More reflective than usual

We all have times in our lives that cause us to reflect and take stock. It can be a health concern, job realignment, family life stage, re-location, even the death of a loved one. For me it is, in part, arriving at the half-century mark in my age.

As I have been taking stock I couldn’t help but see the influences in my life. We are, after all, the sum total of all we have experienced and the people we have met. Some who know me say I “eat, breathe, sleep” a passion for evangelism and church planting. So, what’s shaped this?

I remember how, as a young leader in our church youth group, a deep passion for God was stirred in me through the revival that touched Canada in the early 1970s. I had earlier been “pre-evangelized” by my 11 and 12-year-old peers. The revival stirred a passion for Bible study and worship, and for sharing God’s love with lost people.

I recall G.W. Peters later reflecting on the Western Canadian revival, saying that a revival is not complete unless it results in God’s people actively sharing their faith. Our witness as high school students found us initiating day clubs, airport and mall witnessing, and a desire to see the church reaching into its community in relevant ways. (Up to 17 of our youth group have since participated in a form of vocational ministry.)

During my Bible college days I experienced the joy of being part of a dynamic congregation. This was the first church I saw reach into its community in such a way that new believers regularly came into the kingdom. What a delight to be invited to shadow the pastor, whose heart pumped with evangelism. A passion for missions grew and slowly the call to be a catalyst for evangelism within and through the Mennonite Brethren Church developed.

The first two churches I then served as a pastor opened doors to further develop my ministry gifts. The understanding and generous spirit of key people in these churches kept me from faltering as I grew. The next adventure was church planting. Keeping programs to a minimum allowed people to be the priority.

A few years ago, I was drawn to the writings of the early Mennonite leader, Menno Simons, where he states: “My heart trembles in me – all my joints shake and quake when I consider that . . . people are so estranged from Christ . . . therefore, we preach, as much as possible . . . that we might save all mankind from the jaws of hell, free them from the chains of their sins, and by the gracious help of God add them to Christ by the Gospel of His peace.”

That for me is the heart of what it means to be Anabaptist. If we deny our responsibility for evangelism, we are not children of our Mennonite fathers and mothers.

Dallas Willard is to have said that the tragedy of a movement is that its immediate followers seldom understand its founder. While this grieves me, it does not surprise me if we have skewed the primary emphases of the radical reform of the early Anabaptists. Willard’s statement is a summons for me to give heed to God’s call and in the context of our community hammer out Christ’s vision for the 21st century.

Turning 50 can be traumatic. But, I was encouraged when I heard someone reflect, “now you’re coming to the decade where you will make your most important contributions.” Have I lost my passion? No! By God’s grace and His help I will give my next decade to doing what I can to propelling His church forward in mission.

Ewald Unruh is executive director of the Canadian MB Conference Board of Evangelism. He and his wife Linda are members at The Meeting Place, Winnipeg.