1. First Principles: MCC lays claim to a biblical value base. Some key passages are the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 25:31-46 and Luke 4:16-22.
   
   1. Biblicism:
      
      1. Kingdom of God/heaven: The Kingdom of God/heaven is a reality where the reign of God has come.
      2. Christian Counterculture: Christian Counterculture describes the impact Jesus’ disciples should have on the society in which they live.
      3. God’s New Community: The Church should be a model of the Kingdom of God .
   2. The Anabaptist Vision: In 1944 Harold S Bender posited three pillars which are central to Mennonite theology; a) a new conception of the essence of Christianity as discipleship; b) a new conception of the church as a brotherhood and sisterhood; and c) a new ethic of love and nonresistance. This vision is firmly rooted in the understandings and beliefs of the shared leadership of the Mennonite people.
   3. The Genius of the Mennonite Peoplehood: Out of these foundational Anabaptist understandings grew what Menno Wiebe described as the genius of the Mennonite peoplehood. This genius resides not in a charismatic leader or leaders, but is firmly rooted in the understandings and beliefs of the mass of the Mennonite people.  It is noteworthy that most of these leaders have not been clergymen but businessmen and women, scholars, professionals, farmers, musicians and artists. The leaders who have made a real difference have come from within the peoplehood and have led to the formation of MCC, MEDA, Mencoldes, MDS, CFGB, AIMM, CPT, CPI, MAMA, TTV and many other manifestations of Christian counterculture. 

d.   Peace: Peace is a signature Mennonite, and MCC, issue.

5. Mottos: MCC has selected two mottos: “A Christian Resource for Meeting Human Need”, and service “In the Name of Christ”.
6. Theology: Theology informs all that MCC does and the way it operates is consistent with the Anabaptist understanding of how the Global Church should act.
7. Perspective: Anabaptist theology teaches that the church as counter culture, and as an embodiment of the Kingdom of God, reforms society by showing in its life and service how God’s human creation should function. The church provides redemptive, alternative models for the healing of the nations. The Anabaptist/Mennonite model rests on the power of invitation while the Reformed/Catholic model rests on the power of coercion. The Anabaptist/Mennonite model demonstrates while the Reformed/Catholic model legislates. 

2. Contributions: MCC has had significant impact in its 88 years of existence.  These impacts range from feeding hungry Mennonites and other Russian people during the famine that swept over Southern Russia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and civil war, the relocation of refugees, the modeling of biblical alternatives to the status quo, and motivation to provide leadership in various peace and social justice initiatives.
   
   1. Peace and Social Justice: The peace and social justice implications of the Gospel as summed up in Menno Simon’s description of “True Evangelical Faith” have been evident from the founding of the Anabaptist movement in 1525.
   2. Relief and Development: MCC has provided assistance in the form of relief, education, health care, refugee resettlement, economic development and advocacy to people all over the globe.  This work has been done in cooperation with many overseas partners. MCC in Canada has been focused on activities like Restorative Justice and Community Justice Ministries, and work with refugees and immigrants.
   3. Modeling: While the provision of direct services has been significant, MCC has also made a large contribution in modeling Kingdom values.
      
      1. Fair trade:. Traidcraft, a fair trade organization in the United Kingdom, was modeled on Self Help Crafts/ Ten Thousand Villages, and other fair trade organizations on the Continent followed this example in setting up alternative trading organizations.
      2. Relief: Canadian Food Grains Bank has been joined by fourteen other denominations or denominational agencies representing over 17,000 churches to become one of the most highly recognized agencies in addressing hunger in the world.
      3. Refugee resettlement: In 1978 MCC Canada negotiated a refugee sponsorship agreement with the Government of Canada. Subsequently, other church groups signed sponsorship agreements based on the MCC agreement.
      4. Environment and Care of Creation: The recycling initiative of Dave and Linda Worth in Kitchener was picked up by MCC Alberta, and other cities so that blue box recycling programs in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Australia now have some 40,000,000 subscribers.
      5. Restorative Justice: One of the signal events in the evolution of the restorative justice paradigm was the intervention by Dave Worth and Mark Yantzi on behalf of two young men. They explored with the boys, and the victims of their acts, ways of “making things right again”. This paradigm is taking hold in many parts of the world. MCC has been at the heart of this development from the beginning.
   4. Training: People who have served with MCC have been highly instrumental in giving leadership to other initiatives such as Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), International Development Enterprises (IDE), Canadian Food Grains Bank (CFGB), various restorative justice organizations, Christian Peacemakers International (CPI), and Project Ploughshares.

