In The Year of Living Biblically, journalist A. J. Jacobs set out to live according to all the commandments of the old and new testaments in their most literal form …
From the community
Jimmy stumbles out of bed just before seven, and groggy, and reaches for the first cup of conveniently perked coffee thanks to his programmable coffeemaker. Then it’s straight to the …
“The church is a Hummer.” That metaphor is somehow missing among the many New Testament pictures of the church. We know it is a body, a fortress, a bride, an …
I recently took a tour of several Mennonite organizations’ annual general meetings. First, the Canadian MB Conference, then Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA), and finally Mennonite Central Committee (MCCBC). My …
I do not wear a poppy on Remembrance Day. OK, there, I said it. I’m afraid to admit it publicly because I know it will invite scorn from others.
Although our Anabaptist peace position calls us to speak against the evils of war and to work as peacemakers, we live in a country that has participated in many major …
I distinctly remember the first time I forced myself to vomit. I was in high school. I had no idea that with one choice, in one instant of time, I …
I needed to hear from God. Life was at one of those crossroads that definitely called for His voice. I was running up against a wall of weariness, exasperation and …
The convictions of one person can change a church, even a church conference. On July 5, 1986, at the annual meeting of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada (CMC, now …
A church in Chilliwack helps the divorced-through those who have been there Coming home from work that day, I was pumped! I had been on a company sponsored retreat and …
Ever notice your church’s weekly calendar? There’s evening service, mid-week prayer, home group, kids clubs, youth groups, ladies fellowship, a conference, and committee meetings galore. There may be a fundraising …
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Laity and the problem of professionalism in our churches
by ContributorLet me begin boldly. I believe there has been a colossal disenfranchisement of the laity in our churches. Parallel to this phenomenon is the professionalization of the pastoral ministry. I …
There I was, up with the rising winter sun on a frigid Saskatchewan morning, thinking about how to transform our church’s lengthy mission statement into a concise, snappy declaration. Our …
We need a good metaphor to describe the Mennonite Brethren conference. In the past, it was “brotherhood”, but the gender specificity disqualifies this term instantly these days. This term may …
“You are trying to pass the MB Conference on to the next generation, and that is very nice-but maybe we don’t want it!” That attitude, expressed many times and in …