AEC2000
Foreword
Marilyn Miller
Director of Outreach Ministries,
Commission on Home Ministries, General Conference Mennonite Church
What is the Anabaptist Evangelism Council?
The Council is an Anabaptist
"think-tank" and a practitioners’ rendezvous. Our agenda is the
development of faithful, missional churches.
The Council is an annual
meeting of Anabaptist scholars and practitioners, sharing questions of
evangelization, church growth, congregational vitality, and church planting.
The Council is a resource to
resourcers.
The Council brings together
representatives from six Anabaptist denominations in Canada and the USA.
We desire to empower integral
theological reflections, coherent strategy, and consistent practice geared
toward transformation of society through Anabaptist Christian witness in
North America.
Theme for the Anabaptist Evangelism Council 2000:
"A New Humanity: Anabaptist Ministry Amidst Many Peoples"
More and more people across North America are embracing
the vision of creating multicultural congregations or partnerships with
congregations which are different from their own. These people want to help
bring to reality scriptures such as Revelation 7:9-12 and Ephesians 2:14-22.
They believe that people of diverse backgrounds, ministering in unity, can be a
sign to the world of God’s reign.
Along with the desire to minister amidst many peoples come
questions. How does the vision for multicultural ministry become reality? What
can we learn from existing multicultural churches and ones that failed? What are
the biblical and theological foundations which support such ministries? These
were among the questions addressed at the third annual Anabaptist Evangelism
Council.
This booklet contains presentations that were given at
that Council. You will read biblical, theological messages given by seminary
professors and leaders, as well as case studies which reflect practical
experiences of ministers among persons of diverse ethnic backgrounds. A large
part of this resource booklet is "The Diversity Project: Learnings for
Multicultural Urban Church Plants." This research project was presented at
the Council for discussion and feedback. It is "a work in process," so
readers are invited to share additional examples, models, ideas, questions, and
concerns. What additional research on the subject would you like to see done?
In a follow-up to this Council, Ed Bontrager is editing a
LIFE (Living in Faithful Evangelism) module on multicultural ministries. This is
a thirteen-week study with chapters written by persons of various ethnic
backgrounds that will be available in 2001.
It is the hope and prayer of the Management Team of New
Life Ministries that the presentations shared in this booklet and in the new
LIFE module will strengthen the desire and ability to "make disciples of
all nations." May it help Anabaptist congregations be a sign of a new
humanity: diverse people doing ministry together for the glory of God.
Marilyn Miller
On behalf of the New Life Ministries Management Team:
Dick Benner
Ed Bontrager
Tym Elias
Kristen Leverton Helbert
Joan Hershey
Beth Sollenberger Morphew
Ron Waters
Return to AEC 2000
Index
Taken from A
New Humanity: Anabaptist Ministry Among Many Peoples (© 2000 New
Life Ministries). Permission to reproduce for local church use only is
granted. Provided by New Life Ministries, 6404 S Calhoun St, Fort Wayne, IN
46807, through its
web site at www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org
This and all presentations from the council meeting, along with a record of the proceedings, are available in booklet
form for $10.00. Use the online
order form (product code AEC00).
