Welcome to weNote, a monthly collection of announcements and information we want to share with you and invite you to share within your congregation.
SubscribeWhen we have asked delegates what they appreciate about Conference, we often hear “we’re glad to have help finding a pastor when we need one, and that the Conference holds their credentials.”
In Mennonite Church USA it is the area conference that has this responsibility. An IMMC conference minister gathers appropriate applicants for a particular congregation and a “search guide” walks with search committees as they review and interview the applicants. When a congregation has named the person they want to hire, the Ministry Credentialing Team (MCT) and conference minister interviews and credentials the person for ministry. The resolution passed last May by MCUSA delegates to rescind the Membership Guidelines emphasizes the ongoing responsibility of each conference to have their own credentialing criteria.
So, in the upcoming meeting of the Missional Leadership Team (MLT) – a retreat at Amigo Centre February 3-4 — we will review how we currently assess pastors for ministry. There are six areas where we expect knowledge and practical skills: Biblical story, Anabaptist story and theology, Christian faith and discipleship, self-awareness and emotional health, missional engagement, and leadership, with intercultural skills in each area.
We are joyfully grateful for the ongoing work of our pastors, and as an MLT also take seriously our responsibility to provide oversight to the process of hiring and credentialing them. We will ask: are we satisfied with the current criteria? Is there anything to be changed or added? Does the rescinding of the Membership Guidelines encourage us to make any changes?
Thank you for praying with us for the wisdom and love of God’s Spirit to bless these conversations and the ongoing ministry of our conference!
~ Brenda Meyer, Conference Moderator
2023 Winter Youth Retreat Dates
2023 Scrap, Craft, and Quilt Dates
Men’s Retreat
Conference Co-Minister Joanne Gallardo writes monthly for the Anabaptist World. Check out this month’s Five Things Friday Roundup: The Power of Vulnerability.
Hope for the Future is an annual gathering of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) leaders from across the country who are connected to Mennonite Church USA. We gather as a worshipping community of faith for spiritual renewal, resourcing and mutual support. Hope for the Future provides a safe setting to assess the present reality and experiences of BIPOC leaders within Mennonite Church USA and to address ways to grow in solidarity across cultural, racial and intergenerational lines for systemic transformation.
This year, Hope for the Future will gather February 3-5, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. There are conference funds available to BIPOC persons from IMMC who would like to attend.
What is the role of the church in addressing climate change? Explore spiritual, emotional, social and political responses to the changing climate in this yearlong cohort for pastors and other leaders. Framed by in person retreats, one in February in Virginia and one in December in Michigan, Zoom sessions every other month will take place in between. Work with pastors, church leaders, chaplains, and others on a climate project for your congregation or organization. This is a partnership of Eastern Mennonite Seminary and the Anabaptist Climate Collaborative (formerly the Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions).
If you would like to list an opportunity here, please contact the Conference Office.