“The habits we groove…”

Today on Seth’s blog, he made a point that is useful for congregations.  He wrote:

Who are we seeking to become?

We get what we invest in. The time we spend comes back, with interest.

If you practice five minutes of new, difficult banjo music every day, you’ll become a better banjo player. If you spend a little bit more time each day whining or feeling ashamed, that behavior will become part of you. The words you type, the people you hang with, the media you consume…

The difference between who you are now and who you were five years ago is largely due to how you’ve spent your time along the way.

The habits we groove become who we are, one minute at a time. A small thing, repeated, is not a small thing.

[And the same thing is true for brands, organizations and movements.]

If you look at your congregation and scratch your head, asking “How did we get here?” There is an answer. The answer is found in how you have spent your time back there. It’s pretty predictable, really.

It’s predictable, really. Jesus said that we reap what we sow. But it’s not just the big things, it’s the myriad little things over time.

What habits are you grooving as a congregation? How did you spend your time over the last five years to get you to the point you are today? What new grooves do you need to create today to get where you want to be five years from now?

If you’re curious about creating missional grooves, check out this approach from Michael Frost.

Click here to see Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People

IMC Welcomes Carlock Mennonite Church

Tiskilwa, IL – At the March 31-April 1 Annual Assembly, the delegate body voted to receive Carlock Mennonite Church into membership of IMC. Many congregations are already familiar partners with Carlock Mennonite, formerly a part of Central District Conference, through events like the Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale, as well as personal connections.

Conference Executive Minister, Michael Danner, said, “I am excited to have Carlock Mennonite Church as a part of IMC. They are a good fit for the vision and direction of IMC. I look forward to a growing partnership with their congregation and leaders.”

Carlock Mennonite Church was founded in 1914. They are a faith-based family church serving Jesus and their community from within the Mennonite tradition. According to their website, they have approximately 80 members ranging from infants to “more seasoned” folks. They recently called Doane Brubaker, former pastor of First Mennonite Church of Morton and Maple Lawn Homes chaplain, as their pastor.

To learn more about Carlock Mennonite Church, visit their website or, better yet, drop in to worship with them some Sunday morning (worship times are on their website). If you are from a congregation in Central Illinois, reach out to Carlock and welcome them to IMC!

Click here to view the Carlock Mennonite Church website

IMC Youth Step Up!

[pdf-embedder url=”https://illinoismennonite.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Step-Up-Reps-Announced-.pdf” title=”Step Up Reps Announced!”]

 

 

Olak Sunuwar Licensed Towards Ordination

Rogers Park, Chicago, IL – On April 5, Olak Sunuwar, a member of the pastoral team at Living Water Community Church in Rogers Park, met with five members of the Church Life Team (CLT) of Illinois Mennonite Conference (IMC). Olak graciously answers questions from the CLT concerning his theology, practice, life experiences, and calling to ministry. After a time of deliberation, Olak was granted a license towards ordination.

Olak was accompanied by his co-pastors Pastor Kristin Jackson, Pastor Stephen Lamp, Pastor Amos Shakya, and staff.  The CLT consisted of Charlotte Lehman, Doug Roth, Curt Fenton, Kim Litwiller and Michael Danner.

Licensing towards ordination initiates a two-year process whereby ordination candidates continue in cooperative ministry with the congregation. At the end of that period, the congregation will either confirm the candidate’s gifts or suggest an additional two-year period of testing. At the end of the licensing period, ordination candidates go through another interview process at the request of the congregation. At the end of that period, candidates are ordained.

Please welcome Olak to the team of credentialed pastors in IMC.  We’re grateful to have him as part of the wider church, even as the congregation of Living Water is blessed by his ministry in their midst.

