The MC USA Executive Board celebrated organizational milestones, financial growth, and the latest plans for the denomination’s largest faith formation gathering, Follow Jesus ’25, at its Feb. 8 meeting via Zoom.
Glen Guyton
“This board is committed to shaping a church that is vibrant, innovative, and mission-driven,” said Glen Guyton, MC USA Executive Director, following the meeting. “Our work is focused on strengthening relationships, enhancing our financial stability, and creating meaningful opportunities for faith formation and engagement.”
During his Executive Director’s report, Guyton reflected on Jesus’ parable in Luke 5:37-39, where Jesus warns against pouring new wine into old wineskins. Just as old wineskins cannot hold new wine without bursting, Guyton suggested that the denomination must consider its vision and mission as it responds to changes in the world. “How do we begin to move into future?” he asked. “It’s our responsibility to examine who we are, where we are going as a denomination, and to ask ourselves, does this serve our higher mission?” Guyton’s question was echoed throughout many of the discussions that followed.
The Executive Board passed several actions at the meeting, including affirming the Leadership Discernment Committee’s nomination of Todd Lehman as incoming moderator-elect (see news release here) and the annual audit.
A strong financial future
Karen Zehr of the Executive Board finance/audit committee reviewed the independent auditor’s report for the MC USA Executive Board, prepared by Regier Carr & Monroe, LLP, CPAs, for the year ended July 31, 2024, and said it was a clean audit consistent with previous years. The audit report showed a small decrease in cash/cash equivalents but a significant increase in assets from $4.36 million in 2023 to $9.3 million in 2024. The increase was due to the agreed-upon transfer of the Elkhart, Indiana, building from Mennonite Mission Network to the Executive Board, as well as increased [individual] donor contributions. Overall, the report reflected positive progress, especially regarding asset management and donor support, said Zehr.
Expanding ecumenical relationships
In addition, the Executive Board approved a staff recommendation to withdraw from Christian Churches Together, in favor of leaning into other ecumenical relationships that are more productive and relevant to MC USA’s needs today. MC USA joined CCT in response to a 2007 delegate action, but the organization has undergone significant leadership changes since that time, including the departure of the group’s founder. Guyton emphasized that MC USA prioritizes ecumenical relationships in many different ways, as evidenced by the recent filing of a legal action in coalition with 26 other faith groups.
Fun and faith formation at Follow Jesus ‘25
Shé Langley
Shé Langley, MC USA director of event planning, shared that excitement is building for the upcoming Follow Jesus ’25 convention. The opening reception will feature family-friendly comedian Mike Goodwin, an educator-turned-entertainer who has appeared on America’s Got Talent, Dry Bar Comedy, Amazon Prime, and more. The closing reception will be an Anabaptism at 500 celebration, sponsored by MennoMedia. Faith formation programming is expected to be robust, according to Langley. The planning team has received a combined 139 submissions for youth and adult seminars, which they are reviewing. Langley encouraged the Executive Board members and other attendees to register early to enjoy special pricing and a free Anabaptist Community Bible for the first 300 registrants.
Exploring partnership with Mosaic Mennonite Conference
(Clockwise) Moderator Jon Carlson, Moderator-elect Marty Lehman, Executive Board members Richard Aguirre and Margie Mejia-Caraballo.
MC USA Moderator-elect Marty Lehman reported on a recent meeting with Mosaic’s Moderator Angela Moyer Walter and Assistant Moderator Roy Willams as part of ongoing communications following Mosaic’s November 2024 delegate vote to seek a “robust partnership” with, rather than membership in, MC USA. The MC USA Executive Board discussed Mosaic’s exploration of becoming a “program entity” of MC USA. The task of the churchwide program agencies and other designated partnering entities is to arrange for the delivery of programs and services that carry out specific churchwide goals, per the MC USA Bylaws Article X.1.
In conversation, the Executive Board affirmed Mosaic’s stated desire to sustain and strengthen the relationship between Mosaic and the rest of the denomination and expressed openness to learn more about what this might entail. Executive Board members also had numerous questions about what programs and services Mosaic would provide to carry out specific churchwide goals, how Mosaic congregations would relate to MC USA, especially those that wish to remain members, and how Mosaic would address reconciliation with other conferences. Moderator Jon Carlson immediately reached out to Mosaic leaders for additional clarity. The Executive Board may discuss this again when Mosaic has a more comprehensive proposal.
Other business
Executive Board members also discussed several topics, including ongoing committee work and legal and personnel matters.
Discussion topics included:
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Iris de León-Hartshorn
MC USA and faith coalition support religious liberty (See news release here.) – Iris de León-Hartshorn, MC USA associate executive director of Operations and Human Resources and key spokesperson, provided an overview of the complaint, which was filed, following the Executive Board meeting, on Feb. 11 in Federal District Court, Washington, D.C. The Executive Board fully endorsed this action.
- Mennonite Education Agency Integration – Nathan Alleman, MEA board chair, and Michael Danner, executive director of MEA, presented the Executive Board with a preliminary plan for integrating MEA into MC USA Executive Board operations. The three-
Nathan Alleman
page plan, which is also under review by the MEA board of directors, addresses timing, staffing, proposed structural changes, finances, communication needs, and relationships with higher ed schools and the Mennonite School Council. On behalf of the Executive Board, Carlson affirmed the work and offered encouragement to keep moving forward with the completion of the plan.
- Structure Review Task Force – Guyton shared a projected timeline for the work of the MC USA Structure Review Task Group. The goal of the task group is “to reimagine a framework that maintains the interconnectedness between the church’s various entities and better responds to current and future needs.” The two-year timeline will be shared with the Delegate Assembly in July. The Executive Board provided strong affirmation for Guyton’s work on this.
- Resolutions Committee – Marty Lehman, chair of the Resolutions Committee, discussed the ongoing work of the committee and sought specific feedback from the Executive Board. The Resolutions Committee aims to publish proposed resolutions in May.
Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination, founded in 2002 by the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Members of this historic peace church seek to follow Jesus by rejecting violence and resisting injustice. MC USA’s Renewed Commitments state the following shared commitments among its diverse body of believers: to follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Mennoniteusa.org