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

of artificial piety in refusing to recognize and fellowship with the many true believers in the Mennonite Church, Some in the Mennonite Church, Friesen says, displayed Christian meekness and humility in contrast to a holier-than-thou atti- tude of rejection on the part of the Mennonite Brethren.9 MENNONITE BRETHREN SPIRITUAL IIFE By World War I the Mennonite Brethren in Russia had come of age. The sometimes persecuted minority had be- come a recognized entity in the larger Mennonite community* They had attained the status of equality and comprised one- third of the communities scattered over the various colonies born in the expansion. Strong and prominent leadership emerged in such men as Jacob Reimer, David Duerksen, David Schellenberg, Peter Bergmann, Isaak Koop, P. M. Friesen and Isaak Friesen. The itinerant ministry of David Duerksen, Jacob Reimer and David Schellenberg extended to the Mennonite Brethren churches in North America and Poland, and to other Russian Mennonite churches as well. Such ministry provided stability in faith and polity.10 This was a period of rich congregational life for the Men- nonite Brethren as members, particularly those in ministry, sought diligently to practice the admonition of Ephesians 4:3, "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.1T Those who strayed from biblical standards were ad- monished in a spirit that promoted reconciliation. Meetings of church councils and congregations reflected commitment and unity. The growing missionary movement generated a deep consciousness of purpose. This did not mean, however, 121 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH that the church was without testings and trials." Change In Leadership Style A failure to heed the exhortation of 1 Peter 5:8™"Be sober and vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"-led to un- happy circumstances affecting some in leadership. David Sehellenberg, the leading elder in Ruckenau, was removed because his lifestyle did not meet the scriptural standards for the position. Similar circumstances developed in the church in Einlage.12 Questions also arose over the centralized authority vested in the eldership, In the early years of the twentieth century the style of leadership in the Molotschna changed from that of a presiding elder to a multiple leadership in which a group of leaders assumed the duties previously vested in one person.13 The Chortitza churches followed suit soon after. Struggling with Intermarriage Much agitation arose in the churches with regard to mar- riages where