2017 Women’s Retreat

“From the planning committee of this year’s Women’s Retreat at Menno Haven, May 5-7:

The 2017 Women’s Retreat, “Made in the Image of God”, is less than a month away.  Scheduled to speak is Asia Frye, an AMBS ministry candidate who will be coming to us from Hillsboro, KS. In addition, Kim Litwiller from East Peoria MC and Janice Yoder from First Mennonite in Morton will be our worship leaders. Participants can choose to attend either one, two, or all three days of this retreat. 

 
Last year’s retreat, with over 100 women in attendance, was a wonderful time of worship and reflection, and the planning committee is excited for the biblical insight and encouragement Asia is preparing for us.  The early registration deadline has been extended to April 21st, and they encourage all interested women to sign up as soon as possible.  Thank you!”

2017 Women’s Retreat: Image of God

THE EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO APRIL 21

On May 5 -7, 2017, Illinois Mennonite Women & Menno Haven Camp and Retreat Center are hosting the 2017 Women’s Retreat: Image of God.

Associate Conference Minister, Kim Litwiller, writes, “Join us for a weekend retreat where we will seek to understand God and ourselves better.”  The event speaker is Asia Frye, will help participants explore how women are made in God’s own image, and how participants can model themselves after Jesus. At this event, participants will embrace what it means to be women, and encourage each other.

Click here for brochure & registration form

Asia Frye is a retreat speaker and former youth pastor from Hillsboro, Kansas, where she teaches at Tabor College.  She is graduating with an M.Div from AMBS this spring and is the coordinator for Junior Youth Convention in Orlando this July. She is passionate about how the Bible empowers women, and how, as women, knowing ourselves helps us to better know God. Asia is a mother and wife who likes gardening, rock climbing, and nerdy board games.

2017 Assembly Summary

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.

 

What Happened to the Four Affirmations?

On March 31-April 1, the delegate body of Illinois Mennonite Conference (IMC) met for our annual business meeting.  During the course of the weekend, I was asked, “Hey, whatever happened to the four affirmations?”

BACKGROUND

The four affirmations sought to provide a framework for unity within IMC during a season where some congregations were discerning more open and inclusive positions and practices concerning LGBTQ persons. Other congregations were distressed by those moves. The question became, on what basis can we be unified as a conference?

The answer to that question was the four affirmations.  They are:

  • Jesus is Lord
  • The Bible is authoritative
  • The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective is ours.
  • The Holy Spirit is at work.

IMC leadership asked members and congregations of IMC to affirm these four statements and accept the affirmation of others as sufficient for ongoing unity within the conference.

NOT MENTIONED

At this year’s annual assembly, the four affirmations were not mentioned.  Instead, I (current CEM, Michael Danner) spoke of three commitments. Those three commitments should be familiar to all IMC congregations. Why? Because they are the three commitments all congregations make when they become members of IMC. The three commitments are:

  • Congregations shall ascribe to the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective.
  • Congregations shall affirm the mission statement and core functions, values, and disciplines of the IMC.
  • Congregations shall commit themselves to support the IMC through regular participation, finances, and prayer.

THEY ARE WHAT WE HAVE

It is possible that we can do better than those three commitments? Yes, they could be more clear. Perhaps the four affirmations say something that the three commitments do not say. Are they the best? I am not sure.

What I am sure of is this: those three commitments are what we have right now. I say that because they are what all congregations committed to already. Therefore, they are the only basis for sustained relationships within IMC right now (unless or until the delegates of IMC change them through a constitutional amendment).

As congregations practice those three commitments, they enter into and maintain a relational covenant with one another.

GOING FORWARD

Going forward, we will work within the framework of the commitments we have already made. That, by no means, implies that I feel the four affirmations are bad or wrong or unhelpful. It only means that unless and until assent to the four affirmations – or some other framework – emerges as an official act of the delegate body as an amendment to our constitution, we will stick with what we’ve already agreed to do. It is the only starting point for sustained relationships within IMC.

Now, what does it mean to ascribe, affirm, and commit? What happens when congregations don’t ascribe, affirm, and/or commit? Those are good questions we will need to tackle together.