Thank you Al Rempel for 17 years with MCEC

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that I have had to serve at MCEC. It has been a privilege to work with congregational leaders, pastors and colleagues in ministry,” says Al Rempel, MCEC regional minister.

Al Rempel has served MCEC as regional minister since 2008. For the past 18 months, he has been seconded to Mennonite Church Canada, serving as associate executive minister. In September 2024, MC Canada requested that Al join their staff full-time, a transition that will be finalized on January 31, 2025.  

Al's ministry as MCEC regional minister focused on congregations and pastors. He guided congregations through future planning and pastoral transitions, helped them discern their vision, and calling a pastor to align with their identity and direction. “I felt tremendously privileged to be part of these conversations, trusted in these processes and to be involved in ways that were meaningful,” reflects Al. “It was wonderful to see how God often worked in ways that we couldn’t have anticipated.”  

Al developed key resources that included parental leave policy, employment agreements, and other tools to strengthen the relationship between pastors and congregations. He was one of the creative builders of the Learning Commons, a resource aimed at enhancing pastoral core competencies while fostering spiritual and theological growth. He was the visionary behind the Pastor Learning Circles and contributed to the Transitioning into Ministry program, providing resources, fostering connections and supporting mentoring relationships for pastors.

"It was wonderful to see how God often worked in ways that we couldn’t have anticipated.”

“Al’s ability to look ahead and anticipate the outcomes of actions has been a true gift. He has given freely and willingly to MCEC over the years, and we are better because of it.” says Marilyn Rudy-Froese, MCEC leadership minister.

Al now fully steps into his role as associate executive minister at Mennonite Church Canada, working alongside Doug Klassen, executive minister, and the MC Canada team. In this position, he will focus on financial management, strategic planning, resource development, overseeing the church leadership portfolio, while collaborating with church leadership ministers - offering support tailored to their unique contexts.

Al’s prayer for MCEC is that the community always remembers their identity as followers of Jesus Christ and recognizes that this is God’s Church.

“I have experienced Al to be thoughtful, intentional, well prepared and extremely strategic,” says Ann L. Schultz, MCEC executive team leader. “These are all gifts that will be missed at MCEC and will now be warmly and fully embraced at MC Canada.”

Al’s prayer for MCEC is that the community always remembers their identity as followers of Jesus Christ and recognizes that this is God’s Church. He encourages MCEC to allow God to be God and to hold onto that perspective, especially in times of change. “Life throws many challenges our way—finances, societal shifts—but how we respond to these changes, especially through our relationship with God, is our witness and our identity. I am hopeful and prayerful that, as we navigate change, we’ll listen carefully to God’s voice—the voice that often goes unheard unless we make the effort to truly listen. Above all, I pray that our identity, grounded in whose we are, becomes even clearer.”

In Al’s new role, his deep commitment to God's work and his thoughtful leadership will continue to shape and guide the church, both at MCEC and MC Canada.