Congress calls the church to poor people

The fifth National Church Planting Congress was “a definite call to us that ministry to poor people is non-negotiable,” says Ewald Unruh, director of Evangelism Canada for the Canadian MB Conference.

The Nov. 16–18 event in Toronto counted close to 60 Mennonite Brethren among its some 700 participants. One speaker – Joyce Heron, director of Jacob’s Well, a “relationally-driven ministry” in the downtown eastside of Vancouver – particularly touched their hearts.

Heron expounded on biblical texts about Hagar (who named God “the God who sees”), the Samaritan woman and Paul’s mandate for ministry. When Paul spoke of the apostles recognizing his call to the then-marginalized Gentiles, he added, “all they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians 2:10).

“There is no holistic announcement of the kingdom of God without embracing the poor,” Heron said. And, “rarely do people confess the sin of greed.”

Her passionate reminder of “God’s bias” and blessing of those who care for the marginalized, Unruh believes, will have lasting impact.

“I think the evangelical church in Canada is getting this message,” adds Canadian conference executive director David Wiebe, “though MBs might have some catching up to do.”

Caucuses

The Mennonite Brethren group at the Congress caucused twice during the event. Once, over lunch, they interacted with the Congress’ keynote speaker, Erwin McManus, lead pastor of Mosaic, an innovative and international congregation in Los Angeles. McManus urges becoming a church that communicates in the culture. “People can handle Jesus,” he says, “but many can’t handle the church.”

During a denominational breakout session, the group shared what they were hearing at the Congress. They also reviewed church planting efforts of the past year. The goal had been 33 new churches; 23 plants were reported.

The mission focus for Mennonite Brethren in Canada in the coming years will continue to be on churches planting churches, Unruh says. “While a few churches are presently doing that, we need to strengthen this emphasis.”

Another priority will be the development of church planting pastors from within our denomination. Currently, about half are recruited from outside the denomination. “We have entrepeneurial people,” Unruh says, “but they are doing other things, like business.”

Coaching

Provincial MB conference ministers and extension directors met two days before the Congress, to learn “coaching” skills from church planting specialist Bob Logan. Coaching, explains Conference director of church health Cam Rowland, is a way of coming alongside pastors and leaders that draws out what is necessary to achieve their personal and congregational goals.

Logan showed that coaching involves celebrating, then asking questions to identify core concerns, possible solutions and concrete next steps.

—Dora Dueck, from reports