Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Why does this blog seem one-sided?










 

A friend recently wondered why, if I call this blog a journalistic approach to reporting about LGBTQ+ and Mennonite Brethren, I don't quote the "other side."

It's a fair question. Others might be wondering, too.

First off, the blog is new. I haven’t had much opportunity to do very much reporting on it. As time goes by I will hopefully add more of those voices.

Second, I always extend an invitation to conference leaders to provide comments. In the case of BCMB, leadership has almost always not replied or declined to comment when contacted. 

In the case of Cedar Park, I also extend an invitation from someone who could be said to be part of the "other side.” To date, nobody from that group has accepted my invitation to comment. 

So, yes, things can appear a little one-sided. But even then I am employing a journalistic frame of reference by making sure I only quote people close to the situation. 

Sometimes, these people choose to remain anonymous (for fear of misunderstanding or reprisal). But I can guarantee they are real people.

If I do offer an opinion, I will make sure I label it as such.

But all this might still leave some people wondering why I am writing about this topic at all. There are several answers to that question.

One reason is there is really isn't another place in the Canadian MB world for this to get a hearing. The CCMBC’s official publication (the MB Herald Digest, an online publication), is not likely do it. 

Another reason is when people feel powerless to be heard they sometimes reach out to journalists—especially when they feel they have exhausted all other ways of being listened to.

It can give them comfort to know someone is listening to their concerns, and taking them seriously. Or, as one member of Cedar Park Church put it, my doing this is "a consolation" to him.

It can also cause their concerns to be heard by church leaders; sometimes seeing issues posted publicly can lead to response and action.

Also, posting things like this can help to shine a little light on actions some might prefer few knew about. It is a reminder to leaders that someone is watching. 

Finally, one day a researcher will want to write a book about Canadian Mennonite Brethren and LGBTQ+. They can then turn to this first rough draft of history for information.

If there was a safe place for LGBTQ+ people and their allies in the MB Conference to talk about this topic, this blog wouldn’t be needed. 

Until then, I intend to keep writing.


Friday, March 25, 2022

BC Mennonite Brethren Conference calls for special meeting for Cedar Park Church; five of six Elders resign


 








The BCMB conference has called for a special April 3 meeting of the Cedar Park Church congregation.

In so doing, BCMB Moderator Sharon Simpson invoked bylaws that permit the Conference to call a special meeting of a member church and to assist a church that is experiencing difficulty and/or is operating/teaching contrary to the Bible and the Confession of Faith. 

In her note, Simpson said the Conference is aware all three of the churchs pastors have resigned, along with all but one Elder. 

We are concerned about the future of Cedar Park Church as it moves forward without leadership, she said. 

We recognize that there are difficulties within your congregation, which directly involve concerns about convictions that relate to the Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith, particularly with respect to the articles that refer to sexuality 

It is BCMBs goal at the meeting, she said, to ascertain the facts, speak to questions and provide assistance as Cedar Park Church moves forward. 

It is BMBs sincere desire that CPC continue as a member of the Conference, she added, and that it adhere to and uphold all aspects of the MB Confession of Faith."

In response to the call for the meeting, one CPC member said: I think they have made a significant miscalculation if they think there is an eager and cohesive group of congregants who are just waiting to come together to rally under the BCMB banner in order to revitalize the church. 

They may be fairly out of touch with the actual congregation, the member said, adding some will certainly stay and try to rebuild, many are dreaming about something new, some are simply exhausted, and others have been turned off by the harm they have witnessed.”  

Said another member: We are heartbroken. Grieving. No heart to start a new church. Maybe we wont attend any church. Artisan is too far away. Maybe a satellite of Artisan. Right now, Im very angry at the BCMB and how they and Rob Thiessen handled the situation. It could have been so different.  

On March 22, five of the six members of the board of elders resigned, citing various reasons.  

