Being a Faithful Church
Mennonite Church Canada facilitated an extensive seven-year discernment journey which would eventually include matters of sexuality. The acknowledgement of committed same-sex relationships within the body of the Mennonite Church Canada community stimulated intentional discernment among churches. The discernment process affirmed Mennonite Church Canada’s commitment to Scripture, following the Holy Spirit, the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective and unity among our churches, though interpretation of these things can be varied. Through extended and intense engagement, member churches, while not finding uniformity, agreed to move forward in unity with the following:
Based on what the Task Force has heard in our discernment process concerning same-sex committed relationships, and in the spirit of the church speaking again, the General Board has approved for consideration at the 2016 Delegate Assembly, the following BFC task force recommendation:
- One of our foundations of unity has been the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. We recommend that it continue to serve the church in the ways suggested in the Introduction of the Confession itself.
- We call upon our family of Christ to respectfully acknowledge that there are those among us (congregations and individuals) whose careful study of Scripture and prayerful journey of discernment lead them to a different understanding on committed same-sex relationships than is commonly understood by readings of Article 19 in our Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective.
- We recommend that we create space/leave room within our Body to test alternative understandings from that of the larger Body to see if they are a nudging of the Spirit of God.
- Since continued discernment will be required after Assembly 2016, we recommend that Mennonite Church Canada and Area Churches develop ways of to hear one another around the implementation of this recommendation.
- from Being a Faithful Church
Link to the full Being a Faithful Church resource