PCO 2010 Journal
June 8–11, 2010June 8
“Busy people are lazy people.” Drawing on Old Testament law, the example of Jesus Christ, and some wise words from Eugene Peterson and Peter Scazzero, ONMB conference minister Richard Martens drove home the importance of rest – not merely leisure, but Sabbath. Pastors are as susceptible as any to our society’s disease of workaholism -- in fact, are busy working on what used to be known as "the Lord's day." Who even takes time to rest anymore?
The Jewish understanding of the day began at sunset, meaning the day starts not by throwing off the covers to tackle a long list of pressing to-dos, but with sleep. “Out of rest comes work” – not the other way around. First, we simply “are,” then we “do.”
The ability to rest, Richard said, is part of trusting God.
“O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!” cried King David in Psalm 3 as he fled the uprising led by his son Absalom. But his trust in the LORD is such that by verse 5, he declares, “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.”
It’s work – yea, “warfare”, says Peterson – to enter rest. Busyness is occupying oneself with easy things instead of tackling head on the very hard things Jesus calls us to do and be as we become like him.
They’re good words to remember as I burn the midnight oil to finish this task or another. How do I start my day and do I seek even a moment of pure God-rest before it ends? Where do I leave cracks for the light to get in?
“Busy people are lazy people.” Drawing on Old Testament law, the example of Jesus Christ, and some wise words from Eugene Peterson and Peter Scazzero, ONMB conference minister Richard Martens drove home the importance of rest – not merely leisure, but Sabbath. Pastors are as susceptible as any to our society’s disease of workaholism -- in fact, are busy working on what used to be known as "the Lord's day." Who even takes time to rest anymore?
The Jewish understanding of the day began at sunset, meaning the day starts not by throwing off the covers to tackle a long list of pressing to-dos, but with sleep. “Out of rest comes work” – not the other way around. First, we simply “are,” then we “do.”
The ability to rest, Richard said, is part of trusting God.
“O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!” cried King David in Psalm 3 as he fled the uprising led by his son Absalom. But his trust in the LORD is such that by verse 5, he declares, “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.”
It’s work – yea, “warfare”, says Peterson – to enter rest. Busyness is occupying oneself with easy things instead of tackling head on the very hard things Jesus calls us to do and be as we become like him.
They’re good words to remember as I burn the midnight oil to finish this task or another. How do I start my day and do I seek even a moment of pure God-rest before it ends? Where do I leave cracks for the light to get in?
—posted by KB
June 9
If you ever have the opportunity to hear Bruce Guenther give his presentation on the MB story, don’t miss it. For some, church history is synonymous with nap time, but Bruce’s passionate, clear-sighted, and well-measured tour through the denomination’s history is worth hearing more than once. Beginning with a survey of 16th Anabaptism, he then takes you through the “exuberant” beginnings of the Mennonite Brethren church as a revival movement in what is now Ukraine (where, ironically, Mennonite colonies had begun to operate with the kind of church-state, baptism-as-citizenship characteristics the Anabaptists rebelled against in the first place) through the turmoil of the Russian Revolution and immigration, to the present.
A denominational orientation like this has the potential to seem like indoctrination, but Bruce directed us to see denominations as a constructive way of expressing differences among Christians. We don’t learn our history so we can be self-congratulatory about what we’ve accomplished (as though it were we who accomplish the Lord’s work anyway), but to understand where we come from – warts and all. Our history shapes who we are, and – notwithstanding the truth of philosopher Hegel’s cynical observation (“what experience and history teaches us is that people and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it”) – what we become.
Birthed out of Mennonite and Pietist thought, influenced by German Baptists, and more recently U.S. evangelicalism, the Mennonite Brethren have struggled with identity from their earliest times. This tendency toward eclectic borrowing of practice and emphasis may obscure the fact that our church found its own path within the larger narrative of the Kingdom of God on earth. A historical orientation to our MB story provides the kind rootedness, the sense of belonging that many, particularly young people, are seeking today.
