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

question Israel lives by the memory of the Exodus-the paradigmatic peo- ple-creating event. It is not only individuals or small groups of believers that make up the kingdom; God seeks the creation of ua chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession" (1 Peter 2:9). Such a people are first the people of God before they are Canadians or Americans. Mennonite Brethren have always regarded themselves less a denomination and more a "brotherhood." To be sure the local congregation was primary in nurture and fellowship, but it was always regarded as a part of a larger network of churches that covenanted together in matters of faith and practice. It was also as a conference of churches that major programs in education, missions and service were undertaken. The Church Membership Profile suggests the following conclusions regarding a sense of peoplehood. 1. Mennonite Brethren are becoming ethnically, geo- graphically and economically more diverse. No longer are the Mennonite Brethren primarily an immigrant peo- 313 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH pie. They have become firmly established in society and have moved into middle-class status through higher edu- cation and occupational success. 2. There is an increasing focus on the local congrega- tion to the exclusion of larger denominational concerns. Our members are more willing to support the local bud- get than they are the programs of the conference that ad- dress national or international needs. 3. Mennonite Brethren have weakened in their affirma- tion of denominational identity. We appear not to accept our distinctives in a pluralistic world as readily as we did in earlier times. Some implications that might follow from these conclu- sions include: 1. The Mennonite Brethren Church must celebrate the ethnic diversity already present in its midst in a way simi- lar to the Apostle Paul's affirmation of ethnic diversity (Greek and Jew) in the New Testament church. 2. A sense of peoplehood comes by common memo- ries, common vision and common practices. If Mennonite Brethren seek such peoplehood, they will need to devel- op commonalities that include and go beyond memories of the Russian exodus, beyond a rural perspective and be- yond ethnic foods and dialect. 3. The local congregation must develop a sense of ownership for conference decisions and activities. The conference is not a federation of loosely tied independent churches; we are a community of congregations in a covenantal relationship with each other. 4. Information about conference activities and pro- grams should be