Leadership: A word from Mennonite Church USA leaders

Both André Gingerich Stoner and Stanley Green see evangelism, witness and personal transformation together with peace, justice and social transformation as vital aspects of holistic Christian witness. How have these themes shaped them personally, becoming central to their work as church leaders?

André: Stanley, from your mother, you had a strong Pentecostal influence during your growing years. You saw peoples’ lives transformed and renewed through their commitment to Jesus. Then, in your final year of high school, you decided to follow Jesus. This was all in apartheid-era South Africa. How did that setting shape your faith?

Stanley: I grew up in the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa. In the midst of apartheid segregation it embraced the vision of a nonracial church with a profound commitment to social justice. As a boy I remember praying for many of our pastors who were detained under the Terrorism and Suppression of Communism Act because of their public witness against segregation and forced removals. I was grateful for their witness; it seemed to me to reflect what Jesus would do.

André: When you were 5, your own family was forced to move as the Group Areas Act was implemented. Classified as “colored,” you faced barriers to getting good education and many other restrictions. How did you deal with that?

Stanley: At first I was angry at this injustice. I felt a strong temptation to become bitter. Deep down, however, I knew that the Jesus way was the way of forgiveness and reconciliation. I might have suppressed that understanding—as I am afraid many do in the face of gross violation—and found myself accommodating violence or justifying hate. But remembering Jesus’ vision of a kingdom of justice and reconciliation helped me believe another way was possible. Then, by the grace of God while serving as a missionary in Jamaica, I encountered Anabaptists. They not only held these same beliefs but aspired to live by them. While studying at Fuller, we joined a Mennonite congregation. I was home.

André, you grew up in a Mennonite family and as a young adult became active in public peace witness at home and in West Germany. How did you nurture a personal faith to sustain and guide you on this journey?

André: In my mid-20s, during a Maundy Thursday service in Germany, God broke into my life in a powerful way. As I was sitting in the circle, the leader walked toward me with a basin of water to wash my feet. Many thoughts and emotions swirled through my me. I felt unworthy. Suddenly I realized that this was not about having earned anything or being good enough. The only question was whether I would accept this gift. When I did, it was as if Jesus himself was washing my feet. I was overcome with a sense of God’s love. This experience took me on a journey to learn to love more like Jesus. I ended up spending three more years in Germany building relationships and sharing faith with U.S. soldiers at a nuclear weapons base.

Stanley: That reminds me of a statement from David Bosch, one of the most highly regarded mission thinkers of our time. He said, “Mission is the church crossing frontiers, in the form of a servant.” Those frontiers can be across town or on the other side of the globe.

Later, André, you served as pastor of mission at Kern Road Mennonite Church in South Bend, Ind., for 16 years. How did that experience shape your understanding of mission?
André: Our leadership team didn’t try to dream up projects and then get others excited. Instead we tried to pay attention to where the Spirit was moving and how we could join in—in the congregation and in the community.

I think of it this way: My wife likes to body surf on Lake Michigan. You can’t force the waves to roll. But you can study them and practice jumping at the right moment. It doesn’t happen every time, but when you catch a wave, it can carry you a long way. That’s exhilarating.

Stanley: We are training ourselves to pay attention to the Spirit’s moving. It is thrilling to partner with people all across the church as we seek the kingdom together.

Stanley Green is executive director of Mennonite Mission Network. André Gingerich Stoner is director of holistic witness and interchurch relations for Menno­nite Church USA.