By Celeste Kennel-Shank
Mennonite Weekly Review

	Ron Byler, associate executive director of Mennonite Church USA, holds canning jars filled with malted milk balls illustrating actual and desired gender and racial/ethnic diversity at CLC meetings April 1. — Photo by Celeste Kennel-Shank/MWR
		Aiming for greater leadership diversity MOUNT PLEASANT, Pa. — Chocolate malted milk balls represented white men, white chocolate ones were white women, blue candy ones were racial/ethnic men and yellow ones were racial/ethnic women. Gay Brunt Miller, vice-chair of the Constituency Leaders Council, used three canning jars filled with malted milk balls as props in a discussion about gender balance and racial/ethnic diversity at the CLC meeting March 31-April 2. Two of the jars compared diversity in attendance at meetings. A third was closer to an ideal of about 30 percent racial/ethnic CLC members spread evenly between gender, as well as the same even split between white men and women for the remaining 70 percent. Brunt Miller said that at the last meeting the CLC requested that conferences try to send more women. Conferences then sent nine new women, making attendance at the Laurelville meeting 30 percent women. After the presentation on gender balance, a racial/ethnic diversity task force shared a covenant, “Called to Be a New Humanity,” which calls for conferences to choose at least 30 percent racial/ethnic people for CLC members, and for some white males to forfeit their seats if not enough racial/ethnic people are nominated. CLC members responded positively to the covenant, adding concerns about making sure gifted white men are still included and that gender balance and racial/ethnic diversity efforts move forward together. “We can encourage women and racial/ethnic groups but not at the expense of one or the other,” said Zenobia Sowell-Bianchi of the African-American Mennonite Association. — Celeste Kennel-Shank

“I do care about efficiency, but I also care about people,” Plank said.

Plank, of Allegheny Conference, remembers how families and congregations in her conference were hurt when Mennonite Publishing Network’s offices in Scottdale eliminated jobs after a $5 million debt came to light in 2001.

“I would hope that what MC USA has learned from that experience could be transferred to this process,” Plank said. “No matter what happens with this process, I would hope that there is a care plan in place for those who are adversely affected.”

Plank’s concern and affirmation were among many shared with denominational leaders by about 80 leaders from churchwide agencies and 21 conferences who gathered at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center March 31-April 2 for a Constituency Leaders Council meeting.

The CLC brings together leaders from conferences, agencies, constituent groups and the whole denomination to share concerns with each other and discuss initiatives and actions affecting the church.

A dominant theme at the meeting was the Executive Board’s action at its Feb. 8-9 meeting in San Antonio to call for streamlining churchwide communications and fundraising, as well as creating one board for all agencies and The Mennonite, the denomination’s official publication.

Constituency leaders largely affirmed the desire for efficiency and unity. They also raised concerns: the fundraising system should allow donors to follow their passions in giving; new structures ought not to be too centralized; and reorganization must not result in changes that cause young adults to lose interest in the denomination, among others.

Ed Diller, CLC chair and MC USA moderator-elect, described further the board action and fielded questions from the gathered conference representatives. One concern was why the action was publicized when the details are still somewhat vague, he said.

“We wanted to have conversations before we threw out something that might seem controversial, that might seem divisive,” he said.

Diller also said the process of looking at how to make the denominational structures more efficient is not driven by financial desperation but by the desire to be good stewards of the denomination’s resources.

He also reminded the group that when MC USA was created in 2002, leaders decided to look again at structures in six years.

“That time is here,” he said.

In discussion, Dorothy Nickel Friesen of Western District Conference asked how the new board would be different than the current Executive Board.

Diller said the Executive Board is not sure what the new board’s makeup will be, but it wants to find ways to include the expertise and talents of the current boards of church agencies and The Mennonite.

“Our purpose is not to diminish gifts, but to unify,” he said.

Similarly, the Executive Board does not know how this action will affect denominational staff, but its wants to consider how staff can best implement the church’s vision.

Nancy Kauffmann of Indiana-Michigan Conference said allowing people to do service should be a fundraising priority. She noted that mission workers are asked to raise their own funds, which is difficult for people from small congregations and who don’t have many connections.

“I would like to encourage our system to think more creatively about encouraging service and making it financially possible,” she said.

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