“One of the time-tested treasures of Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is its commitment to decision making by consensus,” says Janet Plenert. As vice president from 2009-2015 and regional representatives coordinator since 2024, she has experience with the practice.
Consensus is a method of arriving at decisions unanimously or by carefully recording dissenting voices before moving ahead.
“Consensus does not mean uniformity. It means that every voice has been heard, every concern has been registered, and every member is willing to move ahead for the greater good even though the decision may not reflect their own preference.”
“We use consensus decision making in MWC because it is consistent with our values. It builds community as it provides a collaborative and harmonious context for making decisions,” says César García, MWC general secretary.
Consensus seeks to hear, understand and respect all concerns and points of view.
Consensus seeks to hear, understand and respect all concerns and points of view. Making decisions with this method encourages consultation, exploration, questioning and prayerful reflection. It values and seeks to utilize the experience and perspective of all members.
This method calls for participation by all churches in shaping the decision. There is space to learn and even change course in the process of decision making.
“Using a consensus decision-making process enables representatives to discern together the will of God (Ephesians 5:17) for the church and for MWC,” says Henk Stenvers, MWC president.
In MWC’s General Council and Executive Committee meetings, consensus taking is facilitated by three coloured cards: orange (yes), yellow (uncertain; have concerns or need clarity), blue (no/stop).
- If every card raised is orange, the decision is made and no further conversation is needed.
- If there are one or more yellow cards raised, we halt and those who indicated reservations are asked to share their concerns.
- A blue card indicates opposition to the proposal. If there is even one blue card raised, the motion does move not ahead to consensus as is. It means that more conversation and discernment are needed.
As MWC has used this method in various decision-making spaces, sometimes a member may raise a blue card; more frequently, members raise yellow cards.
A yellow card in MWC is not understood to be divisive. It is, rather, a call to more conversation and discernment.
“Each yellow card is an important signal: we need to listen more carefully, consider other factors, take a bit more time, we need to pray together,” says César García.
“It is a call for better understanding, more and deeper accountability, and fuller communion with each other. But we must take the time to pause and listen to concerns.”
“Invariably, the discussion or action that follows a raised yellow card generates a “more vibrant” orange when the proposal is raised again,” says Janet Plenert.
The yellow card invites everyone to the table one more time so that what appear to be exclusionary actions can be transformed into communion once again.
“MWC has learned not to be afraid of the yellow card.”
