Make Roomby Mercedes Thomas These were the words shared with me a week and a half ago during a visit with Aled Griffith, Nick Scott, and Shane Good. Aled is the Team Leader for Synergy, a family of churches across the UK, Spain, and the US Midwest. Visiting from the UK, Aled brought along his friends… Continue Reading
Life as an Urban Missionaryby Michael Clancy As I enter my eighth year as an urban missionary, I wholeheartedly dedicate myself to helping men transition from prison and programs back into society. In 2016, I met Shawn Connatser, a man with long hair and a warm smile. He first attended my Bible studies at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility,… Continue Reading
Movement Update: June 2025by Rodney Martin Glenn Kauffman and I recently completed a survey asking how many leaders LMC has trained in the past year. After we thought about it for a moment we realized, to our surprise, that the number is higher than we imagined. In our movement development work, Glenn and I are leading—or learning to… Continue Reading
LMC at Movement Leaders Collective’s Global Gathering in LondonBishop Elders Rodney Martin and Keith Blank, and Movement Navigator Glenn Kauffman in London in May 2025 for Movement Leaders Collective’s Global Gathering by Rodney Martin Glenn Kauffman, Keith Blank, and I recently attended the Movement Leaders Collective (MLC) gathering in London. MLC hosts an annual, three-day Global Gathering. Previously held in the US, the… Continue Reading
The Impact of STEP in Leadership Developmentby Mercedes Thomas and Lynn Shertzer “One of my goals is that we transition well, and that we have a plan in place—not just when we have to—but we are actually being proactive in what that looks like. I thought, what if churches have a proactive plan for the next generation of leaders? What would… Continue Reading
My Story: How the STEP Program Changed My Lifeby Zelalem Eshete I would like to share my story of how the STEP program became a turning point in my spiritual journey and changed my life for the better. First, a brief background. I came to know the Lord early in life while I was in middle school in Ethiopia. At that time, the… Continue Reading
Taking the Preaching Plungeby Tom Eshleman Year 1 of STEP challenges students with a class that, for some, can feel like a swimming pool on a frigid day. Each year, at least half of STEP participants have never preached a sermon, so the pulpit assignment can feel as unwelcome as taking the swimming plunge in the cool of… Continue Reading
Teaching in Vietnam – March 2025by William Higgins I had the privilege of traveling to Vietnam in March to teach a class at the Vietnam Mennonite Training Institute, the school of the Vietnam Mennonite Church. This was a follow-up to a class from last year, finishing up our study of The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (1995). Beyond the regular… Continue Reading
“This Is All God:” The Lord’s Healing Powerby Mountville Mennonite Church “We don’t do anything, this is all God.” In this video story, Dale Ebersole and Mark Mummert from Mountville Mennonite Church share two stories of the Lord’s healing power. On two occasions, Dale experienced injuries/pain and sought the prayers of his church community. Mark, who has had some training in healing… Continue Reading
Far From God to a Relationship with the Fatherby Steve Campbell I am the pastor at Zion Mennonite Church in Birdsboro, PA. Last year, I began a membership class with a few folks who were interested in journeying with us. One young woman shared deeply with us about her life choices that took her far away from God. During our discussions, the Lord… Continue Reading
2025 Garifuna Evangelical Mission Annual Assemblyby Keith Blank and Felixa V. de Kunkle We had the privilege of being a part of the annual assembly of the Evangelical Garifuna Mission (EGM) last week, March 6–8. EGM is a network of sixteen congregations spread across the US who are also a part of the LMC movement. This was our first time connecting in… Continue Reading
Newly Credentialed Leaders Orientation, 2/1/25by Sherri Martin Have you ever encountered a question that stayed with you and made you pause and deeply reflect? During our recent Newly Credentialed Leaders Orientation, Bishop Hyacinth Stevens asked a thought-provoking question about what heaven on earth might look like. I envisioned a recent time I volunteered at Blessings of Hope, a wonderful… Continue Reading