January 18thEvery neighbourhood deserves a Jesus-centred, disciple-making peace presence
This paper is from the Church Planting Resource - Fall 2022 - A resource written by Norm Dyck, Mission Minister, Michel Monette, Catalyzer Minister and Fanosie Legesse, Intercultural Mission Minister. You can download the complete resource or read individual articles online.
Norm Dyck, MCEC Mission Minister - I am convinced more so now than ever before that every neighbourhood deserves a Jesus-centred, disciple-making peace presence. I am also convinced of the truth and wisdom of Swiss theologian Emil Brunner, who wrote in 1931, “The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning. Where there is no mission, there is no Church; and where there is neither Church nor mission, there is no faith.” It is this conviction that keeps pushing me forward as a leader in the church, even as I encounter the roller-coaster ride of church leadership today.
Global News recently reported, “Religiosity in Canada is at an all-time low, with recently released data from Statistics Canada showing only 68 per cent of Canadians 15 or older now report having a religious affiliation. It’s the first time that number has dipped below 70 per cent since StatCan began tracking the data in 1985.” The article went on to say, “Christianity … is in sharp decline. In 2011, 67.3 per cent (about 22.1 million people) of Canadians said they were affiliated with a Christian religion. In 2019, that number had dropped to 63.2 per cent.”
Our conversations can be exciting, frustrating, inspiring and exhausting, and yet I know that together we are committed to the same goal.
When we read statistics like this, some in the established church want to ask why we would consider planting new communities of faith? Why not focus on growing the health of existing churches? What about the massive cultural forces that are challenging the church to change and adapt? As the Mission Office team of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, when confronted with these questions, our team leans in and begins to discuss ways forward. Our conversations can be exciting, frustrating, inspiring and exhausting, and yet I know that together we are committed to the same goal – to see every neighbourhood experience the radical hospitality, missional zeal and passionate spirituality of a Jesus-centred, disciple-making church.
I hope the words will inspire your thinking, dreaming and planning for what the church can and should be in your neighbourhood.
Archbishop Oscar Romero once said, “I’m going to speak to you simply as a pastor, as one who, together with his people, has been learning the beautiful but harsh truth that the Christian faith does not cut us off from the world but immerses us in it; the church is not a fortress set apart from the city. The church follows Jesus, who lived, worked, struggled and died in the midst of a city, in the polis.”
What you will find in these pages is a glimpse into our conversations about how and what the church is called to be in the midst of the city, neighbourhood or local community. Some of the words will come as challenge to you. I hope some are experienced as grace. But most of all, I hope the words you find in this booklet will inspire your thinking, dreaming and planning for what the church can and should be in your neighbourhood.
I also hope you receive these stories and articles as an invitation to conversation. We want to hear from you! God has called you into leadership in the church for just such a time as this!