This is a summary of the questions and concerns presented by delegates at Gathering 2008 after the presentation of
Regenerate 21-01. While individual and specifically worded concerns may not appear as submitted, the following summary is intended to capture all concerns.
General Questions
1. Will Regenerate 2101 help us to be renewed? How will we capture a heart of mission for our country? a. Regenerate 21-01 is as much about prayer and process as it is about accomplishing a vision for mission. The ReFocusing process for leaders and churches is designed to foster increasing surrender to the Lordship of Christ, while capturing a new sense of mission. Our vision for a church-based leadership development culture, if it takes hold, will renew our congregations toward “praying out”, discerning, and equipping workers for the harvest. This is also renewal. When churches reproduce in healthy ways, our conference will be renewed over time, even as they experience the excitement and challenges of reproduction.
2. Is this a short or long term vision?
a. We are taking the long view – that these processes leading to reproduction of a local church will ultimately lead to a larger scale renewal. In the midst of the process, we are praying that individuals and congregations alike will capture a renewed heart for mission for Canada.
3. Small churches – how can they relate?
a. All churches can participate in ReFocusing – depending on their health factors from a Natural Church Development or LifeCycle assessment. Participation costs are adjusted to fit the church budget. From the ReFocusing activity, the small church is free to develop its vision for mission within its community environment, suitable to its context and size.
b. Leadership development for small churches may be more organic – where everyone is relatively well known and the discernment of emerging leaders happens with most or all of the local body. The resources for congregational discerning and the Pathway for emerging leaders should apply in principle to churches of varying sizes.
c. Reaching Out initiatives may be significantly nuanced or scaled for the small church, based on the mission vision cultivated through ReFocusing. Several small churches can team up together on a project.
4. What evaluation is planned? What does accountability look like?
a. A new approach to evaluation is being developed, and implementation of the evaluation process will begin in early 2009. The Executive Board will maintain an evaluation steering committee at least for the first 2 year cycle so that appropriate assessment detail can be achieved, and for appropriate accounting to the delegates at Gathering 2010.
b. The “logic model” of Regenerate 2101 will be available on the website. This model outlines the various activities planned, along with an outline of short, medium and long term results we will look for. Measures are established for each segment of Regenerate 2101. Input will be sought from key informers and focus groups.
5. How broadly did you receive input?
a. CCMBC executive staff met with provincial conference leadership groups several times in the 16 months leading up to Gathering 2008. This included provincial volunteer leaders and paid staff.
b. In 2009 regional meetings are being planned to meet with interested pastors to receive input and to share this vision in more detail.
6. Will this result in “more of the same” outreach or can it lead to the marginalized members of our society – ethnic minorities; aboriginals; others?
a. We believe that God is raising up leaders with a passion to reach more marginal segments of society. The key is the leader with the passion and the support system to step out and engage a new initiative. The Mennonite Brethren are increasingly diverse in language/ethnicity, and so from this vantage point, we see increasing interest in the various sub-cultures living in Canada. For example, the Murray St. Team in Ottawa is composed of a group of people who have moved into a part of the city that is cross cultural to them in order to start a new ministry there. The idea that leaders with a particular passion and vision will emerge to touch cross cultural areas seems to be happening – whether it be from a local church context, or an appeal to the Conference to sponsor them, or both.
b. We are already seeing churches establish new initiatives. These are venturing into new groups of people – perhaps just one step away from the central character of the mother congregation. Examples would be House for All Nations which ministers to several different Asian ethnic groups and Waterloo MB which sponsors the St Jamestown church in Toronto, etc.
c. Still, it might take some time before we’re actively reaching the most marginalized. For that, it may take a special denominational initiative, although conference level initiatives for work among people who are quite different from the mainstream Mennonite Brethren have largely failed, historically.
7. How are we partnering with the many sectors of our conference that are already contributing to the vision of Regenerate 2101?
a. Talks have been in place with MBBS – our seminary – to determine where our programs complement one another. The seminary is also working towards some new ways of delivering credited courses and a new MA. We can say more about that in 2009.
b. We have begun talks with MBMSI lead staff to see where we fit together. MBMSI’s short term missions programming is an active discipleship and leadership development tool for the MB Church in Canada.
c. Internally to CCMBC, we are aligning our various ministries:
i. Board of Faith and Life is contributing to our theological identity, and the picture of healthy leaders and churches.
ii. Stewardship Ministries reps have several programs that are available to churches in all areas of Regenerate 2101.
iii. Communications has been working hard on the website and brochures to make sure people know about Regenerate 2101 and understand it.
8. What is the staffing strategy?
a. The beginning phase will focus on staff for ReFocusing – located in various provinces. Negotiations with individual provinces are already going on. Some part time staff have been hired in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
b. For 2008-09 we are looking for a Leadership Development Coordinator and a Donor Development coordinator.
c. A future phase will require someone to coordinate the Reaching Out and evangelism segment.
d. We have linked Regenerate 2101 with our Stewardship Ministries: Regional reps offer financial stewardship workshops for church health; Eagles Flight experiences for lay leadership (board) development; and in some areas, Fraud Prevention workshops as an outreach tool for local congregations.
e. We have linked Regenerate 2101 with Communications: Daniel Beutler, of Alberta, is coordinating appropriate resources for Regenerate 2101 and works together with Kindred Productions to select and market the most appropriate ones.
