Survey to shape care of leaders

Responses to a survey of Mennonite Brethren pastors in Canada may change the way the MB conference and churches take care of their leaders.

Analysis of the Pastoral Trends Survey has revealed that pastors can become “more secure in their identity in leading,” said Ewald Unruh, director of evangelism and leadership development for the Canadian MB Conference. “If they are being coached or mentored they can pastor with greater confidence.”

Last January, the Canadian Conference of MB Churches mailed questionnaires to pastors who had served in MB churches over the past 25 years. Nearly 300 of some 1,100 surveys were completed.

The project was aimed at finding out what brings potential pastors into the ministry, how they develop, what kind of support allows them to stay, and what causes them to leave the ministry. The goal was to better understand how the conference can develop and support church leaders.

The Pastoral Trends Survey was initiated and funded by MB Biblical Seminary’s Hearing the Call/Ministry Quest with support given by staff of the Centre for MB studies. Unruh led the project task force while Winnipeg-based professor and social scientist Dieter J. Schönwetter conducted the research and wrote the analysis.

A report on the survey’s findings, as well as the conference’s response, will be carried in the next MB Herald. Results will also be available through conference offices and on its website.

Some trends already identified from the survey as needing further study include hiring and evaluation practices, professional development guidelines, and spiritual care in the lives of pastors.

“We want our pastors to know they are highly valued,” Unruh says, “and that we will do our best to support them.”

—Canadian MB Conference release