3. Resources: MCC had developed resources including ideological, financial, personnel, educational and a large reservoir of credibility, both in the developed world and in the two thirds world.
   
   1. Ideology/brand: MCC has been consistent in its basic values and beliefs. This consistency has become a significant organizational asset.
   2. Credibility: The most important asset MCC has is the credibility that is the result of being consistent to its values and to its understanding of itself. This credibility must be guarded with vigor. Several constituencies merit special mention:
      
      1. Members of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in North America and around the world. The greater majority of Mennonites and BICs support MCC and this support ranges from very strong among Mennonites and BICs who have a deep understanding of the Anabaptist Vision, to middling support among those in churches which are more evangelical than Anabaptist, to weak support among those churches which are connected with American Fundamentalism and have bought into the civil religion paradigm with its close alignment with the hard religious right in North America.

2. The development agencies of other faith communities. Canadian Foods Grain Bank has earned MCC credibility among other denominations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The dialogue between The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Mennonite World Conference is another example.
3. Service beneficiaries: Tens of thousands of people have been the beneficiaries of   the work of MCC. The majority of these view MCC with affection, and this constitutes a significant resource.1
4. Non-Mennonite VSers: Many non-Mennonites have served with MCC. When these people return to their homes, they bring the message of MCC to their home congregations and denominations.
5. Governments: MCC has built up a reservoir of goodwill and credibility with local, provincial and state and national governments around the world. Service in the corrections systems, environmental efforts, aboriginal communities and elsewhere, and the employment development programs in Calgary, Winnipeg and Abbotsford have earned MCC the right to be heard in Canada.
3. Finances: In 2007 the total income for MCC was US$104, 941,000 and the total income for MCC Canada was C$48,600,000. This indicates that MCC has developed an advanced capacity to generate financial resources to support its vision and goals.
4. Personnel: One of MCC’s greatest resources is its personnel. Young people as well as experienced people with highly developed skills have offered their services to MCC. Many of these are among the most highly motivated and devoted people available.
   
   1. Alumni: The number of people who have served with MCC now exceeds 16,000. They are MCC’s best ambassadors because of their commitment and dedication.
   2. Constituents: MCC has huge potential resource in the large number of highly skilled people from within the Mennonite constituency that could be tapped to provide focused shorter-term, and even longer term, service

4. Structure:. Structure can contribute to wellness and a healthy progression that can engender renewal.
   
   1. Hierarchy: Much of modern life has been characterized by hierarchy. Jesus, however, called his disciples to be servants and to lead through service.
   2. Non-hierarchical growth: One of the central tenets of the Anabaptist faith is that each church is a free standing entity, and responsible to itself. Structurally, early Anabaptist churches acknowledged their fraternal obligations to one another, but there was no over riding structure or hierarchy that imposed itself on these Anabaptist churches.
   3. Centralization: MCC is highly centralized structurally, with the head office in Akron, and a subsidiary office in Winnipeg. A more decentralized decision making structure could generate greater support, institutional impact, efficiency, effectiveness and faithfulness.
   4. North America organization: The Mennonite community in the US is roughly 2.5 times larger than the Canadian but it appears that the Canadian structuring generates significantly greater financial resources per capita than does the US. This phenomenon bears examination as part of this renewal exercise.
   5. Division of labor: There have been several agreements between the various MCCs about how to deliver programs and these affect the way programming is done at the international, national, provincial/regional and local levels.
      
      1. Akron: At the international level, programming has been the almost exclusive jurisdiction of MCC bi-national which is operated out of Akron.
      2. Canada: With the implementation of the Red River Accord, the program role of MCC Canada and some of the provinces has declined.

iii Programs which have brought much credibility to MCC in Canada in the past 40 years—Restorative Justice, and its derivatives like VORP, M2W2 and CJM, TTV, Supportive Care Services, Recycling and Care of Creation (ERS and TRACC), CFGB, Refugee Sponsorship and refugee supporting agencies like EMCN, Native Concerns, Employment Development and its derivatives, and the work with the Kanadier Mennonites—all started before the adoption of the Red River Accord. Most, if not all, of these grew from the passion of individuals within the Mennonite peoplehood who had a vision.

iv.  Resource generation: In the short term, the financial resources available to MCC have not been reduced by the Red River Accord. However, if individuals’ contributions and donations follow their involvement and commitment to a cause, there may be a decline in contributions if people are not involved directly in projects.

6. Boundaries: Organizations typically set boundaries around themselves and the persons enforcing these boundaries are significant gatekeepers of what happens within the organization.
   
