MRN Minisry Resources Preface
Reaching Beyond the Mennonite Comfort Zone

This book originated when Will Schirmer was a member of the Advisory Council for what is now MRN Ministry Resources. Many of us encouraged Will to write about some of the things we heard him saying to us about what he experienced trying to "break into" Mennonite churches in North America.

I grew up in a Mennonite environment. When I describe it, I feel like the apostle Paul reflecting on his Jewishness. I belong to the ninth generation of my Mennonite family to live in Pennsylvania. My family, my home congregation, and our family business all functioned within a Mennonite faith perspective. I am an alumnus of five Mennonite schools from elementary through seminary. I’ve spent nearly all my life in one of four regions of the United States and Canada, each populated by many Mennonites. This book is for people like me who know the Mennonite nuances so well we can’t see the water in which we swim. And it’s for people like Tana Pelkey-Landes, who became a Mennonite Christian as an adult.

Some readers who grew up in a Mennonite family may find this book controversial at points, but we trust that God will use it to work toward greater health and growth and openness. For MRN Ministry Resources, the goal is to start necessary discussion, to set the table for conversation that can lead to honest communication, removal of walls, new growth—in a word: health. And the reality is, healthy churches grow.
—Phil Bergey, Souderton, Pennsylvania,
Executive Director, MRN Ministry Resources

My extended family of origin is very demonstrative and generally consists of outgoing, hospitable people of mixed descent. I tend toward the Irish side. Love and disagreement are expressed with candor. It took me years to grasp the subtle signs that express friendship, love, and care among Mennonites predominantly from German origin. A trusted Mennonite friend interpreted some of these expressions of fellowship for me, and then I began to feel valued in my congregation. I think some of the so-called "passive-aggressive" behavior among certain Mennonites is lost on me because I don’t know the nuances.

But thankfully, in the Mennonite congregations we have attended as a family, children have been welcomed in beautiful ways. I’m so grateful to hear my children express such joy about going to church. They ask with excitement, "How many more days until Sunday?" I’m so thankful that they feel valued. I’m also glad for the many expressions of prayer and worship approaches I find in the Mennonite church. This includes openness to art as a means of response toward God, since the process of painting is one of the ways I pray—it has a calming effect and immediately pulls me out of anxiety.

In times past I’ve wondered, What would I do if anything were to happen to my husband Craig? Would I return to New York where I was raised? Would I still feel like I could be part of the Mennonite church? Is it really my home too? But it is clear that the Mennonite church is my home and that my welcome is not based on my marriage to "one of your own." Thanks to all who helped make the room for me that Will Schirmer is inviting us to make for others. Let’s keep making room.
—Tana Pelkey-Landes, Perkasie, Pennsylvania,
Director of Operations, MRN Ministry Resources

Reaching Beyond the Mennonite Comfort Zone orders:

• Cascadia Publishing House Online Order Form
• Cascadia, Herald Press, and other order options
• Credit card orders through Reaching Beyond page, MennoLink Online Bookstore