One very long staff meeting

When Steve Berg became conference minister of the B.C. Mennonite Brethren Conference in 2004, he set a goal to visit all the province’s MB churches within the next few years. That fall, he and his staff logged some 6000 kilometres, stopping at more than 30 churches.

This fall, they went on tour again. B.C. conference administrator Marilyn Hiebert reports.

After 34 days on the road – starting Sept. 17, finishing Nov. 6 – the B.C. conference staff tour of churches outside the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver was complete. The “fearsome foursome” of Steve Berg, Bob Friesen, Marilyn Hiebert and Geoff Neufeld had visited 31 churches.

On the road in B.C.: (l–r) Board of Church Extension director Geoff Neufeld, conference administrator Marilyn Hiebert, conference minister Steve Berg, and associate conference minister Robert Friesen. Illustration: Richard Rempel

Our itinerary

We started by worshipping with Cariboo Bethel Church in Williams Lake, meeting with leaders for lunch, then driving north to Prince George. From there, the foursome ventured as far north as Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.

Further days of travel took us to Vanderhoof to visit with Nechako Community Church leaders and staff, on to New Hazelton where we visited with Community Gospel Chapel leaders, and through to Cornerstone Church in beautiful but foggy Prince Rupert.

Enroute to Forest Grove Church near 100 Mile House, in the small town of Likely, we met up with several people from Cariboo Bethel Church as well as a delegation of the Board of Camp Ministries. The entourage pushed over back roads to look at a Bible camp owned by Likely Bible Chapel. This small church is no longer able to operate the camp and has offered our Board of Camp Ministries the land lease and facilities purchase for a nominal amount. What once seemed an “unlikely” course of action now seems like a great opportunity to expand camping ministries in the province. A recommendation from the board is expected soon.

The next part of the trip centred in the Okanagan valley, from Vernon to Princeton. Then, after a short break, the tour continued with visits to Whistler and Pemberton, and to Vancouver Island.

Travelling together

Four staff members travelling together in a van becomes one very long staff meeting. There is a lot of talking, occasional expression of concerns, and much rejoicing. And, of course, there is the good-natured teasing and laughter that happen when people who work together also enjoy each other’s company.

We should not forget to mention the serious matters – like when a certain driver was “forced” to slow down on an open stretch of highway, or when a certain suitcase was left behind and had to be shipped by bus to catch up!

Listening and praying with church leadership groups impacted us as conference staff, as well as those churches. Throughout the tour, we heard that churches feel geographically isolated and disconnected from one another. By purposefully visiting each church, we hoped to bridge that isolation and build connecting points.

Care of pastors

The main focus of this tour was a presentation to church leadership groups on the care of pastors. Healthy churches need healthy pastors and vice versa.

Steve Berg outlined nine policies churches should address for better communication between leadership boards and pastors. Using 1 Peter 5:1–4 and 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, he showed what a pastor is called to do.

Questions coming to the conference office indicate that churches have concerns about adequate compensation for their pastors. We addressed this as part of the healthy pastor–healthy church picture. I presented a new process to calculate salary that considers seven key areas such as education, geographic location, experience, responsibility, church size, congregational demographics and the church’s ability to pay. It begins with a fixed base amount and adds unit values in each of four categories.

Bob Friesen presented diagrams showing the common life cycle of the church. He pointed out that when a church starts to plateau or decline, a refocusing process will often revive growth, not only in numbers but in vision.

Geoff Neufeld enthusiastically shared about church planting sponsored by the provincial Board of Church Extension, as well as five new starts in the Ignite Vancouver project funded jointly with the Canadian MB Conference.

Regional gatherings

The presentation and discussion at this fall’s regional Council of Church Leaders meetings, held in Prince George, Kelowna, Black Creek, Abbotsford and Vancouver, concerned the expanded and detailed mission, purpose and vision of the B.C. Conference.

This discussion is answering the question, “Why do we belong to the B.C. MB Conference?” Belonging provides common vision and mutual accountability, and it reminds us that every part is needed and that together we can accomplish more.

A clear statement of mission, purpose and vision will be presented at the annual convention Apr. 28–29, 2006 at Willingdon Church, Burnaby. The heart of it, as stated on a brochure outlining the work of the BC Conference boards and staff, is that “every person in the province . . . will have contact with a committed Christ follower who loves them” and that these Christ followers and seekers be gathered into “hundreds of ACTS 2 churches.”