The Mennonite Church USA Executive Board affirmed a call from the denomination’s Racial Ethnic Council to increase awareness of the historical record of Mennonites of color and set direction for a task group to review MC USA’s denominational structure at its Nov. 14-16 meeting in Destin, Fla.

Members of MC USA’s Racial Ethnic Council met with the Executive Board and invited Baylor University history professor Felipe Hinojosa to share about the importance of understanding the histories of the Caribbean, Indigenous, African American and Asian American communities.

He led an exercise to identify acts of racism against Latinos and resistance by Latinos against racism, emphasizing the importance of relational history and the need for churches to integrate diverse narratives.

“My calling to you today is that we get involved in the work of storytelling. To do that, we need help,” Hinojosa said. “MC USA has a great denominational archive in Elkhart, Ind. The archives should be central to how we tell this Mennonite story.”

He pointed out that only 5% of the MC USA Archives’ 8,000 linear feet of material is devoted to stories of African American, Latino, Asian American or Native American Mennonites — and much of that is in the context of missionary stories.

“When [historians] go to the archive to find our stories, it is important that they hear it directly from us and not from the pen of a missionary,” he said. “There have been wonderful oral history programs in the Mennonite church in the past. . . . We just have not done enough.”

On behalf of the Racial Ethnic Council, Hinojosa called Executive Board members, conferences and congregations to take action by:

— Exploring ways to record and preserve the oral histories of marginalized groups within MC USA;

— Incorporating the stories and cultural expressions of diverse communities into programming and worship at every level of the denomination;

— Supporting the MC USA Historical Archives financially, so that fragile records such as audio recordings from the 1972 Cross-Cultural Youth Convention can be digitized.

“The second phase of the REC’s plan is to encourage Black, Indigenous and people of color congregations to add archival records to the MC USA Archives,” said Sue Park-Hur, MC USA director of racial/ethnic engagement.

The Executive Board members affirmed the REC initiative.

Structure Review Task Group

The Executive Board also discussed a proposed structure review task group that would propose how the national church’s structure — particularly around membership, funding and governance — can be more transparent, effective and united.

The group would evaluate current structures, identify areas for better efficiency and communication, ensure that recommendations promote antiracist and culturally competent principles and create a roadmap for transparent and inclusive decision making.

Executive Board members acknowledged MC USA has changed since its founding in 2001 and needs to reflect the current realities of who it is and what it aspires to be. Executive Board members also emphasized the need for transparency and clarity of communication related to the structural review, noting that this process is not about MC USA’s theology.

“We’re reenvisioning the systems by which we do our mission,” said MC USA executive director Glen Guyton. “We still hold the values that we put forth following the Future Church Summit: follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience transformation. This is not the opportunity to reexamine our values but to focus on how we effectively execute these things now and in the future.”

In his executive director report, Guyton addressed what he described as the denomination’s “critical financial situation.” This year’s budget deficit has continued to grow, as MC USA agencies have had shortfalls in their contributions to the Executive Board. Staff are addressing the situation through budget cuts, staffing adjustments and fundraising.