A statement to pastors and churches of the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference and other interested people

Jeff Wright
January 11, 2009

On Saturday, January 10, 2009, I was informed by Moderator Tyler Zabriskie and Assistant Moderator Brian Fry that my contract as Conference Minister would not be renewed at the end of this fiscal year. My last day as Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference Minister will be June 30, 2009.

This was not a mutual decision, nor was it arrived at in mutual conversation. This is an action driven by the discontent of the Board as it reflects on the lack of active congregational participation in the Conference and the lack of financial giving to the Conference. Nevertheless, I accept the decision of the Executive Committee, and by extension, I accept this as the will of the Board of Directors and I accept this as the will of the Delegate Assembly of the Conference.

I have served the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference in multiple part-times assignments since its founding on July 1, 1994, and I also served the PSMC’s predecessors, the Southwest Mennonite Conference and the Pacific District of the General Conference Mennonite Church before that. Altogether, by the end of this fiscal year, I will have served 20 ½ years as in ministry with the Conference as youth minister, conference coordinator, regional conference minister, and in this past year, conference minister. I believe I have served in these positions with integrity, clarity, and always seeking the best for the conference as defined by the constituency with whom I was charged by the Board to work alongside. I have been blessed in the gift of this service, and I thank the PSMC for the privilege of allowing me to serve.

Debbie and I have not yet considered our future plans. At present, my role as Executive Director of the Center for Anabaptist Leadership & President-Chief Operating Officer for Shalom Ministries continues, as does my pastoral assignment at the Madison Street Church in Riverside, CA. Given the state of the national, regional, and local economy; the state of Mennonite Church USA; and, our own family situation, our future plans will need additional discernment and conversations with trusted friends and colleagues.

In January 1989, I first answered the call of God and the invitation of the conference to serve the wider church with my gifts. In the years that followed, I sought to be a zealous mission strategist, community organizer, and teacher-preacher. Not all have welcomed that combination of gifts, nor has my personality always made everyone feel comfortable. I have done a lot of apologizing over the 20+ years I have served. But now, as I see the end to my role as a bishop in this conference, I join with the Apostle Paul and echo his words in 2 Corinthians 1.12-14: “Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace…And I hope that, as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Because of Christ’s just peace…
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For additional information, contact
Anne Alfred, Communications Director
Madison Street Church
909-816-2614
madison.street.church@gmail.com