On March 31 and April 1, the delegate body of Illinois Mennonite Conference gathered for our annual meeting. Over 85 people gathered for a weekend that included rich worship,  an exhortation to make disciples, discernment over the financial conditions of IMC, initial discussion over future challenges, and feedback on a conference discernment process.

WORSHIP

Friday evening worship was led by Randall and Morgan Koehler of Metamora Mennonite Church.  They led us in songs, scripture reading, and prayer. Each subsequent gathering began with gathering songs, scripture, and prayer.  A late night worship session morphed into a conversation among young adults who were present.

During Friday evening worship, Michael Danner preached on the theme text of the assembly: 2 Corinthians 5:14 – 21.  He began with reflections on the future of MC USA, IMC, and local congregations. He noted that people are anxious about the future. He then tied the future of the church to one thing: making disciples. (see the full message here).

FINANCES

The morning business meeting began with reporting from MC USA related organizations, schools, and Nancy Kauffmann, MC USA denominational pastor. From there, the delegates received a financial report from IMC treasurer, Aaron Birkey. While there was new giving from 6 congregations and individual donors, giving to IMC went down in the 2016-2017 budget year. Concrete moves were suggested for lowering expenses. One change, which you will hear more about, is moving from having a physical office space to working in distributed networks.

STAFF

During the staff reports, time was given to expressing gratitude for the ministry of Kim Litwiller, associate conference minister.  Kim has resigned her position, effective July 8, 2017.  Kim has served IMC for over three years and has brought energy, clarity, and passion for the people of IMC. (read her letter of resignation here). Kim will remain the pastor of East Peoria Mennonite Church and is looking forward to rubbing shoulders with people outside the church in her other work.

At the same time, CEM, Michael Danner, announced the desire for IMC to hire bilingual, part-time IMC staff. Over 20% of IMC congregations are primarily Spanish speaking, making up over 40% of IMC congregational members. Hiring bilingual staff with primary responsibility for supporting Hispanic congregations is a first step of moving towards conference staff that reflects the realities of IMC demographically.

LONG-TERM

During the assembly, the reality of our changing context, and the pressures it places on local congregations was named. We are in the midst of cultural shifts from Christendom to post-Christendom, changing political realities, and generational shifts as baby boomers age and millennials lead more and more. This will shape the future direction of local congregations, conferences and MC USA. The question is how to engage these transitions intentionally.  As a recent Facebook thread attested to, there are gifted young leaders in IMC! How can we empower such leaders to shape the future direction of IMC.

A DISCERNMENT PROCESS

The assembly concluded with table-group discernment. Don Rheinheimer, IMC Moderator, led throughout the business sessions and steered this time of discernment. The Missional Life Team proposed a process for use in times when congregations want input from other congregations, or when congregations discern beliefs and practices that strain the relationships between IMC congregations. (see the proposed process here). The MLT received helpful feedback from the table groups and will shape the process based on that feedback.

SUMMARY

In summary, the 2017 Annual Assembly was a rich time of gathering. Michael Danner said, “It is clear that we are moving away from former ways of approaching annual assembly, towards a new vision, and this year was a liminal (in-between) kind of gathering.” IMC Leadership grateful for the time and attention the delegate body gave to one another and to the needs of the conference as we move forward.