Mennonite Church Canada THE CURRENT STRUCTURE Congregations, area conferences, national church body, world-wide communion Together working at ministry, identity and membership

Vision: Healing and Hope: God calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace so that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world.

A MISSIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH: There is a God. I am not in charge; God is at work before me. It’s God’s church. I belong to the church; it doesn’t belong to me. The purpose of the church is to bless the world. God has blessed us with salvation not as an end, but as a means by which to bless the world.

PROVISIONAL Statement of Identity and Purpose: God calls, equips, and sends the church to engage the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. we are a community of disciples of Jesus, a part of the Body of Christ, covenanted together as congregations, area conferences, and a national church. Gratefully responding to God’s initiatives, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit our resources and efforts to calling, equipping, and sending the church to engage the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Identity

Congregations Ministry -call people to faith -worship, baptize, teach -“ calling, equipping, and sending members to engage the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” especially locally Identity and Membership -receive individuals as members

Area Conferences Ministry -shared ministries (camps, schools, youth, education) -support and oversee pastors -“calling, equipping, and sending the church to engage the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” especially regionally Identity and Membership -receive congregations as members

CHRISTIAN WITNESS MINISTRIES CHRISTIAN FORMATION MINISTRIES SUPPORT SERVICES CHRISTIAN WITNESS COUNCIL CHRISTIAN FORMATION COUNCIL SUPPORT SERVICES COUNCIL MENNONITE CHURCH CANADA... GENERAL BOARD EXECUTIVE Delegate Assembly Area Conferences and their Congregations General Board relates to Mennonite World Conference & other church bodies

National Church Body Ministry: Christian Witness International mission (former COM and MBM) -full or shared support for 87 missionaries in 38 countries National ministries -multi-cultural ministry -congregational partnership ministries -native ministries

National Church Body Ministry: Christian Formation -Youth and Young Adult Ministries -Christian Education and Nurture -Publishing and Resources -Ministerial and Congregational Leadership

National Church Body Identity Confession of Faith and other statements “Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love” “Guidelines for Building Faithful Relationships in the Church”

How shall we deal with questions of theology, ethics, polity and practice? Faith and Life Committee -“This committee will attend to the interface between the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective and our identity as MC Canada.” -Five members -Reference group -Discern … create and distribute resources for study and guidance to the church…

National Church Body Membership 5 Member Area Conferences 235 Constituent Congregations

Worldwide Communion: Mennonite World Conference Ministry Global Assembly Global Gift Sharing Global Mission Fellowship Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN) Identity and Membership “Shared Convictions”

Mennonite Church Canada THE CURRENT STRUCTURE Congregations, area conferences, national church body, world-wide communion Together working at ministry, identity and membership

Vision: Healing and Hope: God calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace so that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world.