{"id":129206,"date":"2026-06-30T05:24:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T05:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/?p=129206"},"modified":"2026-06-30T05:25:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T05:25:36","slug":"time-collective-discernment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/","title":{"rendered":"A time for collective discernment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI love seeing how the agenda for&nbsp;Commissions\u2019&nbsp;meeting&nbsp;are set by member churches.&nbsp;As someone new to this role,&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;really interesting&nbsp;to see this&nbsp;bottom-up approach, requiring listening.&nbsp;The essence of our meeting was collective discernment of important&nbsp;issues as&nbsp;raised at the General Council, and discerning how to better resource our global church,\u201d&nbsp;says&nbsp;Nelson&nbsp;Okanya, director of <a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/\">Commissions<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All\u00a0four MWC Commissions\u00a0met\u00a0at\u00a0Mennorode,\u00a0Elspeet, Netherlands,\u00a012\u201314\u00a0May 2026 prior to\u00a0CMERK.*\u00a0In the three-day meeting, they\u00a0reviewed their work\u00a0in light of\u00a0the\u00a0MWC Strategy\u00a0approved in\u00a02025, and\u00a0discussed priorities for the next three years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Deacons&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe engaged in many significant conversations, including relationship building, deepening friendships\u00a0and reimagining the future role of the <a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/deacons-commission\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/deacons-commission\/\">Deacons Commission<\/a> as one of the\u00a0\u2018four chambers of the heart.\u2019\u00a0We reflected on how DC can walk alongside members of MWC churches in times of suffering and crisis as an expression of our solidarity,\u201d\u00a0says Tigist Tesfaye, Deacons Commission secretary.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bimonthly <a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/prayers\/online-prayer-hour\/\" type=\"page\" id=\"5673\">Online Prayer Hour (OPH)<\/a> continues to be well attended with an average of more than&nbsp;60 participants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On&nbsp;solidarity&nbsp;trips, a small delegation of Deacons&nbsp;and specialists&nbsp;visit a&nbsp;member church&nbsp;in a country&nbsp;undergoing hardship.&nbsp;Three&nbsp;trips&nbsp;are currently in&nbsp;the&nbsp;planning&nbsp;stage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00a0Deacons\u00a0continue to\u00a0refine\u00a0the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/gcsf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Global Church Sharing Fund<\/a> to best meet the needs of\u00a0MWC member churches.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A major area of discussion centered on strengthening pastoral care resources for churches. The\u00a0Deacons Commission also acknowledged the increasing need for trauma-informed pastoral care and discussed developing practical tools and guidance for churches.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Faith &amp;&nbsp;Life&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under a new\u00a0chair,\u00a0the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/faith-and-life-commission\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/faith-and-life-commission\/\">Faith &amp; Life Commission<\/a> is\u00a0taking\u00a0on the\u00a0challenge of\u00a0how to study the Bible and interpret Jesus\u2019\u00a0teaching as\u00a0one global communion\u00a0when multiple perspectives exist\u00a0on issues\u00a0that\u00a0threaten to divide us.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy hope and my prayer&nbsp;is&nbsp;that we learn to dialogue&nbsp;with respect and trust about&nbsp;a myriad of issues, and that we experience how much more important it is to build community together than to persuade everyone to believe the same,\u201d&nbsp;says Faith and Life Commission chair Tim Geddert.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Faith &amp;\u00a0Life also worked\u00a0with Communications to create videos to highlight\u00a0available resources on the MWC website and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMWC\u00a0has already produced many useful resources for church leaders. Watch\u00a0for\u00a0this series\u00a0on\u00a0social media\u00a0in the coming months.\u00a0We hope it will inspire\u00a0you to\u00a0discover tools\u00a0that will help your\u00a0faith and\u00a0ministry,\u201d\u00a0says Tim Geddert.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-src=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2767-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"a group photo of MWC Commissions and staff\" class=\"wp-image-129209 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2767-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2767-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2767-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2767-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2767-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Peace&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does it mean to be a peace church in the world today? The <a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/peace-commission\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/peace-commission\/\">Peace Commission<\/a>\u00a0plans to launch a\u00a07-year\u00a0journey\u00a0to renew our understanding. This will begin in 2028 as the Renewal decade concludes,\u00a0and run util\u00a02036, the\u00a0500th\u00a0anniversary\u00a0of Menno\u00a0Simons\u2019 transformation\u00a0to\u00a0Anabaptism.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, Peace\u00a0Commission\u00a0is\u00a0representing Mennonite World Conference and participating\u00a0in an ecumenical initiative\u00a0\u201cBlessed are\u00a0the Peacemakers\u201d\u00a0that the Quakers started\u00a0to\u00a0commemorate\u00a0the\u00a0symbolic 2000-year anniversary of the\u00a0Sermon on the Mount in 2030.