to worship, individually, and corporately, to honor God, and to seek God’s will for our individual and corporate life together.  Evaluating worship based on whether we liked it or not is a great adventure in missing the point.  The point of worship is finding an answer to the question,  “…did we open our intellect, emotions, and intuition to God’s reign, and in hearing his voice, are we ready to say yes to him?”  All the elements of worship – our singing, our praying, our giving, the preaching, are all to be designed not to entertain or even inspire, but to enable us to follow Jesus more completely every day.

Third, we are a transforming church when we decide to serve our neighbors near and far.  Service is great.  We love service at Blooming Glen. We flirt with peacemaking, and many of us are uncertain about evangelism, but we love service.  However, service is usually on our terms.  That’s not an entirely bad thing, we offer what we have.  The gospels tell the story of the young boy who offered Jesus five loves of bread and two fishes, and Jesus multiplied that gift into a great feast.  But in our age, can we begin to serve also by hearing the deep needs in our community, and in our world?  I think we want to do so, but sometimes find ourselves on compassion overload. 

My prayer, as the congregation discerns the transformation proposal of the CLB and elders, is that we will put loving one another, worshipping God alone in spirit and truth, and serving neighbors near and far as the centerpiece of our continuing spiritual and institutional transformation at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church.  May “transformation” not become a buzzword, like “missional” has seemingly become in recent years.  Rather, may transformation become the whole point being and doing church together.

Finally, friends, I want to thank you for the turnout and the questions at the three meetings held last weekend to review the transformation proposal.  I’m sure there were more questions than were asked.  Please feel free to contact me if you want to further discuss anything related to the transformation plan.  I may not have the answer you are looking for, but I would appreciate getting as many issues as possible out on the table.

Praying that I will be continually transformed through God’s grace,

Pastor Jeff

jeff@bgmc.net

P.S. | Memorial Day is this Monday, May 27.  I think the A&N Diner will be open, so I’ll be there at 7:30am to listen to whatever is on the minds of whoever shows up.  I’ll also be at the Broad Street Grind this Friday, May 24, and next Friday, May 31, at 3:30pm, for an afternoon Caffe Cortado, and more opportunities to listen to whatever is on your mind…