Fifty-one Mennonite Brethren participated in this year’s Exponential: National New Church Conference in Orlando, Fla., Apr. 20–23. MB church planters, provincial extension directors, pastors, and their spouses met with Regenerate 21-01 director Ewald Unruh and Gord Fleming, national church planting team director, for a supper during the convention to share stories and network.
The conference, which draws more than 3,000 church planting leaders from across North America, featured plenary speakers from South Korea, Indonesia, and India. Workshop tracks featured more than 75 speakers on missional church planting, multi-ethnic churches, “nuts and bolts,” and other topics.
“Hearing cross-cultural voices alongside North American perspectives in the plenary addresses was both refreshing and invigorating,” said Gerald Hildebrand, pastor at McIvor Avenue MB, Winnipeg. He and Delbert Enns, another Winnipeg pastor, intentionally attended the conference and workshops together, and continue to discuss what they learned as they begin to partner in ministry in their community.
“[The Canadian conference] pouring into us as leaders…really impacted me and [provides] a great model for me to do to others,” said David Manafo, pastor at The Westside Gathering, Montreal.
—Karla Braun from reports