Said one in a resignation letter: The elder board had hoped to facilitate our pastors leading us in healthy and open discussion [about LGBTQ+ welcome] and had also hoped to rebuild a trusting relationship with the conference. We have not been able to fulfill those hopes, since the forces that stand against these are many and varied. 

Said another: My sense is that the desire that I felt, and many people feel in our congregation, to explore how Christs way shows us to love and accept all people, even the marginalized, has basically been kidnapped. 

This saddens me. I feel some of the actions of the BCMB Conference actually run contrary to the gospel, God, and the Jesus that I know. The heavy-handed demeaning treatment and scrutiny of our pastoral staff go beyond anything that I could ever imagine would have happened. I have no ability left to support the Conference. 

Said a third: When I first attended CPC, I was so pleased that I could attend an MB church and worship in a way that fit so well for me. Sadly, the actions of the BCMB this last year show that I was mistaken.

Earlier in March all three pastors resigned due to disagreement over the nature of the Confession, especially as it applied to sexuality and marriage.

At issue for the pastors was whether the BCMB viewed the Confession as a document open to change or with “legalistic rigidity,” said former lead pastor Lee Kosa.

The pastors were unable in good conscience to meet the conditions of BCMB leadership that asked for evidence of their “unequivocal commitment to the Confession of Faith.”  

BCMB has been invited to share additional comments on this situation.

Read more comments by CPC members about the situation at their church.


Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Cedar Park Church, BCMB and LGBTQ+: Members of the church speak out

 



 








In early March I contacted some members of Cedar Park to ask their response to the resignations of the three pastorslead pastor Lee Kosa and associate pastors Darren DeMelo and Megan Simpsonover their disagreement about the nature of the Confession of Faith, especially as it applied to sexuality and marriage, and about the topic of LGBTQ+ welcome and inclusion. (Read the article about the resignations in Anabaptist World.) 

Find their answers below. They requested to be anonymous. 

What reasons did the pastors give for their resignations? 

1. “The short answer is they could not sign on to the request from the BCMB conference that they ‘pledge unequivocal commitment to the Confession, especially the focus on the articles about sexuality and marriage. 

“The longer answer is after Artisan announced it was welcoming and affirming of LGBTQ+ people, BCMB became extra sensitive to this issue. When prodded by Lee for what their ‘ceiling’ was for those identifying as LGBTQ+ in the church, they began to see our church as a new threat. 

“When BCMB secretly received e-mails from a few congregants who wanted a more traditional theology from the pulpit, they quietly began to observe Lee—something they could easily do since during COVID-19 everything is online.” 

2. “They did not feel safe in the BCMB Conference anymore. It was akin to an abusive relationship between Lee and the Conference. Also, they could not re-sign the Confession of Faith. The abusive relationship affected their health. Two are currently under doctors’ care. One is going back to teaching school and another has been told by his doctor to take at least six months off. They are broken.” 

What do you think of Lee? 

1. “He's the brightest, most well read, most engaging speaker and most humble and caring pastor I've ever had. I think that was his downfall. He could not turn away from families struggling with children who were gay. He had to learn about it. He had to reconcile the church's position with the harm that that position created.” 

2. “We can’t say enough good things about him. He loves God, he loves Jesus, and he loves the people in his care. He made himself vulnerable and humble. He was a great listener even if he didn’t agree with you. His preaching abilities are exceptional. He is widely read and articulate. He is a wordsmith. He is not a flashy leader. He comes alive when he preaches. We have been in church our entire lives and have never learned so much or been encouraged to learn more under Lee’s leadership.” 

3. “Lee is a gifted preacher and pastor. His sermons are always based on Scripture. He preaches sermons that open up Scripture in new ways. Lee is a humble leader whose life and teaching seek God’s shalom with God, others, ourselves and creation. 

“He is very community oriented and often attends city council meetings that address housing shortages and climate change initiatives, to name just two examples. 

