A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

mes. 24 The age of MCC service personnel has averaged around twenty-six COOPERATING WITH OTHER GROUPS 391 45. MCC executive committee in 1951: H. A. Fast, One O. Miller, C. F. Klassen, P. C. Hiebert, H. S. Bender, J. J. Thiessen, C. N. Hos tetter, Jr. years. "We within MCC are greatly challenged and stimulated as we attempt to administer a program in which the preponderant number of participants are young people," Snyder stated. "While these young people are, on the whole, possessed with better training, broader knowledge and a world view that is considerably above that of a generation ago, there is the same deep interest in the church. "" The following table shows Mennonite Brethren participation in MCC services over a five-year period in relation to the two largest groups in the MCC constituency. TABLE XI Church Affiliation of MCC Workers 26 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 Mennonite Church (Old) 228 250 252 279 294 General Conference Mennonite 186 188 208 212 214 Mennonite Brethren 50 62 61 53 62 The above statistics reveal two things : One, whereas participation in MCC services has gradually increased in the other two Mennonite conferences, this is not the case with Mennonite Brethren; and two, the participation in relation to membership is also far lower than that in the other groups. Representation according to M.B. population would call for an almost 100 percent increase in applicants for MCC service. Perhaps no single factor would account for this lack of greater involvement. However, one answer may be found in the reservations that many Mennonite Brethren have had in identifying with certain 392 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH service programs sponsored by MCC. This concern of the brotherhood found expression in a statement submitted to the General Conference in 1954 by the Board of Reference and Counsel. The motivation for outlining some specific guidelines of cooperation were given as follows: Because of the constantly expanding program of MCC, with periodical additions of new phases of service, some of them not related to the specific aspect of relief, and because of growing uncertainty in our Conference constituency as to our responsibility towards such projects ... it is deemed advisable that we as a Conference define our principles which are to govern our future relationship with the Mennonite Central Committee in order to maintain the full confidence and cooperation of our entire constituency in this ministry. 27 Consequently the conference accepted a resolution which stated that for every MCC activity not related to emergency relief and the rehabilitation of suffering coreligionists, a special statement of objectives should be submitted to the district conferences and to the General Conference for consideration and ratification. In the sixties, as a result of closer cooperation of MCC