Masterful Mergers at Work

By Amber C. Schrag

Many of us have not been watching the General Conference (GC) and Mennonite Church (MC) integration process very closely, assuming it does not really apply to us at the moment. This response, however, may not be quite as appropriate as previously thought. Bethel College, and the other Mennonite colleges in the United States, may face structural changes along with a new and different relationship with the church and conference due to the ensuing integration process.

Presently, the differences between the GC and the MC colleges lie within the relationship the colleges have with the conference. The GC colleges, Bethel and Bluffton, are independent corporations with close ties to the church. Some board members are appointed by the district conferences. The by-laws of the Bethel College board even specify that a certain percentage of the board members must be active members in the General Conference.

The MC colleges, Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen, and Hesston, are directly owned by the MC denomination through the Mennonite Board of Education (MBE). All board members of MC colleges are appointed by the MBE making the tie between the churches and the colleges considerably more formal.

With the coming MC and GC merger in mind, the Education Integration Committee (EIC) was formed. Both Doug Penner and Dale Schrag from Bethel are part of this committee. The group has been meeting every two months since 1997 to work on the new configuration of colleges for the integrated Mennonite Church USA.

Each conference has valid fears and concerns about how the new system will be set up. From the MC perspective, the Mennonite Board of Education is concerned that the GC model of independent corporations is too loose.

"In theory," said Dale Schrag, Director of Church Relation at Bethel College, "persons without ties to-or interest in-the Mennonite church could donate a great deal of money, then exercise the resulting corporation votes in a manner that would move the college away from the church."

From the GC perspective, MC colleges are too subject to church control. Is this setup too oppressive? Does it inhibit intellectual freedom? Schrag believes that these fears, while understandable, are exaggerated in both instances. Within time, most of the marginal fears should be resolved and a center of compromise reached.

The EIC is calling for a Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) in the new church. The Integration committee has been working on the structure of the MEA and they presently have a fairly specific proposal drafted that outlines the purposes and responsibilities of the MEA. Now it is the colleges' turn to take part in this process. Each institution has been invited to submit a proposed "Statement of Arrangement," articulating how they would like to relate to the MEA.

The Statements of Arrangement are due on the first of April. On the fifteenth of April the EIC will review all of the Statements to see if any adjustment need to be made in them in order to have a workable plan for the future.

Schrag said he "has no allusions [we will] get to the point where everybody will be the same." That is to be expected this early in the process. "Likely, over time the differences will tend to fade and some moving toward the center will happen," Schrag commented. But he also noted that it "has to happen gradually and naturally" instead of being forced.

Schrag says the integration process has "been very, very energizing and stimulating." It has been a very positive process for him. Looking at the different colleges and conferences Schrag notes that we are " a whole lot more alike than we are different." It should be exciting to watch the integration process further unfold in these next few months.