Not merely inspired by the latest trends in Christianity, our church can trace their spiritual roots across the ocean to the steppes and all the way to the polders of the Netherlands and tree-covered slopes of Switzerland. In that, our carefully named “community churches” may do us a disservice. Lacking the name to connect us with our tradition, we neglect to the divine command to remember God’s faithfulness to us – not merely as individuals, but as a community of faith.
—posted by KB
June 9
If you ever have the opportunity to hear Bruce Guenther give his presentation on the MB story, don’t miss it. For some, church history is synonymous with nap time, but Bruce’s passionate, clear-sighted, and well-measured tour through the denomination’s history is worth hearing more than once. Beginning with a survey of 16th Anabaptism, he then takes you through the “exuberant” beginnings of the Mennonite Brethren church as a revival movement in what is now Ukraine (where, ironically, Mennonite colonies had begun to operate with the kind of church-state, baptism-as-citizenship characteristics the Anabaptists rebelled against in the first place) through the turmoil of the Russian Revolution and immigration, to the present.
A denominational orientation like this has the potential to seem like indoctrination, but Bruce directed us to see denominations as a constructive way of expressing differences among Christians. We don’t learn our history so we can be self-congratulatory about what we’ve accomplished (as though it were we who accomplish the Lord’s work anyway), but to understand where we come from – warts and all. Our history shapes who we are, and – notwithstanding the truth of philosopher Hegel’s cynical observation (“what experience and history teaches us is that people and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it”) – what we become.
Birthed out of Mennonite and Pietist thought, influenced by German Baptists, and more recently U.S. evangelicalism, the Mennonite Brethren have struggled with identity from their earliest times. This tendency toward eclectic borrowing of practice and emphasis may obscure the fact that our church found its own path within the larger narrative of the Kingdom of God on earth. A historical orientation to our MB story provides the kind rootedness, the sense of belonging that many, particularly young people, are seeking today.
Not merely inspired by the latest trends in Christianity, our church can trace their spiritual roots across the ocean to the steppes and all the way to the polders of the Netherlands and tree-covered slopes of Switzerland. In that, our carefully named “community churches” may do us a disservice. Lacking the name to connect us with our tradition, we neglect to the divine command to remember God’s faithfulness to us – not merely as individuals, but as a community of faith.
June 9 – Relying on the Word
It’s how we live with uncertainty that matters. We like to make rules, or develop certainties in our minds. We long for simple principles that we can hold on to. But sooner or later, they don’t fit a life circumstance and we are forced to accept uncertainty.
As God grows our faith, we become convicted that he is our only certainty. Such a conviction is at times a comfort, at other times a frustration of the highest order. And maybe then we learn to grasp – and live with – the reality that his ways are not our ways and maybe we’ll never understand. The big one: God is our only certainty, and if we live in him we can tolerate a lack of certainty in everything else. Mennonite Brethren historically seem to have learned this.
Pastors and church workers attending the 2010 Pastors Credentialing Orientation at ACTS heard a wonderful discourse on MB biblicism. Doug Heidebrecht, director of the Centre for MB Studies, told his audience that we have always held the Bible to be true and authoritative, and we have always held it to be the source for what we do as Christians. We need to know that Mennonite Brethren have tended to resist the desire to pronounce, to codify, and to systematize what we think the Word is saying, in favour of studying the Word, itself. The “cost” of taking that position is periodic close encounters with uncertainty. The “blessing” in the position is our constant need to go back to the Word, back to God. That spiritual action takes us back to who we really are, and to who God really is. Sometimes, even then, we may need to continue to live with uncertainty on issues we may not understand.
Doug said we must understand MBs as biblicists. He said when MBs are faced with a question, we insist we first look to Scripture. It’s based on an assumption a study of Scripture will persuade all of the truth. We aren’t comfortable with attempts at precision in broad applications that would dull the cut of Scripture.
