Opinion: In praise of the Ontario Mennonite Brethren Conference for talking about LGBTQ+

Earlier, I praised the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches for publishing critical comments on its story in the MB Herald Digest about the censoring of On Holy Ground.

Good on them, I said for allowing people to post criticism about the decision—not censoring comments about censorship. 

Time now to praise the Ontario Mennonite Brethren Conference for hosting a meeting of pastors and others on Sept. 13 to talk about LGBTQ+. 

It was not, the Conference said, to be a meeting where theology would be debated. Instead, it would be “an intentional time to hear from each other. The stories of how God is leading you and your church at this time is what we want to mine into.” 

It was to be a safe space to talk and ask questions, in other words. And that should be commended.  

Did the meeting fulfill that promise? I don’t know. Conference leadership isn’t able to talk to me about it yet. But I hope that happened. And I hope they will tell me at some point. 

The fact of the matter is this: The topic is being talked about in Mennonite Brethren churches across the country, whether leadership in provincial conferences or the national conference condone it or not. 

Church basements, Zoom meetings, home fellowships, friendship groups—it’s on people’s minds. 

Some want to explore it out of interest. But others do so because they have a gay child, sibling, relative or friend who loves Jesus as much as they do. 

They need safe places to talk about it—the very thing some leaders are unwilling or afraid to do. 

The only question is: Do conference leaders want to be part of the conversation, or not? Because it is happening, with or without their participation. 

So again, good on the Ontario MB Conference. Maybe the next meeting, or set of meetings, they hold will be for all members, not just leaders.

 

 

Ontario Mennonite Brethren Conference holds meeting to discuss LGBTQ+

Mennonite Brethren church leaders in Ontario met September 13 for a day of discussion about LGBTQ+.

In arranging the meeting, conference leadership said it was not to be a day “where we will be debating theology—although our conversation will certainly be theological in nature.”

It was also not to be about changing the MB “confessional perspective on human sexuality.”

Instead, it was to be “an intentional time to hear from each other. The stories of how God is leading you and your church at this time is what we want to mine into.”

According to the Ontario MB conference, “it is becoming apparent that in our varying contexts we are navigating the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in different ways. This is causing tension and in some cases a loss of trust among us. So, we need to hear from each other, pray together and seek God's design for our family of churches.”

In some ways, the conference said, “the stakes could not be higher.”

At the same time, it said there are “similarities to the Jerusalem Council gathering in Acts 15. We are at an inflection point as a family of churches and the choices we make at this time will significantly impact our unity and our missional effectiveness in the days to come.”

When asked about the event, Executive Director Ed Willms said he was not able to share more details at this time.

Update on Cedar Park Church

Earlier, I reported about what happened at Cedar Park Church when the B.C. Mennonite Brethren Conference shut down it’s effort to discuss LGBTQ+ welcome and inclusion—in the process causing all three pastors to resign and most members to leave.

I’m told about 30-35 people, including children, stayed at the church. About 100 former members and attendees who left have been meeting for monthly fellowship services this past summer.

Some other former CPC members have gone to other churches, while others have “just given up meeting due their hurt and anger caused by the way the provincial MB leadership treated our board and pastors,” as one former member put it.

Those who have stayed in touch “are holding on to hope that something beautiful and different could emerge in the future,” he added.

Behind the scenes as Jubilee Mennonite Church in Winnipeg votes to become affirming

Earlier I wrote about the response of the Manitoba Mennonite Brethren Conference to the decision by Jubilee Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, a dual-conference congregation (MC Manitoba and MB Manitoba) to become affirming of LGBTQ+ people--including marrying same-sex couples.

The latest issue of Canadian Mennonite has my story about how the church came to that decision, which it made in June.

Read about it in Canadian Mennonite.