Conflict in your church?

Of course not, after all, we are peace-loving Mennonites.

That’s a common response to an even more common reality – conflict in the church.

Why wouldn’t there be conflict in the church? After all, the church is made up of human beings with diverse opinions and perspectives. Our faith calls us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, but we often fall short of that ideal.

So what do you do when there is conflict in the church?

Believe it or not, conflict can be a great opportunity for growth in a faith community.  In order to help congregations move from conflict avoidance to conflict transformation, AMBS is offering a six-week short course.

This online short course, entitled Transforming Congregational Conflict, runs 6-weeks from April 12 – May 23.  It is taught by Betty Pries, CMed, MTS, Ph.D. candidate.  The cost is $250. CEU’s available.

Who should take this course?

Any pastor or person leading a faith community that has not had training in conflict transformation should start with this course.  After all, it’s not a matter of if you will have to lead through conflict, it is a matter of when.

This course is also great for lay leaders, business leaders or anyone who wants to learn to do conflict better.

For more information go to ambs.edu/shortcourses

Participate in the Future Church Summit

“I feel we have lost our vision, and it needs to be reignited. I came to this church to be part of a different narrative — a counter-cultural, anti-Christendom movement that follows a radical Jesus. The first Anabaptists chose to be radical – not assimilated to culture or the spirit of the age. We need to go back to the beginning — our radical reformation theology — and reignite an Anabaptist vision in our own context.”

—Hyun Hur, co-founder and director of ReconciliAsian in Pasadena, California, speaking at the first planning meeting for the upcoming Future Church Summit, a gathering to imagine an Anabaptist future for Mennonite Church USA.

 

At the Orlando convention, we will engage in a large-group visioning process called The Future Church Summit.  The Future Church Summit will be a generative, open space for denomination-wide conversation — to dream together, reset priorities and engage one another in answering the question: How will we follow Jesus as Anabaptists in the 21st century?  

All delegates are a part of the Future Church Summit.  However, there is also an opportunity for non-delegates to participate as well.  Click here for more information about #mennofcs and how you can participate.

Engaged in the wider church

I am writing this after a long day of good meetings at the Constituency Leadership Council (CLC) of Mennonite Church USA on the campus of AMBS in Elkhart, IN.  The CLC is a group of leaders that function as elders of MC USA and consists of conference ministers, conference moderators, at large conference participants and representatives from various constituencies of MC USA.

As a conference, IMC is committed to MC USA and the covenant commitments we have made to participate in the wider church. Part of that commitment is to engage in the leadership processes of the denomination. Myself, Ann Munley (Church Life Team), and Don Rheinheimer (moderator) are representing Illinois Mennonite Conference.

We began our time together in worship and communion, confirming our common faith in Jesus and our commitments to one another. Then we gathered in table groups and engaged in various exercises and discussions where we were asked to help define the future vision of MC USA.

 

This is a rich time of making new relationships and affirming old ones.  It is also a time where we help give voice to challenges facing the church.

Please continue in prayer for this gathering, which concludes on Saturday, March 18.