“He is very aware of life outside of our church and he has an amazing ability to make connections with people from many different walks of life. Lee is a very good listener. I have always felt safe talking with him. When he became our pastor, he quickly realized that CPC is a unique and diverse group and he respected the church’s history. He is a voracious reader and reads many points of view on different topics.” 

4. “When COVID broke out Lee worked hard at creating ways to sustain community. One of the offerings was providing times of contemplative prayer on zoom. It grew from once a week to three and sometimes four times a week. I attended regularly with a small group. 

“These prayer times have been very important for me as I intentionally make space in my day for God’s coming. They have grounded me for each day. I experienced first-hand how my pastors daily sought communion with the Trinity and sincerely prayed for the Spirit’s guidance. These contemplative prayer times continued for two years right up to the time that their employment ended. 

What is the congregation doing re. LGBTQ+? 

1. “When Covid closed the building we held what were guided sessions of discovery for small groups via Zoom. Out of this came a definite call for clarity on inclusion, but also a definite division in the church, so we held ‘listening sessions.’ Well over 100 people attended small sessions of five or six people with few board members or pastors to do the listening. We were simply to listen and avoid comment or judgement. 

“At both the sessions that I attended the whole group were comfortable with beginning an exploration of how we could be more inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community. More importantly, in both sessions a parent, in tears, described that this was the first time they felt comfortable in a church sharing that one of their children was gay. In January of this year, as a congregation we reviewed the BCMB ‘Posture Shift’ materials.” 

2. It seems like the pastors were discouraged about exploring this by the BC Conference. We wanted a well-rounded study with both sides of the issues. At the time BCMB was reeling over the departure of the Artisan. It is possible they were operating out of fear and still are in the same mode. It seems they believe if you begin a study on this topic, it will lead to something like Artisan.” 

3. “We had Listening Groups where everyone had the opportunity to meet in groups of 10 or more with a couple of elders or the pastor and elder and answer some questions about where they were at with regards to the topic of inclusion of sexual minorities. The consensus was that most people wanted to study the topic as a church body.” 

4. “We completed four sessions of the conference supported Posture Shift, both by zoom and in person with breakout groups. The last session was completed in January 2022. There was a plan to study the book edited by Preston Sprinkle called Homosexuality, The Bible and The Church. This study was planned for February and March but never materialized. 

“A list of books and articles representing various viewpoints was curated and made available for all.” 

5. “There is a desire for conversation around LGBTQ+ inclusion that was voiced by many congregants in a series of church-wide (in zoom groups) meetings we had around our values as a congregation. 

“Hearing these voices, the pastors and board held listening sessions in small group contexts (no discussion or cross talk, simply listening to one another) to discern how to have this conversation going forward. The next two things were a library table of resources on the topic and the Posture Shift video series, which is recommended by the MB conference, and which was well attended. No further study has happened. 

Why is LGBTQ+ an important topic for your church? 

1. “In hindsight it’s possible now to look at the time about 10 years ago when one of the members of the youth group came out as gay. Six families in the church have gay children ranging in age from 30 to 60. Other church members have relatives who are gay.” 

2. “Just before the churches shut down due to the pandemic, two women who are LGBTQ+ started to attend. Another member came out as bisexual. We asked BCMB for direction; they never responded.” 

3. The topic is absolutely important. It's a matter of spiritual survival and maybe physical survival for LGBTQ+ folk in our families and friendship circles, and for the queer folk who have come through the Cedar Park door. 

“I don't want to sound overly pious, but I believe this conviction about intentional welcome is something the Spirit stirred up in our congregation for a variety of reasons—all of them involving beloved people—at this very time and that we needed to pursue it.”

What was your reaction to the demand by BCMB for the March 6th meeting? (Where they said to be at the church at 6:45 PM and someone needed to meet them there to open the door.)

1. Tone deaf! About 350 people show up at a church business meeting where all three pastors resigned and then we receive a letter four days later full of legalese demanding that we open the church doors for the BCMB executive and organize another meeting in three days. They don't care about us. I get it. They have to ‘protect’ the conference. It's their job.” 

