"The love of Christ is wide and expansive and liberating:" Update from Nelson Boschman of Artisan Church a year after leaving BCMB

 

Just over a year ago, Artisan Church in Vancouver left the B.C. Mennonite Brethren Conference over its decision to be welcoming and fully inclusive of LGBTQ+ people. What’s happened since then? I checked in with the church’s Pastor of Spiritual Formation, Nelson Boschman, to find out. 

For background, Artisan began as Mennonite Brethren church plant in downtown Vancouver in 2009. Boschman was one of the co-founders. 

Is your church independent or has it found a new denominational home?

We have joined The Jesus Collective, a relational network of churches, ministries, and leaders who that has its roots in the Anabaptist radical reformation. It’s a Jesus-centred, third-way movement that brings together people and churches for mutual support, resourcing, and accountability.

We formalized our relationship with them earlier this year. It’s such a rich community to be a part of. They have diverse voices, and they take seriously the idea of the priesthood of all believers.

Unlike the Mennonite Brethren Conference, the Jesus Collective doesn’t have a confession of faith. They have a set of shared convictions, a shared centre in Jesus.

Are churches like Artisan, that welcome and include LGBTQ+ people, welcome in the Jesus Collective?

Yes. In my first intro meeting with them, via Zoom, I was nervous about telling our church’s story. After I told it, I got a message in the chat from another person saying her son is gay, and we are safe there. I cried. I didn’t realize how much that meant to me to have someone say that.

How is Artisan doing since you left BCMB? Did anyone leave over the church’s decision?

We are doing well. I’m aware of only one family who left Artisan specifically because of our decision, but they left kindly and graciously saying they want to raise their children with traditional view of marriage. We are still in relationship with them.

We gained some people, too, exiles from other churches. But the pandemic has made it hard to tell. On the aggregate, we have grown, with 150-200 people in person or online for a Sunday service.

Have you had any communication with BCMB since leaving?

Not with positional leaders, no. That’s not surprising, but it’s also telling. I still have many dear friends and family members within the MB world and feel grateful that those relationships have stayed strong.

How are you doing personally since leaving BCMB?

There is some pain, but mostly I feel relief. There are zero regrets. But I know it’s a long road. I know a woman who left the Mennonite Brethren Conference over 30 years ago over women in ministry. She said she still feels the ache of that departure. It was a timely word for me that won’t get over this quickly, either.

I’m sorry we couldn’t stay. I invested a lot in that denomination. But it feels freeing. There is a deep sense the Spirit has led us to this place.

Tell me about the book you just published.

It’s called The Growing Season: Contemplations on Wine and the Soul. It's a look at the transformation that occurs from grape to glass, and what that process can teach us about what it means to flourish as human beings.

I started it in 2018, when I realized I’d become a wine enthusiast. I worked a month at a winery during a sabbatical. After that experience I decided to write a book about the journey grapes take to become wine, comparing it to our human journey. It’s about discovering a more this-worldly spirituality.

It’s similar to the journey of Artisan. The love of Christ is wide and expansive and liberating, and we are called to live in the world showing that love to everyone.

Read more about Artisan’s decision to become welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ+ people.