It seems true that the churches and denominations (even faiths!) that grow most spectacularly tend to be those that provide certainties for life – “blacks and whites, no greys.” Adherents and newcomers embrace answers. That’s until life hits them in the face, until their “religion” can let them down. MB tradition points us back to God’s Word, to ask anew and to study anew what the Bible says. Then comes the question of what we do with our understanding of the Word, in practical terms.
It is, at one level, a harder road, but it is arguably a more God-honouring approach to practical life issues. What a wonderful fit exists between “life” and “biblicism” as Mennonite Brethren practice it. And I thank God that he seems to include that assumption in our theological DNA.
It’s how we live with uncertainty that matters. We like to make rules, or develop certainties in our minds. We long for simple principles that we can hold on to. But sooner or later, they don’t fit a life circumstance and we are forced to accept uncertainty.
As God grows our faith, we become convicted that he is our only certainty. Such a conviction is at times a comfort, at other times a frustration of the highest order. And maybe then we learn to grasp – and live with – the reality that his ways are not our ways and maybe we’ll never understand. The big one: God is our only certainty, and if we live in him we can tolerate a lack of certainty in everything else. Mennonite Brethren historically seem to have learned this.
Pastors and church workers attending the 2010 Pastors Credentialing Orientation at ACTS heard a wonderful discourse on MB biblicism. Doug Heidebrecht, director of the Centre for MB Studies, told his audience that we have always held the Bible to be true and authoritative, and we have always held it to be the source for what we do as Christians. We need to know that Mennonite Brethren have tended to resist the desire to pronounce, to codify, and to systematize what we think the Word is saying, in favour of studying the Word, itself. The “cost” of taking that position is periodic close encounters with uncertainty. The “blessing” in the position is our constant need to go back to the Word, back to God. That spiritual action takes us back to who we really are, and to who God really is. Sometimes, even then, we may need to continue to live with uncertainty on issues we may not understand.
Doug said we must understand MBs as biblicists. He said when MBs are faced with a question, we insist we first look to Scripture. It’s based on an assumption a study of Scripture will persuade all of the truth. We aren’t comfortable with attempts at precision in broad applications that would dull the cut of Scripture.
It seems true that the churches and denominations (even faiths!) that grow most spectacularly tend to be those that provide certainties for life – “blacks and whites, no greys.” Adherents and newcomers embrace answers. That’s until life hits them in the face, until their “religion” can let them down. MB tradition points us back to God’s Word, to ask anew and to study anew what the Bible says. Then comes the question of what we do with our understanding of the Word, in practical terms.
It is, at one level, a harder road, but it is arguably a more God-honouring approach to practical life issues. What a wonderful fit exists between “life” and “biblicism” as Mennonite Brethren practice it. And I thank God that he seems to include that assumption in our theological DNA.
—posted by BMc
June 10 – History
It came from a conversation. Someone relatively new to Mennonite Brethren fellowship asked if most MBs are interested in history, because it seems so.
As we talked, it struck us that most people in our fellowships grew up with “the stories”. Previous generations went through amazing hardships, or persecutions, or migrations, or quests. We are connected to those generations. They are the kind of stories you don’t forget. No wonder history – for Mennonite Brethren in Canada – is so real!
Then the thought struck me – all this rich heritage is going to be lost within a generation. The family stories are going to fade. Thankfully no new chapters seem to be taking place, and the group times of the sufferings and sadness, the new starts, the rock farms of Saskatchewan and other meaningful narratives seem done.
Along with the stories come the faith heritage – why we are as we are, what formed us into the people of Christ that we are today, what struggles we have gone through and learned from, what matters to us. This is the crucial piece is what it means to be Mennonite Brethren, and the current Pastors Credentialing Orientation session in Langley is held to this very end. It’s important – and it’s wonderful.
A concern is growing within me that we be even more intentional about sharing who we are. The heritage, the foundations of our faith, our history, the experiences that have shaped us need to be repeated for new MBs and new generations alike. Otherwise, we’re going to lose it. Sadly, only pastors and church workers new to the denomination – and the veterans who also attend the “PCO” – hear this stuff.