2. “BCMB has been heavy handed in all its dealings with Cedar Park. There is a complete lack of trust.  The letter arrived at 10 a.m. on Thursday demanding a meeting for the following Sunday at 7 p.m. The evening time was determined by BCMB, which is not our usual meeting time of 3:30 p.m. They wanted the doors unlocked when they arrived. There was no time to send out the letter with our usual system. 

Anything to add? 

1. “My hope is that, after Artisan and now Cedar Park, that questions about LGBTQ+ welcome and affirmation will begin to be asked more often and the MB church will no longer damn to hell the 22 million people who  identify as LGBTQ+ in North America.

Friday, March 4, 2022

Previous articles about Canadian MBs and LGBTQ+











Prior to the creation of this blog, I wrote a number of stories about LGBTQ+ inclusion and the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conference (CCMBC) for Anabaptist World the U.S.

Why for that publication? Because the MB Herald Digest, the official publication of the CCMBC, won’t carry stories about the subject of LGBTQ+ in the church—Anabaptist World, which I write for out of Canada, is the only one that will publish stories about it. 

Here are those stories. 

About the creation of A Time to Listen, the effort of some Canadian MBs to informally create a space to talk about LGBTQ+ welcome and affirmation in that denomination. (Created after the CCMBC declined to create that conversation space.)

Open letter urges Canadian MB dialogue on LGBTQ+ inclusion

Canadian leaders say no to national dialogue

After leaders decline, Canadian MBs organize conversation on LGBTQ+ stories

Unofficially, Canadian MBs talk about LGBTQ+ inclusion

Other articles.

Survey by MB Seminary shows Canadian churches interested in talking about LGBTQ+

Asked to repent, Artisan church, an LGBTQ+-welcoming congregation, withdraws

Withdrawal of Artisan from MB Conference accepted by BC MB Conference

Successful outreach leads to LGBTQ+ inclusion at Artisan Church in Vancouver

Canadian MBs talking about LGBTQ+ inclusion in B.C., Manitoba

I also posted some articles on my On Faith blog.

When son comes out as queer, MB couple chooses to err on side of love

Second credentialed B.C. MB pastor urges more time to discuss LGBTQ+ inclusion

Pastor wants to set the tone for unity of MB churches over LGBTQ+ inclusion

Former pastor urges MB conference to accept trans people “for who they are”

Former MB pastor reflects on letter to CCMBC about LGBTQ+ inclusion

 

 

Welcome to A Time to Tell, or why this blog?











If a denomination is to be healthy, it needs to transparent with members. This includes its discussions about LGBTQ+ welcome and inclusion. 

Currently, the official position of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (CCMBC) that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

Same-sex people may be welcomed into some MB churches, but they cannot hold certain positions (e.g. pastor, worship leader, on the church council, etc.). 

The CCMBC, and some provincial MB conferences, are reluctant to talk about same-sex issues, either in official publications or other forums.

The national conference, for example, declined to create space for conversation about LGBTQ+ welcome and inclusion when asked by over 500 Canadian MBs who signed a petition.

Currently, the only way Canadian MBs can find out what is going on in the national or provincial MB conferences is through Anabaptist World, based in the U.S., which I write for as a Canadian correspondent.

Anabaptist World can't publish everything on this topic. That's why I created this blog. It's a way to keep the conversation going from a journalistic point of view.

By writing about it here, and in Anabaptist World, I can provide a place for Canadian MBs to learn more about this topic, and about the discussions ongoing in Canadian MB circles, and also shine a bit of light on something some conference leaders might prefer remain in the dark. 

I'm also mindful that journalism like this can be the first draft of history. Maybe one day someone will want to write a book about this topic and will turn to reports here and in Anabaptist World for material. Maybe this blog, and what I have written in other places, can be of use to him or her at that time.

Update on this blog: Time for a pause