Taucha Inrig, a long-standing member of the EAP Steering Committee, began as the Minister of Wideman Mennonite Church on July 1, 2019. She has spent the past 14 years volunteering in the community with organizations like Markham Inter-Church Committee for Affordable Housing (MICAH) and the Mosaic Interfaith Out of the Cold Program. Taucha believes that all members of the church are called to be “family on mission” – inviting our friends, neighbours and acquaintances into deeper meaningful relationships so that they can be challenged by life-changing conversations and experience the loving hands and feet of Jesus at work in their lives. Her training includes a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto; and a Masters of Divinity in Intercultural Relations (Missions) from Tyndale Seminary, Toronto. _____________
Evangelism: a faithful or offensive response to Christ?
When Anne and Daniel Garber Kompaoré talk of their work in North America, they are often met with questions. Anne works as a Bible translation consultant with Mennonite Mission Network and has lived in Burkina Faso since 1982. She loves to tell people about Jesus, and so does her husband, Daniel, a Burkinabe pastor of an Apostolic Mission Church. The following is an example of questions that Anne and Daniel frequently receive about the ethics of evangelism.
Q: Is evangelism imposing one's faith on others? Anne: Several years ago, my husband and I were speaking in a Mennonite church and were asked this question. Daniel responded simply by saying, "No – the missionaries shared Jesus Christ with us, and we had full liberty to accept or reject the gospel." In fact, on his mother's side of the family, the entire family changed religions at one point in time – his grandparents and two uncles became Muslims; his mom and another uncle became Christians. Both Muslims and Christians were evangelizing in the same town at the same time. Here in Burkina, there is a lot of promotion of religion, and each side is eager to present their perspective, whether it be Christian or Muslim. Many people are searching and are open to change. When that is the case, I think you would agree with me that when people are searching, when there are multiple voices, they have a right to be informed of their options.
I think the many people who have become Christians through missionary efforts will feel a little shock when hearing a question like that. They could easily ask you, "What? You want to keep Christianity to yourselves?" Can you imagine? If the first Christians really had this attitude, I don't think that the Christian faith would exist today, except possibly in some little corner of the Middle East.
I also do not at all agree that one should impose any faith on anyone else. There is nothing wrong with advertising. If companies can be allowed to promote their product on TV and Internet without being solicited, if Muslims have the freedom to work at bringing others to Muslim faith, surely those of us who are excited in our joy in Christ should have the freedom to share what we consider as good news.
Q:How would you feel if people from other religious backgrounds moved into your neighborhood and tried to convert you and your children? Anne: I would like to respond with sharing about how we (two young single women) arrived in the village of Kotoura. We were to learn the language and prepare the way for evangelistic missionaries. We were linguists, not evangelists. But as soon as we arrived, we were peppered with questions by the son of the chief. We read him the Bible story of the prodigal son. He loved the story so much that he asked for more and said he would share those stories with his people. He wanted to know more about God and his power in the world. After one year, and a thousand questions later, he believed in Jesus Christ. It was then that he, this first Christian, who was so excited about his new faith, started sharing with others. And, no, he received no handouts from us. All he received from us was our friendship and the good news.
I would not agree with any other religion imposing themselves on myself and my children. But I think it is very healthy for children – especially young adults – to be exposed to different religions. It helps them gain perspective and make a better informed decision on their faith choice for life. I was challenged by various currents of thought, religious and political, while I was at a secular university (I did not go to a Mennonite school, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, until I was ready to go overseas), and I feel that this was a very valuable experience for me. The challenges helped me to examine what really my beliefs were and to make more solid faith decisions. I believe in a political system that allows for religious diversity; I believe in freedom of religion. And I believe in freedom for everyone to share their faiths.
So, this is another perspective coming from another part of the world. If you come and visit us in Burkina Faso, you will find very few foreign missionaries. Most missionaries and evangelists these days are the Africans themselves who are much more vocal about their faith than most North Americans are, including myself. You will find first-generation Christians who will gladly share why they became Christians and how it happened. You are welcome to visit! No one denies the abuses of missionaries and colonialists in the past. But that should not be used as an argument against sharing one's faith with others.
(Contributed by Kelsey Hochstetler. Published by Mennonite Mission Network; Wednesday, January 25, 2017. Kelsey Hochstetler works in the communication department at Mennonite Mission Network, and lives in Sugarcreek, Ohio, with her husband, Jeff, and 1-year-old daughter, Mariella.)