I wonder: what could we do as churches of God to tell those stories, and tell them regularly, to keep us on track, keep us connected, and keep us faithful, not just to Christ, but to who He has shaped us to be in this sorry world!
June 10
Guest Blogger: David Warkentin
What does personal reflection, the NHL, good (and lots of!) food, and MB history/theology have in common? Well, they all describe components of the MB Pastors Credentialing Orientation (PCO). And, I would suggest, they all represent equally important parts of the gathering as we explore together what it means to be part of the Mennonite Brethren story.
Hearing Stories: A major reason for this event is to tell the MB story. While I’ve grown up within the MB community, re-hearing alongside newcomers has helped broaden my perspectives on the continuing task knowing who I/we are as MBs. As Tim Geddert inspired us to reflect, hearing our story both biblically and historically allows us to “catch a glimpse of the church the way God’s sees it.”
Sharing Stories: Bruce Guenther helpfully described the PCO as similar to meeting with our extended family, either rekindling long-time relationships or introducing ourselves for the first time. This is where watching hockey and sharing meals are more than simple aspects of our daily schedule as a group. Instead, these often “normal” events in the day create space for us to share our stories, inspiring one another to consider how participation with the kingdom of God is already taking place. Sharing stories, then, brings life to the MB history we process in the classroom.
Creating Stories: In the big picture of pastoral ministry, gatherings like the PCO can be like a blip on the radar of our larger lives and ministry – quickly forgotten or remaining on the periphery of our daily lives. Yet we heard Tim Geddert suggest we need to be “perpetual learners” and Bruce Guenther asked, “What will next generation say about us and our contribution?” I’m excited, then, to explore how myself and others can creatively continue to tell the MB story in the context of the broader Kingdom of God. Such an exploration, I believe, allows events such as these to persist beyond our time together, hopefully inspiring creative faithfulness to Jesus far into the future.
June 11
In the church, we have a tendency to pretend everything is okay. We feel that, as Christians, we’re supposed to be perfect, so it’s not okay to admit weakness or failures. We don’t want to talk about things that go wrong, or situations where we’ve fallen short of the mark.
Steve Berg’s presentation on sacred trust cuts through that reticence, talking directly and honestly about the power imbalance – emotional and spiritual – that exists in the pastor-parishioner relationship. To preserve, or earn the trust given to pastors, and to protect it from turning sour, he says, it’s important to have boundaries.
Sometimes it seems selfish or protectionist for a person to talk about boundaries – an excuse not to get one’s hands dirty with certain relationships. But, wait. Did Jesus have boundaries? Steve asked.
Absolutely. He surrounded himself with 12 disciples. He retreated often to spend time with the Father. He did not heal every sick, blind, lame, or dead person in Galilee and Judea during his three-year ministry. And when he sent out the disciples, he sent them two-by-two. The apostles of the early church followed that pattern – note that in Acts, the missionaries travelled in pairs. Even Paul, whose letters comprise a significant portion of the New Testament, travelled with a partner: Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and others.
The session brought to mind James 3:1–2, which says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” Whether pastor or pew-sitter, these are good words to keep in mind. We need to make wise choices about how we comport ourselves, to support each other in areas of challenge, and to have a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation for the failures of others.
June 10 – History
It came from a conversation. Someone relatively new to Mennonite Brethren fellowship asked if most MBs are interested in history, because it seems so.
As we talked, it struck us that most people in our fellowships grew up with “the stories”. Previous generations went through amazing hardships, or persecutions, or migrations, or quests. We are connected to those generations. They are the kind of stories you don’t forget. No wonder history – for Mennonite Brethren in Canada – is so real!
Then the thought struck me – all this rich heritage is going to be lost within a generation. The family stories are going to fade. Thankfully no new chapters seem to be taking place, and the group times of the sufferings and sadness, the new starts, the rock farms of Saskatchewan and other meaningful narratives seem done.
