May 23 issue
Lingering questions
By Jim Bertsche Goshen, Ind.Though a new Mennonite Church USA office building in Elkhart, Ind., will soon be finished, dedicated and occupied, many questions linger.
What is there about the new building that will reflect a countercultural stance? One supporter of the new edifice has maintained that MC USA and Mennonite Mission Network must remain culturally relevant. Thus the new building is clearly appropriate in today’s secular American setting. There is, however, a fine line between being culturally relevant and being culturally driven. On which side of this line does this structure stand?
As Anabaptists, we affirm the virtues of modesty and frugality. What about the new building reflects these values?
MC USA congregations are urged to be “missional.” Meanwhile, we also are urged to maintain adequate levels of giving to the budgets of MC USA and MMN. What about the new building sends a “missional” message to our supporting churches or to the Elkhart community?
We declare our desire to walk with and learn from our sister churches overseas. What is there about the new building that signals our desire to identify with our overseas fellow pilgrims in any meaningful way?
Many of us lament the widening gap between wealthy North American Mennonites and our counterparts elsewhere who live in grinding poverty. What about the new building will signify our commitment to closing the gap?
The building will symbolize our church amid our American society. What about the building will distinguish it from a straightforward commercial enterprise — an insurance company or a bank?
Can we be honest enough to acknowledge that the building reflects the unrelenting, shaping pressure of wealthy, secular American culture?
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