Leadership: A word from Mennonite Church USA leaders

Last month’s Winter Olympics were unquestionably a fantastic display of athleticism and dedication. We got to see elegant ice skating, stomach-churning luge, cerebral curling and more—all with ample human drama of perseverance and sacrifice.

But the games were more than that. They were also a great history lesson, as it was impossible to watch these competitions without being made aware of past successes and failures. The U.S. men’s hockey team’s surprising success invoked memories of the championship squads of 1960 and 1980. Canada, motivated by its record of Olympic futility, won the most gold medals of any nation at Vancouver. Perhaps the most overlooked landmark was the presence of the first-ever winter olympians from seven countries, including warm-weather Colombia and Ghana.

Such a litany of accomplishments underscores a lesson taught by one of my undergraduate professors: history is everything. There is no aspect of life that can be divorced from historical understandings. Want more proof? Scientists’ claims of global warming are based, at least in part, on examination of climate conditions over many years. How a physician treats an injury or illness is influenced by the patient’s health history. Current U.S. tensions with Iran must be viewed in the context of U.S. involvement in the region through the years.

Likewise, history needs to be a requisite element in Mennonite Church USA’s pursuit of faithfulness. In fact, the call to be missional, which has been placed at the heart of our young denomination, is actually an emphasis of the principles that fueled the formation of Anabaptism in the 16th century. The movement sought to embody Christ’s example of love and peace in every facet of life. Becoming a Christian wasn’t just a matter of professional or social expediency; it was to be a total reorientation of perspective and values.

Nowhere is that more evident than in Menno Simons, our church’s namesake. A Catholic priest, he confessed to leading an unpriestly life, “playing cards, drinking and in diversions as, alas, is the fashion and usage of such useless people.” He even admitted to not reading the Bible. But when Menno converted to Anabaptism, he became a leading advocate for a comprehensive faith encompassing more than Sunday morning.

Devotion to faithful living every day and in every facet of life became a defining characteristic of the Anabaptist movement. By the 20th century, the development of the missional North American Mennonite church was fostered by a wide range of new institutions. These were not just for ministers or missionaries. Businessmen organized Mennonite Economic Development Associates to use their expertise for God and God’s people. Church members in health-care professions formed organizations such as Mennonite Medical Association, Mennonite Nurses Association and Mennonite Health Association. The various Mennonite voluntary service programs allowed people to use any number of skills and interests for the sake of the kingdom.

Just as it did nearly 500 years ago in the era of Menno Simons, that missional focus continues to generate interest and draw converts. The Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee is charged with preserving and proclaiming the stories of that heritage. Carrying out those responsibilities makes the organization distinctly, even uniquely, missional.

An important reason is that it can witness to those who may not otherwise be exposed to the message of faith. The Historical Committee’s archives in Goshen, Ind., and North Newton, Kan., serve hundreds of researchers a year. They include people who are not Mennonite and may not even be familiar with Mennonites. They may not even be Christian. But they come to better understand subjects that intersect with Mennonite life and thought. It might be mental health care, migration patterns, hymnody or quilting. Regardless, the very act of inquiry introduces researchers to the faith that helped shape whatever topic they are studying.

Apart from the academic process, it is probably impossible to assess the Historical Committee’s effects on non-Mennonite researchers. But it’s also often difficult to know the impact of a Mennonite Voluntary Service worker in an urban unit or a Mennonite Mission Network worker overseas or the countless acts that church members do everyday.
But then quantifying effectiveness is not the point of being missional.