Historian lectures on leadership

“It is not more authority and power that we need, but community, and especially servanthood,” said Dr. Harry Loewen in an October lecture at the BC Mennonite Historical Society. Loewen traced the pattern of leadership in Russian Mennonite history from 1880 to 1960. Church leaders fell into categories of saints, sinners, servants and false prophets, he said; some fit several of these categories.

Loewen, the former Chair of Mennonite Studies at the University of Winnipeg, and editor of the 2003 book, Shepherds, Servants and Prophets: Leadership among the Russian Mennonites, spoke to over 500 at the event held in Columbia Bible College, Abbotsford.

“Mennonites have prided themselves in not having any popes,” he said, but they still had strong leaders. In Menno Simons’ time church leaders had a lot of power and could enforce their authority without the consent or involvement of the congregation.

Three types of leadership emerged in Russia. Congregational leaders were often the pastors, elders and deacons of a congregation. A second leadership group consisted of secular leaders in a colony – the administrators. The third leadership group consisted of the emerging educated group in the colonies, usually the teachers, and expanded as Mennonite youth received higher education at European universities.

“A Mennonite class of intellectuals became leaders and sought changes,” said Loewen. Although those who studied in Europe were not always understood by family or community, they did not return as “angry young men,” but rather sought new ways of serving their communities.

Historical circumstances prevented women from holding leadership roles. When men were arrested and killed in the Stalin era, however, it was women who provided the shelter, food, leadership and spiritual care.

Facing collectivization of farms, loss of their factories, the closing of the churches, and many men being exiled or shot, Mennonite leaders were courageous shepherds and servants. “These leaders were not saints but some came close to being saints,” said Loewen. “They led their people spiritually, culturally and practically when it was dangerous to do so.” He cited C.F. Klassen and Peter Dyck as examples of “true servant–shepherd leaders”; they were “men of faith who truly loved their people.”

While there are many dedicated leaders today, Loewen closed with two concerns: about church leaders who “don’t care much about their faith heritage” and about churches and conferences being run like businesses with the CEOs and a few people making decisions.

Loewen noted that Acts 15 provides a model where elders and the whole church made decisions. He concluded with a plea for prayer for our leaders.

—Henry Neufeld