Along with the stories come the faith heritage – why we are as we are, what formed us into the people of Christ that we are today, what struggles we have gone through and learned from, what matters to us. This is the crucial piece is what it means to be Mennonite Brethren, and the current Pastors Credentialing Orientation session in Langley is held to this very end. It’s important – and it’s wonderful.
A concern is growing within me that we be even more intentional about sharing who we are. The heritage, the foundations of our faith, our history, the experiences that have shaped us need to be repeated for new MBs and new generations alike. Otherwise, we’re going to lose it. Sadly, only pastors and church workers new to the denomination – and the veterans who also attend the “PCO” – hear this stuff.
I wonder: what could we do as churches of God to tell those stories, and tell them regularly, to keep us on track, keep us connected, and keep us faithful, not just to Christ, but to who He has shaped us to be in this sorry world!
—posted by BMc
June 10
Guest Blogger: David Warkentin
What does personal reflection, the NHL, good (and lots of!) food, and MB history/theology have in common? Well, they all describe components of the MB Pastors Credentialing Orientation (PCO). And, I would suggest, they all represent equally important parts of the gathering as we explore together what it means to be part of the Mennonite Brethren story.
Hearing Stories: A major reason for this event is to tell the MB story. While I’ve grown up within the MB community, re-hearing alongside newcomers has helped broaden my perspectives on the continuing task knowing who I/we are as MBs. As Tim Geddert inspired us to reflect, hearing our story both biblically and historically allows us to “catch a glimpse of the church the way God’s sees it.”
Sharing Stories: Bruce Guenther helpfully described the PCO as similar to meeting with our extended family, either rekindling long-time relationships or introducing ourselves for the first time. This is where watching hockey and sharing meals are more than simple aspects of our daily schedule as a group. Instead, these often “normal” events in the day create space for us to share our stories, inspiring one another to consider how participation with the kingdom of God is already taking place. Sharing stories, then, brings life to the MB history we process in the classroom.
Creating Stories: In the big picture of pastoral ministry, gatherings like the PCO can be like a blip on the radar of our larger lives and ministry – quickly forgotten or remaining on the periphery of our daily lives. Yet we heard Tim Geddert suggest we need to be “perpetual learners” and Bruce Guenther asked, “What will next generation say about us and our contribution?” I’m excited, then, to explore how myself and others can creatively continue to tell the MB story in the context of the broader Kingdom of God. Such an exploration, I believe, allows events such as these to persist beyond our time together, hopefully inspiring creative faithfulness to Jesus far into the future.
June 11
In the church, we have a tendency to pretend everything is okay. We feel that, as Christians, we’re supposed to be perfect, so it’s not okay to admit weakness or failures. We don’t want to talk about things that go wrong, or situations where we’ve fallen short of the mark.
Steve Berg’s presentation on sacred trust cuts through that reticence, talking directly and honestly about the power imbalance – emotional and spiritual – that exists in the pastor-parishioner relationship. To preserve, or earn the trust given to pastors, and to protect it from turning sour, he says, it’s important to have boundaries.
Sometimes it seems selfish or protectionist for a person to talk about boundaries – an excuse not to get one’s hands dirty with certain relationships. But, wait. Did Jesus have boundaries? Steve asked.
Absolutely. He surrounded himself with 12 disciples. He retreated often to spend time with the Father. He did not heal every sick, blind, lame, or dead person in Galilee and Judea during his three-year ministry. And when he sent out the disciples, he sent them two-by-two. The apostles of the early church followed that pattern – note that in Acts, the missionaries travelled in pairs. Even Paul, whose letters comprise a significant portion of the New Testament, travelled with a partner: Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and others.
The session brought to mind James 3:1–2, which says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” Whether pastor or pew-sitter, these are good words to keep in mind. We need to make wise choices about how we comport ourselves, to support each other in areas of challenge, and to have a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation for the failures of others.
