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

d By-laws of the Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church- es, officially adopted at the 55th Session of the Conference August 7-1 J, 1981 1 Si. Catharines, Ontario, 15- 4. Ibid, 5. Tbid.t 23. 6 . Year Book of the 44th General Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church of North America held at Mountain Lake, Minnesota August 28 to September 2, 1948, 106-08; Yea r Book of the 45th General Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church of North A merica held at Winkler, Manitoba fufy 21 to 26, 1951, 130-43; Yearbook, 52nd Session, of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches Convening atReedky, California November 11-14, 1972, 14; Victor Adrian, "The Call and Ordi- nation to the Ministry," John E. Toews, "Leadership Styles for Mennonite Brethren Churches," Herbert Brandt, "Church-Pastor Relations," all papers presented at the Conference, "Current Issues in Church Leadership/ 8-10 May i960, General Confer- ence of Mennonite Brethren Churches Board of Reference and Counsel Records, Cen- ter for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Fresno, Calif.; Yearbook of the 14th Pacific Dis- trict Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, San foset California November 10- 13, 1983, 16-22, 7. In Russia, the larger churches such as RtJckertau, Alexandertha] and Tiege and in North America, Reedley, Coaldale, Yarrow and Hillsboro, functioned with an exec- utive of the Board of Elders- 8. A survey of leadership patterns in Mennonite Brethren churches for the last two decades records an average of three to four years for a complete turnover in church council membership, including the pastor. Questionnaires were sent to all the churches to determine pastoral and church council tenure. A second survey tested these findings with district and provincial conference records, 9. Year Book, 1951, 127. 10. Year Book, 1951, 127-30. it Ibid., 129-30. 12. Ibid, 130-33 > 13 Ibid , 134-44, 14. Malt Hannan, "Hope for Plateau ed Churches and their Renewal," lecture ai Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, 27 April 1990. 15. Ibid. 16. John Schwane, letter to the editor, Christianity Today, 9 April 1990, 7. 357 ENDNOTES pages 221-241 17. Fresno Bee 23 April 1991, 18. Gerry Ediger, "The Mennonite Brethren Church as a Covenant Community," paper presented at the Conference, "The Mennonite Brethren Church as a Covenant Community," 15-17 October 1986, General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches Board of Reference and Counsel Records, Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Fresno, Calif,, 46-47. 19- Confession of Faith of the Mennonite Brethren Church of North America, Amer- i