Leadership: A word from Mennonite Church USA leaders

As part of the Boomer generation, I’m rounding a corner of life that many of us have been avoiding. We’re hitting the last phase of our careers and heading into whatever follows.

I admit there’s much for us to regret. When I hear my sons express concern about the environmental, economic and social crises permeating our culture, I feel more than a little angst about the world we’re leaving to future generations. But maybe we can use some of the more redemptive characteristics of our generation to help us all move forward.

Deconstruction: Facing loss like we’ve embraced life—head-on

For me, recent experiences of loss bring home the reality that the building phase of my life is slowing down. My wife developed breast cancer. Thankfully, it is in remission. But the experience made us intensely aware of the importance of focusing on current relationships.

I also experienced the death of my brother, which felt like having something torn out of my side. I’ve taken my time with the grief and allowed it to shape and soften my spirit.
In my congregation, a longtime friend and fellow member was asked to “step back” from fellowship because of personal boundary violations. We’ve grappled with the issues of abuse of power and the structures that allowed it to happen. It’s been hard work, but we are emerging from the experience, albeit with a Jacob’s limp.

Reflection: Passage to a new role

This past fall I was given a sabbatical leave after 16 years of work for Mennonite Church USA/Mennonite Mission Network. I spent the first month in a little casita in the village of Taos, N.M. I read voraciously, walked dozens of miles, painted, relaxed, prayed, connected with local friends and worked intentionally to appreciate the gift of becoming an “elder.”

Taos friend Todd Wynward said it this way: “Think of yourself as being like a mature tree. More deeply rooted, taller in age, arching over and providing cover for those of us who are still in the building phase of our lives.”

I needed to hear this and think it is needed across the church. It offers a way to stay engaged but from a new perspective. We can be a nonanxious presence and share wisdom and insight when asked, letting go of agendas of ego, power and control. We can rejoice when new “builders” in our congregations come into their own fullness of vision and leadership.

Relocation: Reconnecting with our ’60s era activist heritage

During a road trip on my sabbatical, I reread Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, which also speaks to relinquishing dreams and power. While life, like a road trip, is unpredictable, we don’t have to wander aimlessly. We can use our newfound status as elders to be more intentional with our time.

There are dozens of emerging Anabaptist communities that could benefit from the connections, support and life experiences of Mennonite Boomers. What if even 10 percent of us offered to relocate for a few (or more) years to be “deeply rooted trees,” offering cover for such communities? What could we learn, and how could we be transformed as Mennonite Church USA? (Kudos to those already doing this.)

Transformation: Coming down to where we need to be

Annie Dillard writes, “Occasionally it’s a bearing wall that has to come down.” Once the underpinnings of our (sometimes false) construction are removed, we’re able to see that the incoming world isn’t nearly as threatening or different as we’ve assumed.

Todd, a “convinced” Anabaptist, also said, “If you Mennonites really opened yourselves up [tore down the cultural barriers], there are twice as many people who would want to be part of you than there are in the current church.” Responding to this challenge means deconstructing some bearing walls we’ve built over the past 500 years, relinquishing some cultural convictions about the way we function and relate—those that hinder us from embracing the God-given gifts and contributions of new folks who can help us revision the future. It’s like the challenge Jesus put before the powers and domination systems of his era.

I am optimistic about the future of Mennonite Church USA—as long as we continue to trust in the journey on which Jesus is leading us. Following Jesus means we aren’t in control, knowing when to let go. It implies we’re not going to get comfortable any time soon—regardless of our age. But I’m increasingly hopeful that our journey together is going to be pretty “outta sight.”

Ken Gingerich is art director for Mennonite Church USA and lives in Albuquerque, N.M.