Leadership

Who am I? Who are we as a people? We all ask this question in relationship to family, friends and community. To answer, we look for help outside ourselves. Yet the search on our journey from adolescence to adulthood remains largely an internal search for self-identity.

Who am I? Who are we?

Who am I when I look beyond the ways I have been defined by those around me? Who am I when I own the values and faith of generations that came before me? Who am I when I decide what I stand for? These questions sustain our families and faith communities and carry our values to future generations.

The 2007 Mennonite Church USA Delegate Assembly passed a resolution asking the Executive Board to help congregations explore our identity in the context of modern life in the United States.

What does it mean to follow Jesus in a world that is not?

We live in a nation where we have much to be thankful for and much we take for granted. At times this empire of great promise causes us as a people to experience great peril of faith. Our concern is not the imminent threat of persecution but the constant seductive forces that replace God with nation as our object of worship and source of identity. We find it difficult to resist the unyielding lure of materialism and nationalism as well as the desire for security to retain what we think is ours.

Our beliefs and values are changing. Some of these changes are exciting while others are disheartening. Many of us are moving away from being on the margins of society. Many are more educated and at the center of circles of power. We live and engage our culture differently from how our grandparents did. These changes have impacted who we are and how we think of ourselves as Mennonites.

As a church, we are highly invested in global missions. We’ve formed relationships with brothers and sisters around the world, positively affecting our congregations and families. The voices of our global family often bring us prophetic words of counsel and caution about lifestyle, globalization and national politics.

We ask, Who are we as Mennonite Christians living in the United States of America in the 21st century?

After delegates passed the national identity resolution, the Executive Board formed a task group to shape our response. Our challenge and opportunity was to embrace the diversity within our denomination and strengthen who we are by clarifying our shared identity as God’s people.

In days past, members of our congregations were easily identified as in or out. Clear boundaries were maintained at great emotional and relational cost. We guarded these boundaries to keep our church strong. For insiders, the boundaries were unequivocal, and everyone knew what was expected. Our message to the outside world was simple—you cannot belong unless you measure up to our standards.

As the Mennonite community has become more diverse in race, culture and social understanding, our identity formation requires something new. While clear boundaries may have served us well in the past, what will serve us better now and in the future is a clear center. And that center is Jesus.

We recognize our approach must change from defining people as in or out to inviting people to journey with us if they are moving in the same direction.

In this special edition of The Mennonite, writers reflect on our national identity as Mennonites in the United States. You’ll read stories about individuals and congregations struggling to discover what it means to follow Jesus in a world that is not. You’ll also find help for congregational study that can be used in small groups, Sunday school or other settings.

Can we rediscover our shared identity? A wild dream, you say? Maybe, but as I read Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and hear his desire and vision for the church to be one, I believe it is a worthwhile conversation. I pray these materials will spur conversations in your congregation, among the congregations in your conference and even on the Delegate Assembly floor in Columbus this summer.

May the Holy Spirit guide us as we clarify together who we are and inspire each other to catch a glimpse of who God desires us to be.