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00a0Peace\u00a0Commission\u00a0has\u00a0also\u00a0received a request to work on\u00a0a statement on\u00a0freedom of religion\u00a0which they are\u00a0in the process of drafting.\u00a0It\u00a0also reviewed and edited the guidelines for political advocacy\u00a0when it receives invitations from member churches for support\u00a0in the event\u00a0such advocacy is necessary.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Peace Commission&nbsp;is working on&nbsp;protocols for&nbsp;when MWC participates in&nbsp;solidarity visits to conflict zones.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen our member churches request and invite actions of solidarity, we want to know how we can best support them and&nbsp;demonstrate&nbsp;our solidarity with them in their struggle. It also means being mindful of the risks that those who&nbsp;participate&nbsp;in such visits undergo and being wise in how we do this.&nbsp;Ultimately, it&nbsp;is important to&nbsp;demonstrate&nbsp;that our member churches are not alone in the journey towards a holistic peace that our world so desperately needs,\u201d&nbsp;says Andrew Suderman, Peace Commission secretary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mission&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/mission-commission\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/commissions\/mission-commission\/\">Mission Commission<\/a>&nbsp;is updating their&nbsp;resources&nbsp;on&nbsp;mission, which include stories,&nbsp;testimonies&nbsp;and articles.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alongside the&nbsp;Mission and Service Networks, they are planning&nbsp;regular webinars to strengthen&nbsp;the connection between peace&nbsp;and mission in&nbsp;the global Anabaptist family.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnder this plan, member churches can expect a Mission or Service Networks webinar every two months up from the current schedule of&nbsp;four&nbsp;webinars a year,\u201d&nbsp;says&nbsp;James Krabill,&nbsp;Mission Commission chair.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also began&nbsp;planning&nbsp;for&nbsp;workshops and speakers at&nbsp;Assembly&nbsp;18&nbsp;in Tanzania.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe MWC Commissions serve the worldwide church as it&nbsp;seeks&nbsp;to follow Jesus, live out unity, and build peace. Working closely together like the four chambers of the heart, the Commissions&nbsp;promote a holistic gospel and vision, giving guidance and proposing resources to MWC member churches and facilitates MWC-related networks working together on matters of common interest,\u201d&nbsp;Nelson Okanya&nbsp;says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">*CMERK, a regional gathering for all European Mennonite churches is a combination of two names for the event: <strong>C<\/strong>onf\u00e9rence\u00a0<strong>M<\/strong>ennonite\u00a0<strong>E<\/strong>urop\u00e9enne\u00a0(French) +\u00a0<strong>M<\/strong>ennonitische\u00a0<strong>E<\/strong>urop\u00e4ische\u00a0<strong>R<\/strong>egionale <strong>K<\/strong>onferenz\u00a0(German).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"taxonomy-post_tag has-link-color wp-elements-4795dccc25dd561b10d5c166c095ced0 wp-block-post-terms has-text-color has-gray-color has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/tag\/deacons-commission\/\" rel=\"tag\">Deacons Commission<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/tag\/faith-life-commission\/\" rel=\"tag\">Faith &amp; Life Commission<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/tag\/mission-commission\/\" rel=\"tag\">Mission Commission<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/tag\/peace-commission\/\" rel=\"tag\">Peace Commission<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/tag\/solidarity\/\" rel=\"tag\">solidarity<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All\u00a0four MWC Commissions met at Mennorode, Elspeet, Netherlands,\u00a012\u201314\u00a0May 2026 prior to\u00a0CMERK.*<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":129192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[525],"tags":[211,218,258,506,1211],"network":[360,144,155,158,2625],"eventcategory":[],"class_list":["post-129206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-our-leaders","tag-deacons-commission","tag-faith-life-commission","tag-mission-commission","tag-peace-commission","tag-solidarity","network-commissions","network-deacons-commission","network-faith-and-life-commission","network-mission-commission","network-peace-commission"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A time for collective discernment - Mennonite World Conference<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"All\u00a0four MWC Commissions\u00a0met\u00a0at\u00a0Mennorode,\u00a0Elspeet, Netherlands,\u00a012\u201314\u00a0May 2026 prior to\u00a0CMERK.*\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A time for collective discernment - Mennonite World Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"All\u00a0four MWC Commissions\u00a0met\u00a0at\u00a0Mennorode,\u00a0Elspeet, Netherlands,\u00a012\u201314\u00a0May 2026 prior to\u00a0CMERK.*\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mennonite World Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-30T05:24:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-30T05:25:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephanie Setiawan\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stephanie Setiawan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/00b62ed8ea1527254a44f3ace3aee79d\"},\"headline\":\"A time for collective discernment\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T05:24:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-30T05:25:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":891,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Deacons Commission\",\"Faith &amp; Life Commission\",\"Mission Commission\",\"Peace Commission\",\"solidarity\"],\"articleSection\":[\"From our Leaders\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/\",\"name\":\"A time for collective discernment - Mennonite World Conference\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T05:24:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-30T05:25:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"All\u00a0four MWC Commissions\u00a0met\u00a0at\u00a0Mennorode,\u00a0Elspeet, Netherlands,\u00a012\u201314\u00a0May 2026 prior to\u00a0CMERK.