March 8, 2010 issue
Elkhart building
By Keith Swartzendruber Herndon, Va.I read with a heavy heart of the continuing plans to build a multimillion-dollar building in Elkhart for Mennonite Church USA. It doesn’t appear MC USA has considered the message this sends to urban congregations. The message is, sure, become part of MC USA, but we won’t change for you, and you will never be truly Mennonite. MC USA is becoming (through dumb luck and the work of a few committed visionary pastors) and will become (if it survives) an increasingly urban church. To not locate the office in a central urban center such as Chicago, Kansas City or St. Louis shows that those in traditional power centers are unwilling to share access to this power.
A powerful message would be sent if MC USA decided to renovate an older building in an economically deprived urban neighborhood. Then we would center our mission in the mission field rather than in a cold, sterile, Menno-Utopia in the middle of never-heard-of-it Indiana. Until MC USA leadership is willing to let go of old ways of doing business, reverse the trend of centralizing and desperately holding on to its power, embrace its urban congregations and allow its growing edges to flourish, it will continue to be a rural, white and more than likely a dying denomination.
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