   1. Turnover: At the Board level there is considerable turnover because there is a consensus that terms of Board members should not be longer than six years. As a result MCC Boards can have fairly short institutional memories.
   2. Gatekeepers: It appears that a number of staff has been in senior programming positions for long periods of time. As these staffers time with MCC is extended, they become not only the institutional memory but the de facto gatekeepers for the organization. If these staffers are insightful, energetic, and committed to a biblical model of servant leadership, the organization may continue to serve well.
   3. Bureaucracies: Organizations that are set up as a hierarchy need to have ways of receiving input from the constituency.

5. Peace: Peace is a signature issue for Mennonites and for MCC. Along with Quakers, Mennonites constitute the historic peace churches, and for many Canadian Mennonites, MCC has been the most important standard bearer for this issue.

Peace is a broader concept than the absence of conflict and can be the result of activities such as relief work, food and water security, medical care, and education. It is a proactive process that requires MCC to think and plan systemically. A strong educational component to help people understand that building peace is part of everyday activities and that understanding and support, rather than violent conflict, will change the present situation in the world. 2 

6. Personnel: Personnel is one of the greatest resources of MCC and there are ways to grow this resource.
   
   1. Communication: MCC is a fairly weak signal on the radar screen, other than through the announcements that appear in the weekly church bulletin. MCC should send all alumni a copy of the A Common Place unless the individual alumnus has declined it.
   2. Follow-up: People who have served with MCC are among the most highly motivated and committed supporters of the MCC vision. Unfortunately there are those who leave MCC assignments disillusioned. Follow-up with these individuals regarding their experience and insights is a rich vein of ore available to MCC.

7. Directions: MCC has a solid foundation on which to plan for the next two to three decades.
   
   1. A Voice in the World: Mennonites and MCC should be a prophetic voice in the larger pluralistic, global society.
      
      1. More modeling: MCC should challenge its constituency to model the welfare of the city. This challenge could be a focus of the Mennonite institutions of higher learning.
      2. Christian citizenship. North Americans are citizens of a democratic state and have a right and responsibility to put forward their ideas. MCC’s credibility can help Mennonites to be heard, especially in Canada.
      3. MCC has the potential of becoming the pre-eminent, non-state, 3  peace organization in the world. MCC Canada could and should play a critical role in this evolution.
   2. Rootedness: MCC is rooted in the Anabaptist/Mennonite faith tradition and this must continue. The Gospels and the New Testament have provided inspiration and direction for MCC since 1920, and this must not change.
      
      1. Symposia and shoe leather: The Peace Section in Akron has a practice of calling together scholars and theologians who have studied issues related to peace to provide direction for MCC in the future. These discussions should be used to call out and train new peace practitioners.
      2. Basic values: We believe there may be merit in MCC striking a body that would help give theological direction to its future development. MCC has access to fine scholars at institutions like EMU, AMBS, CMU, Conrad Grebel and Semilla, and these people could help envision alternative futures for humanity based on the best biblical scholarship, and the best research knowledge available from within the Mennonite peoplehood.
      3. Anabaptist perspectives: Economics from an Anabaptist/biblical perspective would be as welcome as Yoder’s book The Politics of Jesus.
   3. Ownership: We assume that the Mennonite people hood of North America “owns” MCC.
      
      1. “A Christian Resource for Meeting Human Need”  MCC as “A Christian Resource for Meeting Human Need” should involve North America as well as in Africa, Asia or Latin. 4 If MCC were a resource to meet the vision, devotion and creativity of Mennonite churches and their individual members in North America, there might be a great flowering of initiative to build the Kingdom of God at home as well as in other parts of the world.
      2. Growing support: MCC Canada must reexamine the Red River Accord to find a better balance between funding for local and overseas projects. At present the impression is sometimes left that MCC just wants Mennonite money and no other involvement. The implicit message of the RRA seems to be, “Give us your money—but we don’t need your energy, dedication, insight and commitment.”
      3. Devolution: If MCC is owned by the Mennonite churches then it follows that there are services delivered as close to the people as possible. Program administration for at least some of the overseas program should devolve from Akron to Winnipeg or even to provincial MCCs or the local congregations. For the congregations to “own” projects, it is essential that these be administered as close to the sponsors as possible. The Caribbean and Latin American MCC programming should be transferred to MCC Canada. For geo-political reasons programming related to the Middle East from Israel/Palestine to Afghanistan should also be transferred to MCC Canada. There have been many points of contact between Muslim people and Mennonites in Canada west of the Ontario/Quebec border and because Canada does not have the same baggage in this region of the world as does the US, this would be feasible.
      4. Proactive R & D: By encouraging individuals, churches and universities to generate ideas to serve their communities and the world, MCC would have a built in R & D department. This would help MCC become more proactive and could encourage MCC to engage issues with new ideas and approaches.
      5. Kingdom building: Jesus’ vision of building the Kingdom of God has been part the Mennonite peoplehood and these values should be retained. If building the Kingdom of God and its righteousness is the priority of MCC, then MCC should seek to build the Kingdom together with other entities that have arisen from within the Mennonite peoplehood and that share its values, vision and goals. Working with other entities that have arisen, and will arise, from within the Mennonite peoplehood and tapping their energy, insight and commitment is central to MCC becoming the pre-eminent, non-state peace organization it he world.
   4. Community: Unity and Solidarity
      