—posted by KB
June 12 – Let’s Share the Wealth
The annual Pastors Credentialing Orientation conference is an event I wish could be more widely shared. It’s full of wonderful MB history, challenging theology, humour, fellowship, visioncasting, issues of faith and how we “do church” as Mennonite Brethren. It’s a privilege to attend, a joy to be part of. But there’s a rub.
The content is so rich, it seems almost wasted on the relatively small audience of a few-score spiritual labourers. I keep wishing that more people could partake of this feast. More local church leaders, more active congregational members, more people who are young in the faith or new to the Mennonite Brethren denomination should be exposed to this wonderful stuff. They would join the pastors and church workers who have come into MB service from other denominational or educational backgrounds – the purpose of PCO – and, like the Canaanite woman, they could still feast on the crumbs from the table.
This year, PCO was held at ACTS, at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., but it travels year by year to Montreal (ETEM), Winnipeg (Centre for Ministry Studies at CMU) and B.C., in turn. It’s a three and a half day event. This was my second time – I got so much out of the first time, I wanted to come back for more. And this year, I was surprised to find not much of the content was new to me. That told me it was effective, first time out, in directing my thoughts and giving me knowledge I have absorbed and ultimately owned as a person of the Mennonite Brethren. But I was stimulated and inspired all over again. I was glad to be there.
In an age of easy internet communication and Webinars (yes, for real – becoming quite common, in fact), I wonder if we couldn’t do something more for the broader church. But I also think of the personal interaction, the fellowship, the motivation, and all the intangibles that are part of PCO, too. It’s a package deal.
Our other meetings, like conference conventions, study conferences, national celebrations, and special events, enrich those of us who attend. But there is so much more. PCO is focused, truly orienting to our set of beliefs and our history as a people of Christ. How can we share it?
As I reflect on this challenge, I am reminded of Moses’ words to the people of Israel, after instructing them in God’s commands and decrees. (See Deut. 6:6–9 and Deut. 11:18–21). Perhaps the problem of preserving and passing on God’s blessing has been with us for a while.
The annual Pastors Credentialing Orientation conference is an event I wish could be more widely shared. It’s full of wonderful MB history, challenging theology, humour, fellowship, visioncasting, issues of faith and how we “do church” as Mennonite Brethren. It’s a privilege to attend, a joy to be part of. But there’s a rub.
The content is so rich, it seems almost wasted on the relatively small audience of a few-score spiritual labourers. I keep wishing that more people could partake of this feast. More local church leaders, more active congregational members, more people who are young in the faith or new to the Mennonite Brethren denomination should be exposed to this wonderful stuff. They would join the pastors and church workers who have come into MB service from other denominational or educational backgrounds – the purpose of PCO – and, like the Canaanite woman, they could still feast on the crumbs from the table.
This year, PCO was held at ACTS, at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., but it travels year by year to Montreal (ETEM), Winnipeg (Centre for Ministry Studies at CMU) and B.C., in turn. It’s a three and a half day event. This was my second time – I got so much out of the first time, I wanted to come back for more. And this year, I was surprised to find not much of the content was new to me. That told me it was effective, first time out, in directing my thoughts and giving me knowledge I have absorbed and ultimately owned as a person of the Mennonite Brethren. But I was stimulated and inspired all over again. I was glad to be there.
In an age of easy internet communication and Webinars (yes, for real – becoming quite common, in fact), I wonder if we couldn’t do something more for the broader church. But I also think of the personal interaction, the fellowship, the motivation, and all the intangibles that are part of PCO, too. It’s a package deal.
Our other meetings, like conference conventions, study conferences, national celebrations, and special events, enrich those of us who attend. But there is so much more. PCO is focused, truly orienting to our set of beliefs and our history as a people of Christ. How can we share it?
As I reflect on this challenge, I am reminded of Moses’ words to the people of Israel, after instructing them in God’s commands and decrees. (See Deut. 6:6–9 and Deut. 11:18–21). Perhaps the problem of preserving and passing on God’s blessing has been with us for a while.
—posted by BMc
