To the editor:
Re "New Testament," May 11.
I appreciated Sandra Thomas's in-depth journalism of the practices of Westside Church and its leaders. There is certainly something newsworthy happening when, in the space of just a few years, over 1,000 young adults are presently gathering at Granville Island every week in a post-secular cosmopolitan centre like Vancouver.
I would be of the opinion that, despite other readers' disdain or indifference to the Christian faith, the spirit of God is at work in the disparate lives of so many people drawing them into a single community to celebrate God's goodness and salvation. When matters of faith generally, and Christianity particularly, have become such fuse-lit topics, it is refreshing to see an article like this wade into the thick. John Stackhouse's evaluation of evangelical church planters also made for good critical analysis of a social phenomenon that remains mysterious and difficult to pin down.
As mentioned, Westside and Willingdon are Mennonite Brethren (MB) in their denominational affiliation. It is fair and appropriate to mention that the MBs as a national denomination in 2006 declared themselves open to women in ministry, both as lead pastors, pastoral staff, elders and all other positions within their churches. Each congregation, however, is granted the freedom and autonomy to assess its missional context and determine what polity regarding women in ministry will be most effective. Willingdon, Westside and others in the Canadian Conference of MB Churches choose to exercise a conservative restriction.
Other MB churches such as Saanich Community where I am currently a pastor, Killarney Park (my previous congregation in Vancouver) and many others across Canada are inclusive and celebrate the Holy Spirit's gifting and enabling of women in all areas of ministry as well as proclaiming an egalitarian approach to spousal relationships-again, based on our biblical interpretation.
Dr. Ken Peters, Pastor, Saanich Community Church
