December 15th

Healthy Boundaries in Ministry Explored

In two sessions this fall, 30 Mennonite Church Manitoba pastors and others credentialed by MCM took some time to explore healthy boundaries in ministry. Credentialing within Mennonite Church Canada requires this training every three years.

This training has recently become standardized across our nationwide church, aligning with the 2024 policy document, Guiding Ministerial Leadership in the Church (GMLC). Training this year focused on the policy’s code of conduct and ethical practice and was led by Marilyn Rudy-Froese from Mennonite Church Eastern Canada.

“Our boundary training seminars have become a vital resourcing opportunity for our credentialed ministers,” says Jeff Friesen, Director of Leadership Ministries for MCM. “It provides us with a space to gather and discuss how best to tend to some of the power imbalances that come with the pastoral vocation. It has become an important way for us to carry on in the work of building a church that is safe for all.”

Mary Anne Isaak, pastor at River East Church, participated in the training for the first time as a pastor new to MCM. “This training offered a thoughtful reminder that, even in a church with a horizontal structure and a belief in the priesthood of all believers, pastors still hold a unique form of power,” she says. “Spending several hours with pastoral colleagues in this training was both humbling and affirming, as together we named the often invisible dynamics of power and reaffirmed our commitment to use that power wisely and compassionately.”

This training is not only for pastors. Janet Plenert (Home Street, pictured) participated in the training. She serves as regional representative for Mennonite World Conference. “For credentialed people who minister beyond the local congregation, the boundary training seminary was a chance to be informed and reminded of our place in the larger church accountability structure,” she says. “It was less about ‘boundaries’ and more about belonging in an accountable way.”

Judith Froese Doell (Grace Brandon) works as a spiritual health care provider in southwestern Manitoba. She was especially struck by the importance of “emotional intelligence” reflected in the GMLC. “In what way is my inner emotional/spiritual climate helpful or unhelpful in this context before me? What are my personal warning signs that my interior health is less than optimal? It was good to gather with my MC Canada family and explore these issues in an atmosphere of honesty and generous forgiveness.”

Pray for our pastors and other credentialed ministers as they carry on the good work God has called them to! If you would like to financially support our shared work as a regional and nationwide church of resourcing our credentialed people, see www.mennochurch.mb.ca/giving.