Kathryn Lymburner appointed publisher of Canadian Mennonite

Canadian Mennonite Publishing Service (CMPS) has chosen Kathryn Lymburner to serve as the next publisher of Canadian Mennonite, starting April 1.

Lymburner will replace Tobi Thiessen, who started in 2017 and is planning to retire.

As a former chair and board member of CMPS, Lymburner comes to the role with a knowledge of both the history of CM, the Mennonite church as a whole and also an understanding of the inner workings of magazines.

Lymburner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Western Ontario and worked for many years on two national trade magazines, volunteering as a judge for Magazines Canada’s National Magazine Awards.

Having grown up in the Greater Toronto Area, she first attended Toronto United Mennonite Church and then Rouge Valley Mennonite Church with her parents and sibling. Lymburner now attends Community Mennonite Church of Stouffville (Ontario) with her own family. Along the way, she has found herself encouraged in many church leadership roles, from MCEC youth representative and roles in youth group councils, to youth group sponsor and church visioning committees.

“When I started as a board member in January of 2020, I had over 15 years of magazine management experience but was home full-time with my then three-year-old,” Lymburner says. “I saw my board participation as a great way to share that knowledge with a Mennonite organization and carve out a bit of space for myself, and in the process learned that CM was more than just a denominational publication. Through board meetings, visioning processes, new initiatives and staff hirings, I’ve seen how CMPS wrestles with not only the difficult topics of our faith and times, but also challenges readers to re-evaluate their assumptions, asking them to keep their hearts and minds open while we make space at the table for new voices.”

Lymburner says she is excited about the possibilities that the MennoCreative residency initiative brings to the organization and “the creative voices that can be championed in the wider church through it.” She says, “the conversations that led to its creation were complex and thought-provoking; I look forward to supporting those dynamics in our pages, online and in ways we haven’t tried yet.”

Noting the “current climate of political turmoil,” Lymburner says it is “magazines such as CM that will bring hope and encouragement to readers.”

Lymburner is an avid reader, writer and photographer who also enjoys gardening and trying new recipes.

Canadian Mennonite is the Kitchener, Ontario-based publication and media organization that primarily serves Mennonite Church Canada congregations. In addition to provision of online materials, Canadian Mennonite publishes a monthly magazine that goes to nearly 7,000 print subscribers and approximately 3,000 digital subscribers. The Canadian Mennonite team consists of 12 people (most part-time) stationed in B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.