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Theology Matters: Committed to Biblical Truth Beliefs linked to church attendance woes - Growing churches tend to take the Bible more literally. Mainline churches in Canada are dying. Since 1960, Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians and the United Church have lost half their members. The United Church closes one church a week, on average. But a few mainline congregations are thriving and growing. Why is that? That was the question three Canadian academics — David Millard Haskell and Stephanie Burgoyne of Wilfrid Laurier University and Kevin Flatt of Redeemer University College — set out to answer. In their research paper, titled Theology Matters: Comparing the Traits of Growing and Declining Mainline Protestant Church Attendees and Clergy, they discovered that when it comes to whether a mainline church is growing or declining, what people believe — and especially what clergy believe — matters. "We hypothesized that beliefs play a role" in whether a church grows or declines, Flatt told me. "Our research showed that was the case." Through the research, which surveyed clergy and congregants from nine growing and 13 declining Anglican, United, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches in Ontario, the researchers found the more theologically conservative a church is, the more likely it is to be growing. Conversely, the more liberal theologically it is, the more likely it is to be declining. At growing churches, for example, 93 per cent of pastors and 83 per cent of congregants agreed with the statement: "Jesus rose from the dead with a real, flesh-and-blood body leaving behind an empty tomb." At declining churches, only 56 per cent of clergy and 67 per cent of congregants believed that to be true. When asked if "God performs miracles in answer to prayer," 100 per cent of clergy and 90 per cent of congregants at growing churches agreed, compared to 44 per cent of clergy and 80 per cent of congregants at declining churches. When it comes to evangelism, 100 per cent of pastors and 78 per cent of congregants at growing churches agreed "it is very important to encourage non-Christians to become Christians." Just 50 per cent of pastors and 56 per cent of congregants of declining churches felt that way. When asked to describe the purpose or mission of their church, people at growing churches most often spoke of evangelism and sharing their faith. Those in declining churches named social-justice activities as the main purpose, without reference to religious motivation or outcomes. Another item of interest from the survey is Bible reading: 71 per cent of clergy in growing churches read the Bible daily, compared to 19 per cent at declining churches. Worship style is another interesting factor. The survey found that growing mainline churches featured contemporary worship with drums and guitar in at least one of their Sunday services, while declining churches most often used a traditional worship style featuring organ and choir. What does it all add up to? In a press release, researcher David Millard Haskell put it this way: "If we are talking about what belief system is more likely to lead to numerical growth among Protestant churches, the evidence suggests conservative Protestant theology is the clear winner." As for the link between the clergy and growing or declining churches, Flatt added it could be because congregations mirror their clergy over time, or because clergy pull people over to their positions. Either way, he stated, "leadership plays a key role." The research suggests a way forward for the struggling mainline denominations, although it might be hard for some to accept. And Flatt doesn’t want to minimize the challenge facing those groups. "I don’t want to overstate how many growing mainline churches there are," he said, noting it was hard to find nine growing mainline churches to study — even in the most populated and church-rich part of Canada. "It took a lot of looking," he said. "The reality is that the four major mainline denominations are in decline." While reading about the research, which will be published in the journal Review of Religious Research in December, I had to think about the controversy raised by Gretta Vosper, the self-described atheist United Church pastor. In September, a review committee in that denomination recommended that she is "not suitable" to continue in her role because she doesn’t believe in God. If the United Church needs another reason for why it should part ways with Vosper, who downplays traditional Christian beliefs in favour of a more humanistic approach, the research is pretty clear. As Flatt noted, "churches that want to go that route will tend not to be growing churches."
By: John Longhurst Posted: Winnipeg Free Press 11/26/2016 3:00 AM
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When Pastor Andrew Allison arrived at St. Paul’s Leaskdale more than 20 years ago, the shrinking congregation had begun to plan for the parish’s demise. In five years, they would be selling the land, and in 10 years, the church would be closed. But Mr. Allison asked if they would be open to trying some new things and today, the community is one of the fortunate mainline Protestant churches that can boast a growing congregation. Weekly services at the Ontario Presbyterian parish regularly attract between 400 and 500 people, Rev. Allison said. On Sundays, the pastor and his flock dress in casual clothes and worshiped with the help of drums and guitars rather than the old church organ. The massive gym built to cater to young families is packed with children, and couples in their 20s and 30s make up a growing segment of the congregation. What St. Paul’s has in common with many other growing churches is that it takes what scholars describe as a more conservative approach to the Bible. Conservative in this context is defined as taking a more literal interpretation of scripture and a greater openness to the idea that God intervenes in the world. For years, scholars have tended to view the decline in religious attendance in the mainline Protestant churches as being unrelated to theology. But researchers David Haskell of Wilfrid Laurier University and his colleagues Kevin Flatt and Stephanie Burgoyne say that is not the case. The churches that grow tend to be those that adhere to conservative theology, the researchers say. “What we found is that the conservative theological positioning of clergy and attendees is a significant predictor of numerical church growth,” Prof. Haskell said. The researchers surveyed pastors and congregants in mainline Protestant churches