A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

cultural people with a rural mindset found them- selves thrust midstream into modernity. In the urgency of the moment they turned to the leadership models of North Amer- ican evangelicalism. The statements of the 1951 General Con- ference, outlining a scriptural understanding of leadership, passed as a mere echo in the whirlwind of change. Pragmatic solutions prevailed and supplanted earlier Mennonite Brethren commitments. The question of "being*' was over- shadowed by a preoccupation with "doing." Leadership mod- els promising the most efficient programs were accepted as the answer for the hour. Today we share with the lai^er Christian community a cri- sis of leadership that finds itself shorn of stature and authority. We find ourselves in a disturbing parallel to Ezekiel 34 where the Lord laments die failure of the shepherds and the scatter- ing of the sheep. Efficient programs may attract spectators, but they do not necessarily nurture commitment. True com- mitment to God cannot be separated from a commitment to the church-the people of God, the community of the re- deemed (1 John 1:6-7). The first response to the leadership crisis is to rebuild the shepherding ministry as the primary assignment. What is ur- gently needed is leadership identified with the flock, rooted in fellowship of the flock, and trusted by the flock to guide them in the path consistent with biblical principles. This calls for a plurality of leadership in spiritual nurture and interdependent relationships. 237 CHAPTER 18 Mennonite Brethren Evangelism A n English proverb says, "When the heart is afire, sparks will fly out of the mouth," So it was with the early Mennonite Brethren, whose hearts blazed with the love of God and the joy of redemption. Their evangelism was not a matter of programs or strategies; it was a simple, spontaneous witness. They told the story of their personal salvation experience and urged others to turn to Christ, be converted and know the joy of a soul set free. They quickly became known for their zealous efforts to win people to Christ. The first corporate expression addressing the matter of evangelism appeared in the records of the conference in An- dreasfeld in 1872. The major business of that first ali-Menno- nite Brethren assembly was to appoint five itinerant evange- lists in order to broaden their one-on-one witness to the wider community of Mennonites, German colonists and native Rus- sians.1 When the Mennonite Brethren migrated to North America they brought with them their zeal for winning others to Christ. Their steady growth in t