Mission then and now

Used with permission from Canadian Mennonite.

In the "Missional alert" feature in the last issue, Mennonite Church Canada leaders outlined a new vision for missions, along with stories of how that vision is being caught or missed. For this issue, Canadian Mennonite regional editors asked people what should be celebrated about past mission work and what should be changed. In what kind of mission would you like to see the church involved? What is your most nagging question about missions? Your most interesting mission involvement? The one you can hardly wait to dive into? Following are their answers.

Pass on the missionary torch

The faithful endeavours of so many people who served long term, and made great sacrifices of time and energy-this should be recognized. I also celebrate that many of the international settings have matured into equal partners. I trust that past missionaries can pass on the torch to people who are seeking to be a faithful missional church today.

We are moving to more short-term assignments, and will have fewer career missionaries. This will encourage a strengthening of partnerships. International partners will take the lead, and that is good.

We will also see that missions is reciprocal; we will see more teams from other settings come into Canada and have an impact in our context. We need to recapture the sense of being a sent church, expressing the love of God wherever we are.

-Willard Metzger, pastor of Community Mennonite Fellowship in Drayton, Ontario, a member of the Mennonite Church Canada Missions Transition Steering Committee, and development and church relations associate with the Commission on Overseas Mission (COM)

(At the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada sessions on April 27-28, Metzger will represent COM in a "passing on the torch" ceremony as Mennonite Church Canada takes on responsibility for some of the work formerly done by binational agencies.)

Potential for dramatic change

The Commission on Overseas Mission and Mennonite Board of Missions have been "crown jewels" in their respective denominations. That tradition and desire will not change with integration but will, I hope, mean an increased capacity for mission.

With the emergence of a new mission agency in Canada, we are now able to develop relationships with national churches in ways never before imagined. In the same way, with the emergence of the "missional church" model, there's a whole new encouragement to mission-one where each congregation and each believer become centres of mission.

Those two shifts alone can change us dramatically. They challenge us to be more faithful in our walk and talk with others, more holistic in the ministries we create, and more Christ-like in our vision.

Around the world there are an increasing number of Anabaptist bodies we can work alongside. Within national bodies too, the missional church model will cause us to find new partners for ministry. So many groups have tremendous amounts of experience to share with us, as we have expertise to share with them. Ten years from now I look forward to seeing the new initiatives those relationships will generate.

The integration project has given me much joy. The experience has re-inforced for me the quality and the character of our workers, the renewed vision and vigour for mission which is arising, and the reality that Jesus has much for us to be and do in the years ahead."

-Chris Arney, director for Evangelism and Church Development with the Conference of Mennonites in B.C.

Move beyond missionary stereotype

Something great is that Mennonite missionaries live and work directly with the people they are serving. Some groups don't do this. When I ask them about the issues the people are facing, they know nothing about them. Saying to someone "Jesus loves you" has no context if you know nothing of their situation.

Something that needs to be challenged is the stereotype of North American white Christians going to the aid of "poor, helpless people." The focus needs to be: "I'm going to live like you and work together with you." The people in Colombia, for example, are doing so much to help themselves. They have enthusiasm and have adopted many Mennonite ideas, such as pacifism.

I don't like the stigma attached to the term "missionary." Society's stereotype is the ignorant Bible thumper preaching on a street corner. I'm not sure I want to be called a missionary, but I'm uncomfortable with not liking the term because of the stereotype.

I do enjoy feeling part of a world community that is involved in peace, social justice, etc. It was important for the Colombian people to have us with them, to know that we were thinking of them in Canada. As an anthropology major, going to another place made it possible to learn more in a shorter period of time than just studying from books.

I believe in doing service locally as well as internationally. I'm offended that people might think I'm not doing missions if I don't travel far from home. Edmonton has lots of problems that shouldn't be ignored, things like poverty and children's issues.

Someday I would like to go back to Colombia to maintain connections I've made. I don't like to make connections everywhere and then not follow through on them. It's been great to see what e-mail can do. I have e-mailed the woman I stayed with in Colombia and would love to find a way to bring her to Canada, maybe to help us in our church.

-Kathryn Friesen, First Mennonite in Edmonton, participated in a recent Mennonite Central Committee Alberta study tour in Colombia

Move beyond the 'indirect approach'

Conference support in planting churches, including financial support, has been very important. The involvement of Mennonites in planting the Vietnamese church in Calgary 20 years ago stands out. We also think of the the help in planting the Vietnamese Mennonite church in Edmonton six years ago.

Mennonites have done excellent relief work. We seem to witness in an indirect way; then, when the fields become ripe for harvest, we shy away. We need to put more effort into bringing the gospel to the people. The indirect approach has been good, especially in "closed door" countries, but when the doors open, we don't seem to know what to do.

As an immigrant, I concentrate on the Vietnamese community here. It has been exciting to see people change and become Christians. An example is a young man in our congregation. He was frustrated with life and had a lot of problems. He was scared of the police because of things he had done. He heard the gospel and his life turned around. He is no longer afraid and is serving on our church board.

Another example occured on my recent trip to Vietnam. I shared the gospel with my extended family. Seventeen came to Christ that day. It happened to be my birthday, which was kind of a special blessing from God.

My vision is to see the forming of a Mennonite conference in Vietnam and to train pastors there for church planting. We would like to see 100 churches there in the near future. This is a realistic goal; people are receptive even though there is some persecution from the government.

We have knowledge and financial resources to bring them. They have enthusiasm, a willingness to serve, and they are open to the gospel. Maybe eventually we can bring some of them here to help us. It is my vision to follow this through, but so far there is no commitment to sponsor this work.