in Southern Ontario – Anglicans, Presbyterians, Evangelical Lutherans and the United Church. They separated those churches into those in decline and those whose attendance has grown more than 2 per cent a year for 10 years. Those in the growing churches are significantly more likely than those at the ones in decline to agree with statements such as “Jesus rose from the dead with a real, flesh-and-blood body leaving behind an empty tomb,” and “God performs miracles in answer to prayer.” They’re also more likely to pray and read the Bible daily, the researchers found. Another interesting finding is the growing churches tend to innovate in the service. They are more likely to feature contemporary worship, with music that includes drums and guitars, while declining parishes often had the traditional organ and choir. “These mainline churches that have conservative Protestant doctrine are like a peach: really easy to get into. They’re playing contemporary music, it’s family friendly, the pastor dresses in casual clothes, but there’s a hard core at the centre,” Prof. Haskell said. “The declining churches were more like a coconut. From the outside hard to access, and then once you were in, there really wasn’t anything in the middle. This is the impression we got from the criticisms of people who had left.” Congregants at growing churches frequently referred to their mission as evangelism. Members of declining churches more often said their mission was the pursuit of social justice. Congregants tended to be about two-thirds over the age of 60 and their leaders tended to be slightly older than those of the growing churches. Only 50 per cent of pastors in declining parishes agreed that it was very important to encourage non-Christians to become Christians, compared with 100 per cent among the growing churches. Trying to explain why, in an increasingly secular society, some congregations grow and others shrink, is of importance to these groups. Attendance at most of the mainline churches has dropped by half since a peak in the mid-1960s, while the Canadian population has doubled, Prof. Haskell said. Those that are growing seem to have success attracting adherents with a mix of evangelism and openness. “When one’s doctrine reinforces a fairly literal interpretation of the Bible – and you take scripture like, ‘Go into all the world and make disciples’ fairly literally, you’re going to be more inclined and motivated to use any number of innovative strategies to make the faith accessible,” Prof. Haskell said.
Joe Friesen The Globe and Mail Published Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 12:01AM EST
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Tabor College Signs Partnership with Evana Network - February 10, 2017 HILLSBORO, Kan. – Tabor College is delighted to announce a new fraternal relationship with Evana Network. The partnership opens doors for collaboration among the Anabaptist community. Tabor is the first higher education institution to sign a fraternal agreement with Evana Nework and hopes to continue to show its investment in the Anabaptist community and traditions by connecting with the churches, pastors and youth in the network. Evana Network, whose name comes from the words evangelical and Anabaptist, works with institutions to provide collaboration and open discussion across the membership. The network serves multiple denominations with a focus on helping churches engage in their communities. “We’re thrilled to expand our partnerships to include Evana Network,” said Tabor College President Jules Glanzer. “The group is one that aligns well with the mission and vision of Tabor and we look forward to collaborating with the pastors and churches involved.” Both organizations hope the partnership offers growth opportunities outside their current circles. One of the goals of both Tabor and Evana is greater youth awareness and involvement. “At the core of our partnership is an excitement about sharing Tabor with our youth as a place for Christ-centered education,” said John Troyer, executive director for Evana Network. Although the formal partnership is new, the two organizations have been working together informally for nearly a year. “We have been working together for a while and Tabor’s staff has already jumped in to support our efforts,” Troyer said. “Staff have attended our events and gatherings to meet and share with pastors and youth and have been very well received.” In addition to outreach to youth, the two institutions are invested in continued education for pastors. Tabor’s master’s degree in ministry entrepreneurship and innovation provides an opportunity for pastors to receive ministry training that positions them to uniquely fill needs in their community. “Tabor’s MEI program is the perfect training format for our pastors who wish to engage more directly with their community,” Troyer said. “The program provides mentorship, collaboration across the fields of business and ministry and supports success by building practical skills. It connects wonderfully with the goals of Evana.” Tabor, too, is excited about the new relationship. Evana Network includes 30 churches, mostly in the Midwest and Northeast part of the country and one church in Canada. Troyer his team continue to expand the network and talk to churches, schools and camps everyday sharing the network’s mission. Evana hosts events and gatherings several times a year to help facilitate in person connection and collaboration. In February pastors will come together in Florida for “Flourishing” a retreat meant to help connect participants with God and each other. This summer “Re-gen” for both adults and youth will be held in Indiana as a multi-denominational gathering for worship and study. “We hope our relationship with Evana will provide an even stronger bond with pastors and churches that share our same values,” Glanzer said. “Likewise we know our students, faculty and staff will benefit from the resources and opportunities that come from working together.” (Tabor College)
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Quebec Church alters Affiliations... Communauté Chrétienne L’Essentiel, or, L'Essentiel, (http://www.egliselessentiel.ca/) a French-language Anabaptist church plant in Montreal, Quebec, originally with dual affiliations, recently dropped its affiliation to Mennonite Church Canada in objection to that conference's passage of the "Being a Faithful Church" (BFC) process at Assembly 2016 in Saskatoon, Mennonite Church Canada's change of stance on same-sex relationships. L'Essentiel retains its affiliation to the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.