I was reading the National Faith and Life Team (NFLT) report to the Mennonite Brethren provincial conference assemblies when two things jumped out at me.
One was about whether there might be some wiggle room in the Confession of Faith for LGBTQ+ inclusion and affirmation, based on the 2006 women in ministry decision that allowed churches freedom to involve women as leaders if they wanted.
The other was a comment about the possibility of amending the Confession. Could that include amending the section on same-sex marriage?
Wanting answers, I reached out to the report's author, Ken Esau, who directs the NFLT.
“You asked several good questions emerging from my report that I'm happy to respond to,” he said.
My first question.
I see from your NFLT report you are "exploring the implications of our 2006 Women in Ministry Resolution in the light of diversity of views in our national family." Care to add some explanation as to what that might mean? Could it create space for churches that want to be affirming and welcoming of LGBT+ people?
Ken’s response.
This action comes out of questions that people have asked about how different churches within our MB family can better understand and relate to each other over this “non-confessional question.”
Our 2006 Women in Ministry Resolution spelled out the parameters for our disagreement and how within those parameters we hoped to maintain mutually respectful relationships.
We may need to be reminded about what was agreed to in 2006 since we have many new leaders in our MB family who know little or nothing about this resolution.
(I know that some have suggested that our treatment of this non-confessional question could be a model for how we navigate disagreements related to other questions, but this is not what prompted our planned work here).
My second question.
You also noted you will be looking at how and when to possibly amend the COF. What prompted that?
Ken’s response.
It is clear that amendments to our MB Confession of Faith are possible (see Article 8: Baptism—2021 Revision). We have not, however, provided a clear procedure for what can prompt an amendment, the acceptable rationale for an amendment, the process of community hermeneutic involved in the amendment, and the approval process for that amendment.
While we are presently updating all the Confession of Faith resources (viz. Commentary, Pastoral Application) that presently accompany each article, we do not have plans to amend any article of our Confession of Faith.
However, we feel it is best to clarify the process related to an amendment so everyone understands what is involved. We believe that our national MB Church family is best served by open and transparent policies and procedures—and this is one more step in that direction.
We are doing this as well with the creation of our “Collaborative National Credentialing Policy,” and our “Collaborative National Church Affiliation and Review Policy.” We have also articulated some of these questions in the new “Introduction to the MB Confession of Faith” (2023 version) available on our CCMBC website.
I noted Ken's conclusion, where he said: "The questions that we are facing within our national MB family are both urgent and significant ones affecting the very fabric of our unity."
Said Ken.
Yes. There is no question that this is an important moment in the history of our Canadian MB family. As I noted elsewhere, some diversity at a local church and a denominational level is normal, healthy, and a stimulus for energetic growth and positive movement, but too much diversity is crippling to the point that no movement and shared mission is possible.
We certainly need much Holy Spirit wisdom to discern together where we are as a church family on this spectrum of diversity. Once that is clarified, we will need the same Holy Spirit wisdom to know the best steps forward.
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