In 2016 and 2015, Mennonite Church USA conference ministers from eight area conferences transitioned or will transition out of their role. Together they represented 79 years of collective ministry. This is perhaps  the largest leadership shift in the 15-year history of Mennonite Church USA.

In the conversations that follow, each of these former conference ministers reflects on the joys and challenges of conference ministry, emerging trends and shifting loyalties across the denomination, and their dreams for the future of their conferences and Mennonite Church USA.

Chuck Neufeld
Conference: Illinois Mennonite Conference
Term: 2009-2015

Neufeld describes conference ministry as “a job I absolutely loved.” As a pastor for pastors, Neufeld saw his role as giving “churches permission to be in fellowship” across theological and ideological differences.

“Because of our faith commitments, we so often feel obligated to somehow manage our surroundings or keep the church ordered as we feel it should be,” he said in a Feb. 5 interview. “This wreaks havoc. It’s us judging the other instead of realizing that we’re a part of a church that can’t be managed and Christ reconciles us to himself.”

To guide the conference’s ministry, Neufeld focused on four questions:

1. Is Christ Lord?
2. Is Scripture authoritative?
3. Is the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective ours?
4. Are we praying for the ongoing leadership of the Holy Spirit?

“If someone could answer yes to all these questions, then they are our Christian brother or sister,” said Neufeld. “These are remarkable questions if we can allow them to determine our relationships.”

These questions served as tools for counseling congregations in conflict with one another and the denomination. He sees it as a sign of hope and a gift of grace that upon retirement, he ended his work as conference minister “without being able to name an enemy.”

Chuck and Bonnie, his partner in ministry and wife, relocated to North Newton, Kan., to be closer to family.

Donna Mast
Conference: Allegheny Mennonite Conference
Term: 2009-2015

Mast never expected to find herself in conference ministry or ministry of any sort, for that matter. When her family moved to Harrisonburg, Va., for her husband, Conrad, to attend Eastern Mennonite Seminary, she felt like God’s call to Conrad was clear. When she first enrolled in classes at EMS, it was because “it seemed like a good idea for the wife of the pastor to take a few classes.”

“I often described my call to ministry as being hit over the head. It was so far from my realm of possibility,” said Mast, in a Jan. 21 interview.

After co-pastoring with Conrad at Scottdale (Pa.) Mennonite Church, Allegheny Mennonite Conference approached Mast and asked whether she would be willing to serve as interim conference minister, a role she filled for two years before it became permanent.

Mast found herself surprised by the love that she felt for every congregation in Allegheny.

“It [this love] has to be God-given,” she said. “Some of them I hadn’t even met with yet, but suddenly there was this love for the congregations themselves and I cared deeply about them.”

This love intensified the feelings of sadness and hurt when congregations made decisions to leave the conference and Mennonite Church USA over theological disagreements. Allegheny Conference today is roughly half the size that it was when Mast began in her role.

Mast acknowledges that the conference has tough decisions to make about its future structure, including the conference minister role, a reality that contributed to the timing of her stepping down. After 18 ½ years of ministry, the Masts are not seeing this as a transition to retirement but as a time of sabbatical and healing.

When asked about her hopes for the future, Mast reflected on knitting thank you gifts for conference members who

hosted her in their homes. On the morning of our interview, Mast completed a project made from the remnants of yarn used to create these gifts. The result: a sturdy and bright potholder of many colors.

“I was thinking about how God our creator takes these little pieces of things that we think are too small to do much of anything with, but weaves it into something that it beautiful and useful,” she said. “I believe that God is not nearly as distressed about what has been happening as we are. My anticipation is to see what beautiful thing God is even now creating.”

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