Printer-friendly versionDownload

Purpose of the New Wine, New Wineskins Process
In late fall 2007 the MCC Round Table (12 Board Chairs and 12 Executive Directors) approved a proposal for MCC to engage in an 18-month discernment process, then called "Appreciative Inquiry", to look at questions of vision and structure for MCC.  This proposal was renamed "New Wine, New Wineskins", and then approved in detail by the MCC Binational Executive Committee in January 2008.

The purpose of the process is to engage all MCC stakeholders in discerning God's direction by creating a unifying vision and revised structure for MCC. Three core questions will guide the process:

• What is the task that God is calling MCC to in the 21st century (our purpose)?
• To whom is MCC accountable (who is the "keeper of the MCC soul")?
• What is the appropriate structure for ensuring that the values and principles held by MCC are effectively expressed at every level and drive exemplary programming?

Deliverables
The deliverables at the end of this process will include:

• A shared statement of identity, vision, mission, values and strategic priorities for the whole of MCC;
• A transformation of relationships between all MCC's and its stakeholders that manifests itself in greater unity, mutual acceptance and support, and clear roles and responsibilities allowing all-MCC to thrive; and
• Concrete recommendations suggesting how the whole of MCC might structure itself to live out its vision, accomplish its mission, and address its strategic priorities in the 21st century.

Key Constituencies
New Wine, New Wineskins is designed to be a highly consultative process that engages multiple constituencies, including:

• Canadian and USA church denominations/conferences and constituencies, who are currently the primary owners of MCC;
• The global Anabaptist community;
• MCC Partners;
• The family of MCCs, represented by its various Boards and Staffs.

Stakeholder voices will be sought through formally organized regional meetings held in each geographical region internationally, within the USA and Canada, and at three summits scheduled for July 2008 in the Philippines, September 2008 in Winnipeg, and June 2009 in Kansas, USA (participation of under-represented voices will be a priority throughout the process).

An interview guide and instructions are also available on the MCC Web site, so that any group can organize their own informal meeting and submit their opinions, as a group or as individuals, into the process via the web.

Steering Committee, Inquiry Task Force, Staffing
The MCC Binational Executive Committee established a Steering Committee of nine people who will give overall leadership to this process and give oversight to the staff and consultants implementing this work. They are accountable to the MCC Binational Executive Committee.  The Steering Committee consists of the Executive Directors and Board Chairs of MCC Binational, MCC Canada, and MCC United States, plus three members selected for their expertise and capacity to represent the diversity of the MCC community.

The Steering Committee then consulted many people throughout the MCC community and formed an Inquiry Task Force of 34 people whose mandate it is to engage, listen to, and represent the various constituencies through the summits and regional meetings, and then to work with those experiences to produce the final deliverables.  The Inquiry Task Force is directly accountable to the MCC Binational Executive Committee. The Steering Committee is a sub-group within the Inquiry Task Force.  

The Staff consists of Arli Klassen, MCC Binational Executive Director, providing overall leadership to this process; Jim Ludema (Chicago) is Lead Consultant, providing expertise on the use of the appreciative inquiry tool; Jan Schmidt (Winnipeg) is Co-Facilitator and Co-Coordinator of the project; and Pauline Boldt (Winnipeg) is the Communication Coordinator of the project.  Staff in all parts of MCC will be assisting with logistics of various summits and regional meetings.

Schedule of Key Events

• Steering Committee Meetings: February 26-27 and April 10, 2008 in Akron, USA
• First Inquiry Task Force Meeting: June 11-12, 2008 in Waterloo, Canada
• First Summit (with half of the ITF): July 28-30, 2008 in Manila, Philippines
• Second Summit: September 21-23, 2008 in Winnipeg, Canada
• Second Inquiry Task Force Meeting: October 16-18, 2008 in Akron, USA
• Individual and Regional Meetings around the world: Fall 2008 and Winter 2009
• Third Inquiry Task Force Meeting: March 19-21, 2009 in Akron, USA
• Third Summit: June 3-5, 2009 in Hillsboro, Kansas, USA

The Third Inquiry Task Force meeting in March 2009 will produce a draft set of the written deliverables:  statements of identity, vision, mission, values, and strategic priorities, as well as recommendations for a specific structure and steps to begin to create that structure.  These draft recommendations will be widely circulated in April and May for comment and discussion, on the website and via other means.  The Third Summit, in June 2009, will include representatives from all the current decision-making bodies in MCC, the goal is to come to agreement on a final version of the vision statements and structure recommendations, which will then need to go back to each of the 12 MCC boards for ratification.

We ask for your prayerful support as we move through this time of discernment and transition. This process holds the potential to unify us around a common vision, strengthened mission, and increased capacity for meaningful impact around the world. May God grant us wisdom and grace.