      1. Global unity and solidarity: As we move forward into the 21st century, Mennonite Conferences in other continents and countries will bring forth more MCCs, MEDAs, missions boards, other church agencies and educational institutions of their own. It is fitting that when invited, MCC and sister organizations from North America should assist these initiatives.
      2. Management development and development of civil society: It is fitting that MCC continue to allocate the majority of its financial resources on the two-thirds world. This is entirely consistent with Jesus’ call to share. MCC needs to address the root causes of the poverty and misery in these countries rather than only providing aid.
      3. Mutual accountability: The church must provide a model of uprightness for the world. There is merit in MCC, perhaps in conjunction with Mennonite mission boards, in setting up an accountability agency that would help address the issue of mismanagement and corruption in the developing world by 1.) ensuring that where possible, beneficiaries of the MCC programs learn about corruption and how to combat it, and 2.) training people within churches and church agencies to identify and eliminate corruption and mismanagement within their agencies. As Christians we must give and receive counsel, and we must care enough to confront.
      4. More on personnel resources: We have, within our Mennonite communities a wide array of highly skilled professionals who are prepared to lend their expertise to MCC on a short, and sometimes even a longer term, basis. Inviting them to serve would increase their goodwill and loyalty, not to mention contributions, to MCC. An inventory of professionals within the MCC supporting churches who are available, when needed, for short term assignments would be helpful.
   5. More peace: Of all MCC’s values, peace is the only one that is specifically highlighted in the “About MCC” website. The global military budget continues to be over $1,000,000,000,000 annually, when only 5% of this annual expenditure would be sufficient to meet all the Millennium Development Goals which would greatly reduce the underlying causes of so much conflict and war. Much of the work MCC does is necessitated by war. So if war could be eliminated, MCC could concentrate its overseas activities on building rather than repairing. A Canadian approach could include:
      
      1. Credibility: MCC’s credibility in Canada should be used on behalf of those who are voiceless. Our advocacy should be rooted in what MCC has done. We should speak from our experience and service.
      2. Revisit Mennonite theology of the state: Mennonites need to do some serious theological work on what it means to live in a democratic society.
      3. Speaking up: Mennonites and MCC should have a strong voice in addressing government policies.
      4. Connections: Connections need to be made with Mennonites who serve in the civil service in Canada. These public servants are aware of the challenges facing the human family, and many know that NGOs and non-state actors like MCC have an important and beneficial role to play in helping address these challenges.
      5. Value added: With specific reference to the $88,000,000 that Mennonites contribute annually to support for the Canadian Armed Forces through our taxes, MCC should devise a strategy to have this money redirected to peacemaking, peace building and conflict resolution and should take the leadership in collectively approaching the Government of Canada with like-minded NGOs to negotiate the redirection of our taxes to build peace through peaceful means rather than to try to build peace through the military.5
      6. Story The plight of displaced and starving Mennonites in the 1920’s and after WW2 is a story that has animated MCC. An additional story captured by the motto “For the Healing of the Earth: For the Healing of the Nations” could set a vision for the next 50 years of MCC. This motto is founded on the understanding that the church is to demonstrate the manifold wisdom of God to the world and builds on the record of MCC as a non-state actor. It is rooted in the teachings of Jesus.
      7. Limitations: If we imagine a different, better world, we should liberate our imaginations, harness the goodwill, energy, dedication and creativity of the Mennonite peoplehood and lead the way to this better world. We can demonstrate Christian counterculture. We can be God’s new community. We must continue to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” and then we must act on our prayer.

 
 
This submission is made from the perspective that MCC is a fine NGO. It is our desire to generate discussion and provide ideas for improving the performance and effectiveness of MCC.