Theological Questions
9. Theology: Will there be an articulated theology of a healthy church (ecclesiology) and a healthy leader?
a. The Board of Faith and Life have been asked to contribute to this.
10. Theology: What is the underlying assumption about R2101?
a. We’re in a mission context in Canada. Thus we have to think creatively, be open to trying new ways to reach out, etc.
b. Healthy churches, intentionally developing leaders and creative outreach combine as a holistic approach to impacting our country.
c. New initiatives are the key to reaching new segments of our population. New initiatives require leaders with a passion for that new initiative. We prefer to invest in church health so that new leaders and initiatives come out of a strong support base.
Healthy Church Segment
11. Discipleship doesn’t look strong enough.
a. Discipleship happens at the local church. National programs for discipleship programming ultimately didn’t bear enough fruit – people find resources in so many different areas that we’ve chosen to allow churches to follow their vision.
b. However, we are developing resources that point to our identity and character as a Mennonite Brethren, Evangelical-Anabaptist church. We still produce resources connected to our Confession of Faith.
12. How does my church take advantage?
a. Dave Jackson is the ReFocusing Coordinator, based in BC. Daniel Beutler (AB), Dwayne Barkman (SK) and Stephane Rheaume (QC) are available as facilitators for those regions, and to some degree, beyond that. A call to Dave Jackson or someone in your region will get you started.
Leadership Development Segment
13. Who can join a cohort?
a. Cohorts are open to anyone. There are some restrictions, depending on the cohort environment. For example there may be a cohort for youth pastors, which has its own limiting factors.
14. What is different about the Leadership Development idea in R2101?
a. We are hoping to build a stronger leadership development culture within the local church. We know that some people resist having their children enter the pastorate: a strong church based Leadership development may be able to defeat that to some extent.
Reaching Out Segment
15. How does R2101 relate to Key City Initiatives?
a. The Key City Initiative (KCI) was focused on the conference planting churches. An extension director or coach was hired to facilitate new starts. A traditional model was employed. In the latter part of the program we shifted to working with local churches reaching their communities. R2101 builds on that shift.
b. KCI was also done in a relative vacuum: without the holistic effort in building church health (ReFocusing) and the leadership development occurring in the local church. This shift was detected from the assessment of KCI successes and failures.
16. Will the encouragement of congregations to reproduce foster a spirit of competition or disunity? What if there are other MB churches in the area already?
a. In an urban area, this won’t be a problem for the main part, because our cities are dramatically underchurched. Successful new initiatives happen in close proximity to the mother body. In smaller towns, the church engages in preaching points or other new initiatives in other communities.
17. Does R2101 provide for churches with fewer resources? Can we expect an independent church in 5 years?
a. The plan is to subsidize new initiatives as they develop. Churches with fewer resources might follow a smaller scale, or team up with other small churches to start something.
b. We cannot always expect independence in 5 years, but commitments must be made for longterm support in such cases.
18. Are we open to female church planters?
a. Yes. The decision to open pastoral leadership to women allows for this to happen.
Financial Questions
19. Is the expenditure of the reserve appropriate?
a. It’s a controlled expenditure, designed to stop after approximately 5-7 years. We already have an operating reserve designated to cover shortfalls in our investment program (Stewardship) and in annual program operations.
20. What will it cost my church?
a. There are participation fees structured into various programs. Thse vary according to the department, and are largely based on church budget size. For the first few years we still do not anticipate the norms for churches to rise, although as churches increasingly give to the conference based on percent of their budget/income (rather than based on the number of members) the support for conference ought to rise along with the typical increases in budget.
21. Is this sustainable long term relative to church, donations and other forms of support?
a. We believe so, but the board will monitor this aspect of the program carefully. Regarding donations, we are aware that people are happy to support ministries such as this independently from their regular church offerings. And so we expect to grow this component going into the future. There are also leadership development grants increasingly available.
Communications Questions
22. How will local church leaders know about R2101 and “get on board” with us?
a. For 2009 Conference leaders will invite pastors to informational group meetings in various regions of the country for dialogue and information sharing. Some have already taken place and we have had good response.
b. For 20009-2010 we will implement “key informer” and focus group approaches to listen to pastors and other members in order to make changes and learn how R2101 is being accepted.
23. How will members become aware?
a. Promotions in the conference periodicals, brochures, church and regional visits and other tools are being developed for people to learn more about Regenerate 2101.
Your Response is welcome. If, after seeing these concerns and responses, you feel you have a new question or would like more information, please contact:
Ewald Unruh – Church Ministries Director
David Wiebe – Executive Director
Visit the Regenerate 2101 website