*\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1440,\"caption\":\"general meeting of group of diverse people\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/time-collective-discernment\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A time for collective discernment\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mennonite World Conference\",\"description\":\"A communion of Anabaptist-related churches\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"MWC\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mennonite World Conference\",\"alternateName\":\"MWC\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg\",\"width\":786,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"Mennonite World Conference\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MennoniteWorldConference\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/mennonite-world-conference-mwc\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/mwcmm\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/mwccmm\",\"https:\\\/\\\/bsky.app\\\/profile\\\/mwcmm.bsky.social\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/00b62ed8ea1527254a44f3ace3aee79d\",\"name\":\"Stephanie Setiawan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/71b4b62cf3d0cfb4c8a367a101127ba8adfa1c22417900980ea24f5f4457a76d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/71b4b62cf3d0cfb4c8a367a101127ba8adfa1c22417900980ea24f5f4457a76d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/71b4b62cf3d0cfb4c8a367a101127ba8adfa1c22417900980ea24f5f4457a76d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Stephanie Setiawan\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mwc-cmm.org\\\/en\\\/stories\\\/author\\\/stephanie\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A time for collective discernment - Mennonite World Conference","description":"All\u00a0four MWC Commissions\u00a0met\u00a0at\u00a0Mennorode,\u00a0Elspeet, Netherlands,\u00a012\u201314\u00a0May 2026 prior to\u00a0CMERK.*\u00a0","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A time for collective discernment - Mennonite World Conference","og_description":"All\u00a0four MWC Commissions\u00a0met\u00a0at\u00a0Mennorode,\u00a0Elspeet, Netherlands,\u00a012\u201314\u00a0May 2026 prior to\u00a0CMERK.*\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/","og_site_name":"Mennonite World Conference","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference","article_published_time":"2026-06-30T05:24:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-30T05:25:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Stephanie Setiawan","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/"},"author":{"name":"Stephanie Setiawan","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/00b62ed8ea1527254a44f3ace3aee79d"},"headline":"A time for collective discernment","datePublished":"2026-06-30T05:24:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-30T05:25:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/"},"wordCount":891,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Deacons Commission","Faith &amp; Life Commission","Mission Commission","Peace Commission","solidarity"],"articleSection":["From our Leaders"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/","name":"A time for collective discernment - Mennonite World Conference","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-30T05:24:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-30T05:25:36+00:00","description":"All\u00a0four MWC Commissions\u00a0met\u00a0at\u00a0Mennorode,\u00a0Elspeet, Netherlands,\u00a012\u201314\u00a0May 2026 prior to\u00a0CMERK.*\u00a0","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_2471-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440,"caption":"general meeting of group of diverse people"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/time-collective-discernment\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A time for collective discernment"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/","name":"Mennonite World Conference","description":"A communion of Anabaptist-related churches","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"MWC","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Mennonite World Conference","alternateName":"MWC","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg","width":786,"height":82,"caption":"Mennonite World Conference"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mennonite-world-conference-mwc\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mwcmm\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/mwccmm","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mwcmm.bsky.social"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/00b62ed8ea1527254a44f3ace3aee79d","name":"Stephanie Setiawan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71b4b62cf3d0cfb4c8a367a101127ba8adfa1c22417900980ea24f5f4457a76d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71b4b62cf3d0cfb4c8a367a101127ba8adfa1c22417900980ea24f5f4457a76d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71b4b62cf3d0cfb4c8a367a101127ba8adfa1c22417900980ea24f5f4457a76d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Stephanie Setiawan"},"url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/author\/stephanie\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129206"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129360,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129206\/revisions\/129360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129206"},{"taxonomy":"network","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/network?post=129206"},{"taxonomy":"eventcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eventcategory?post=129206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}