-Nhien Pham, pastor of the Vietnamese Mennonite Church in Calgary and a member of Conference of Mennonites in Alberta Missions and Service Committee

Close gap between local and overseas mission

There is much to celebrate about past mission work. Significant contributions have been made both in the way of funding and personnel. Although our tradition of sending missionaries out has been valuable and significant, we need to see ourselves as part of the global body of Christ and be recipients of learning and partnering with churches in the global context.

We need to think creatively about being the church in the local context whether urban, suburban or rural. I see my new role as encouraging and celebrating with congregations their involvement in local missions, by helping them discern needs in their communities and develop resources to meet those needs.

I think the church in Canada is on the brink of a tremendous opportunity, with the government cutting back on social programs, to work with other church and non-church groups in strengthening the social safety net of Canadians. We need to maintain what is uniquely the church's calling-to share the Gospel and be agents of healing, wholeness and hope for all people.

I have observed a sense of excitement in churches that have found a way of connecting with needs in the community. Churches have at times felt a poor sense of self-esteem when local missions were seen as less important than overseas missions. I have seen the LIFE (Living In Faithful Evangelism) process bring about important changes in some congregations.

-Norman Voth, director of Evangelism and Service Ministry for the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba, a new position to begin in August

Find new language for missions

We have done well by presenting a holistic approach to missions. Mennonites have frequently gone into situations to set up hospitals or educational institutions and then mission arises surrounding those services. This approach addresses the whole person.

Something new is working in partnerships with other Mennonite conferences and denominations. This is needed. We have realized that it doesn't make sense to import denominationalism into other countries.

My vision is that we form a more seamless approach in our view of missions. The distinction between doing missions at home and doing them across the world is not a very useful one. For example, ministries with native people here get less support than those in Africa.

Often churches run as insular organizations. We end up doing our worship and teaching for ourselves. We hope for a spin-off when members reach out at their places of work, but that may or may not work. I would like to see us become more intentional. This means stepping out of our comfort zone and letting Sunday worship change the way we interact.

A nagging question is the relevance of missions in our society where faith has become so intensely personal. People don't want to be challenged on what they believe or think. Our society becoming more spiritual isn't necessarily translating into more godly living.

In becoming more personal, we've lost our interest in dogma and systematic theology. People aren't going to spend their time reading creeds or the confession of faith. People seem to be less interested in what other people think about God than they used to be. Some radio evangelism programs emphasize some sort of systematic theology, but they seem largely irrelevant to society today. A challenge to missions is to use language of invitation, good news and liberation.

One of my most exciting mission experiences was mentoring a young Christian who was struggling but wanting to take the gospel seriously. We did Bible study together for many years. I grew as he challenged me. Also, it was exciting to see him change.

-Marvin Baergen, Trinity Mennonite Church in Calgary, and member of conference missions committees in Alberta and with Mennonite Church Canada

Re-evaluate 'Die Stille im Lande'

I celebrate four things about past mission work: 1) mission is to the whole person-physical, spiritual, institutional (social gospel); 2) missionaries modelled a lifestyle-bringing others into complete alignment with God's will; 3) living in community-especially coming together in humility to seek God's will; 4) openness in allowing all ages to participate in missions.

We need to re-evaluate "Die Stille im Lande" (the quiet in the land). We used this idea of ourselves to hide from "speaking" our faith, rather than speaking in humility and peace. Our parents were great role models to us in terms of sacrificial giving, but I think we have succumbed to the consumerism of our current culture. That is something we need to constantly re-evaluate.

My vision for missions locally is helping new immigrants settle into a new land, and having our churches represent the multi-cultural communities we live in. My vision for global issues are much the same: helping others come to a personal relationship with Jesus; social justice; addressing disparity between rich and poor.

I'm hearing a strong call from God in the area of reconciliation. This fall I want to get involved in two missions: one involving prison ministry and the other working with victims of crime."

-Laura Penner, chair of First Mennonite Church in Vancouver, and director of YADA (Young Adult Discipleship Adventure) until it ended in December

Get to know your 'neighbour'

Mission work and "love thy neighbour" are two phrases with the same meaning. In loving our neighbour, we protect them from danger, help them in times of need, assist them in learning the skills necessary to help themselves, or we simply provide a shoulder to cry on. In helping our neighbour we show them God's smiling and caring face.

For many of us, infatuation with careers, families, and busy personal lives narrows our view of "our neighbour." As a result, we cannot empathize with the hardships that occur in other peoples' lives. Since we cannot empathize, we are not drawn to assist them in their time of need.

These thoughts, and my interest in human rights and international affairs, motivated me to participate in a Christian Peacemaker Teams dele-gation to Israel/Palestine in November. The violence reduction work was very effective and allowed me to feel rather than only see the hardships these people endure. I hope that the experiences I share here in Canada will broaden peoples' understanding of the conflict in the Middle East.

Working and taking risks for the pure benefit of others gave me a degree of self worth, purpose, accomplishment, and closeness to our creator that I did not expect.

-Ryan Penner, age 29, Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship, Winnipeg

Be a missionary here

I want to find inventive ways to be a missionary here. And I'm excited about missions when the gap between different countries is bridged through stories from returning missionaries.

My vision is to develop an outdoor program for inner city kids, and I would like to see an emphasis on young adult ministries and camp ministries. I spent seven months in the United States in 1997 working through the Eastern Mennonite Mission board. I can't wait to dive into a camp ministry, which I consider a true mission field.

-Angelika Bueckert, age 21, member of Rosthern Mennonite Church in Saskatchewan

Missionaries needed in Canada

We need more missionaries here in Canada, not just overseas. There are 600 people living in our town and yet the church is closing. Why is that?

-Louise Falk, retired farmer and mother of seven, member of Dundurn Mennonite, attends First Mennonite in Saskatoon