A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

as possible for the abandonment of the office of older. 306 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH Transition to Pastoral System A multiple ministry and congregational stability marked the church-life of the Mennonite Brethren during the first sixty years of their history in the United States. However, in the late 1930's a process of change regarding the nature and role of the minstry began, radically modifying traditional patterns and practices. The shift from an unsalaried multiple lay ministry to a single theologically-trained and paid minister was accelerated by the change from the German to the English language in worship services. The general rise of the educational level among church members also was a contributing factor. Hillsboro, with its college community, for example, introduced the "pastoral system" as early as 1936. 12 Several city churches followed shortly after. In Enid, Oklahoma, (city church) a full-time salaried pastor was engaged in 1937, and in Wichita, Kansas in 1943. In the Central District the Harvey (city) M.B. Church, and the Mountain Lake M.B. Church led the way in the adoption of the pastoral system in 1940. Sawyer, North Dakota, although a rural congregation, called a full-time pastor in 1938, but this seems to have been an exception to the rule. In the Pacific District at least seven congregations made the transition from an unsalaried lay ministry to a theologically-trained (salaried) pastor between 1940 and 1945. Since the early 1950's practically all Mennonite Brethren churches in the United States have been served by full-time pastors. In several instances congregations who had accepted the "pastoral system" earlier, have returned to a "shared ministry" in recent years. This trend appears to be gaining momentum in both Canada and the United States. From available church and conference records it appears that the question of the "one pastor system" was never discussed in principle within the context of New Testament teaching nor in the light of the Anabaptist-Mennonite heritage. The arguments for and against the new system are virtually all of a pragmatic nature. From the responses in a questionnaire, circulated by the author, it seems that few arguments were put forward to retain the lay ministry when the question of changing to a salaried pastor first came up in the churches. (This may be accounted for, at least in part, by the fact that in most cases pastors provided the answers.) In several churches, however, serious discussions apparently took place. Concerns were expressed that the one-pastor-ministry would lead to a neglect of gifted lay brethren and that there would be a lack of variety in preaching. The fear of "outside influences" and added financial obligations were also mentioned. A typical Mennonite argument against the salaried ministry was also Christ's teaching in Matthew 10:8 "Freely ye have received, freely give." SERVING WITH VARI