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Three responses to the conundrum of conflict
When I tell people whom I’ve just met that my job includes working with congregations in conflict, typically they respond in one of two ways. Either, “Really? Churches have conflict?” or, “Oh dear. That must be hard.” With that, I know if the person attends, or has attended, church. Sometimes, those who say “That must…
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Pulling back the curtain
You’ve probably noticed over the last year that Canadian Mennonite has moved to having a theme to the feature of most issues. As we begin each new issue, we share the theme with our correspondents and columnists, although sometimes they instead pursue articles connected with their region or another story. Once we start to get…
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Church worker overboard
A few years back, I invited a new acquaintance to help with a hayloft restoration project. He was handy and between jobs. As we worked with old wood, we talked about our experiences of church. He had done church work for most of two decades. At one point, a light began to dawn. I stopped…
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Pain, apologies and repair following 2017 MC Canada restructuring
Jeanette Hanson, director of International Witness for Mennonite Church Canada, began a Zoom call last spring with an apology to members of the Anabaptist Network in South Africa. “I told them I was sorry for the way MC Canada broke relationship with them,” she said. “Two people on the call cried, talking about the hurt…
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Does the Carver model suit Mennonites?
A retired veteran of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) management put it bluntly (off-record): “MCC is not a priesthood of all believers.”I don’t know if any Mennonite organizations are. Most, like this magazine, are hierarchies, and many use some version of the Carver model of governance. While such matters may be boring for many readers, this…
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March 2025 In this Issue How can we prevent bad employment endings in churches and charities, and what’s the path to healing when they occur? SUBSCRIBE TODAY News Opinion Top stories
