Goshen, Indiana, USA \u2013 As Anabaptist denominations in the United States prepare to host the 16th Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Pennsylvania next July, a new survey sheds light on the strength of Mennonite Church USA\u2019s existing global connections.<\/p>\n
The survey, designed and administered by the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen College (Indiana), sought to collect concrete data on the scope and frequency of global connections within MC USA member congregations and the denomination\u2019s relationship to MWC at the congregational level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have visited many MC USA congregations in recent years,\u201d said ISGA Director John D. Roth, \u201cand I am always impressed by the wide range of international connections evident in these local congregations. Yet I don’t think we have a very good sense yet of the larger patterns these relationships are taking.\u201d <\/p>\n
MC USA congregations connected globally<\/strong><\/p>\n A preliminary analysis reveals a high level of global connectedness among the 307 MC USA congregations who responded to the survey, everything from sister church relationships to direct financial support.<\/p>\n The most common way that congregations are connecting globally is through Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Mission Network; nearly all responding congregations reported giving to one or both of these agencies, sharing news from these institutions with congregants, or sending and receiving MCC and MMN workers.<\/p>\n Yet, the survey also reveals a web of connections that expand far beyond the work of MCC and MMN.<\/p>\n Congregations with a high percentage of members born outside of the U.S. constitute a particularly vibrant locus of connection with the global church. These churches tend to be directly involved in both international and domestic church life and ministry.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a significant number of immigrant families and persons in the congregation,\u201d wrote one respondent. \u201cThis has shaped our identity and connects us to the broader church, both Mennonite and non-Mennonite.\u201d<\/p>\n Many churches fund learning tours and delegations to visit other congregations and conferences outside of the U.S., and a number of pastors have used their sabbaticals to either study about the global church or to visit international churches.<\/p>\n Not all connections lead congregations to reach beyond the physical border of the U.S. Some congregations have helped to host and start immigrant congregations in their own community, while others support domestic programs that work with immigrants locally.<\/p>\n Individual contacts proved critical for many congregations, as they have hosted international students, counted immigrants among the church\u2019s congregants and leadership, or sent and received church members in international service and mission.<\/p>\n Sister church relationships have been particularly meaningful for some MC USA congregations, though some congregations acknowledged that these relationships also come with a high level of commitment that can be difficult for individual congregations to maintain in times of transition and crisis.<\/p>\n Despite the challenges present in establishing and maintaining these connections, respondents 66 percent classified global relationships as \u201cgood and necessary, central to our reading of the Gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n Those who ranked global church connections as a low priority often referenced complications in their local congregation that have temporarily prevented a more global orientation.<\/p>\n Rural churches noted that their isolation was a challenge, keeping them from connecting with other MC USA churches outside of their regional conference, not to mention global churches.<\/p>\n Connecting to MWC remains a challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n For the majority of responding congregations, however, these global connections do not appear to translate into a clear partnership with Mennonite World Conference.<\/p>\n Although 87 percent of respondents reported that their congregation shares or \u201csomewhat shares\u201d similar convictions with other Anabaptist-Mennonite groups globally, there was little consensus on how MWC, the international fellowship of Anabaptist-related churches, is part of the picture. In fact, a majority of churches report weak connections to MWC programs and members.<\/p>\n \u201cWhereas we have a high level of international connections,\u201d said Roth, \u201cour congregations don\u2019t necessarily have a very strong sense of connection to Mennonite World Conference, which is the strongest framework that we have for expressing our connectedness as a global body.\u201d<\/p>\n There are, accordingly, few churches that contribute directly to MWC, although many assume that a portion of their contribution to MC USA is passed on to MWC. While MC USA does make contributions, it is far below the annual \u201cFair Share\u201d amount that MWC has requested, based on a formula that takes both MWC\u2019s needs and member churches\u2019 relative resources into account.<\/p>\n Due to the gap between MWC\u2019s expenses and incoming donations, the \u201cFair Share\u201d formula is currently under review. One proposal would ask that all church members annually contribute the cost of one lunch to MWC, either fasting or sharing a communal lunch to make up the difference.<\/p>\n When congregations in the ISGA survey were asked about their willingness to make a contribution equivalent to the cost of a lunch for each member, 65 percent affirmed the idea, suggesting that congregations may be open to increasing connections and relationship between MC USA member churches and MWC.<\/p>\n