Ervin Stutzman is Executive Director for Mennonite Church USA. This letter of apology was read at a June 10, 2017, gathering of former Mennonite Publishing House employees in Scottdale, Pennsylvania. Read our full report on the gathering here. 

Dear brothers and sisters:

I am writing to you as former employees of the Mennonite Publishing House. Some of you retired from your roles; others were involuntarily terminated. Some of you were members of the Mennonite Church; others were not. Yet all of you were employed by a key agency of the Mennonite Church, now known as Mennonite Church USA.

Over the past months, I have reflected on some of the painful events which took place between June, 2000, when retirees were notified that their supplemental health insurance benefits had been terminated, and 2011, when the publishing house closed its doors in Scottdale and moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia to merge with Third Way Media. For some of you, the abandonment of Scottdale was like a death of a family member.

As I reviewed letters, minutes of meetings, and other documents, I was reminded of the painful shortcomings of our church. Some of the failings that caused you pain could have been avoided, if those responsible had chosen a different course of action. I know that some of you tried to communicate the warning signs of trouble to the board and the broader church, without satisfaction. In some of those cases, I played a key role in the decision-making process as Moderator of Mennonite Church USA. Today, in my staff role as the executive director, I am writing to offer you an apology on my own behalf, as well as the broader church.

First of all, I apologize to those of you who lost the retirement benefits that MPH had promised to you. You had every right to expect that the church would honor those promises. I regret that you needed to pursue a grievance process in order to gain a churchly hearing in this matter, and that the church was only able to collect a paltry sum on your behalf.

Secondly, I apologize to any of you who suffered abuse from management. While moderator, I received the report and recommendations from a couple of experts we had sent to investigate complaints in a particular situation. They described a work culture of “denial, domination, and secrecy,” which often left employees feeling “disrespected, dismissed, devalued, and disempowered.” Looking back, I regret that this kind of demeaning behavior was allowed to continue.

Thirdly, I apologize to those of you who lost your jobs in abrupt terminations without the care one should be able to expect from a church organization. I particularly regret the actions of an outside consultant, who actions in dismissing employees during the crisis did not seem to match the caring process outlined in a proposal that had been shared with the board. I recognize that much of your pain was caused by the abrupt manner in which the firings were done, without the consultation, communication or transparency that one would hope for in such a situation.

Fourthly, I apologize that the church seemed unable to grasp the need for financial subsidy from the broader church for the publishing mission. Looking back, I can see that the church voiced high expectation for publication without providing the requisite resources. That is, the church expected MPH to publish some products which simply could not “carry their own weight,” putting a burden on the company that it eventually could not bear.

Fifthly, I apologize that the church press sometimes pictured the MPH publishing crisis in ways that implied fraud on the part of employees, or made comparisons with wider societal financial crises such as Enron, which was unfair. I can emphatically say that I never saw evidence of fraud.

For all of the failings I have named above, I ask for your forgiveness. I cannot and will not demand your pardon, which I would have no right to do. In these matters, I am in your debt; you are not in mine. You do not owe anything to me or the broader church. But if it would contribute to your healing, I will gratefully receive any words of forgiveness, lament, grieving, or hope which you have to offer.

Finally, let me express my deep gratitude for all the time, talent, finances, and energy which you contributed through the publishing ministry of our church. Again, we are in your debt. Many of you worked long hours with low wages to make this ministry possible. You deserve a sincere word of appreciation, and I feel privileged to deliver it.

I shall also lend my hand to an effort to tell the story of your publishing efforts in more substantial ways. Although we missed the opportunity to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Publishing House with a special publication, there must be other ways to tell the story.

Again, thank you for all you have given on behalf of your commitment to Christ and the church.

Shalom,

Ervin Stutzman