The U.S. Mennonite Brethren boards convened for the annual spring meeting April 22-25 in Denver, Colorado.
Actions from the meetings include:
- approving a revised mission statement, which will be shared at Gathering 2026 in Salt Lake City,
- affirming Jordan and Tristan Ringhofer as delegates to Mennonite World Conference, and
- approving $15,000 for a USMB website redesign.
The Board of Faith and Life met Wednesday, followed Thursday by the National Strategy Team. The Leadership Board and Leadership Council met Friday, and the Leadership Board met Saturday without Council members.
USMB ends 2025 financially positive
In the Friday Leadership Board meeting with Council members, Aaron Box, USMB national director, reported on progress in the area of the three core commitments: disciple-making, leadership development and church multiplication. In addition, Box shared news that USMB finished 2025 with a positive balance for the first time in a number of years.
J.L. Martin, USMB bookkeeper, provided a full financial report, including results of a large USMB fundraiser that occurred in the fall of 2025. Due to the high cost of mailing, the Leadership Board asked USMB staff to look for alternative fundraising options.
Martin, who also serves as USMB event planner, reported on registration for Gathering 2026, which is tracking to have similar attendance as the 2024 event in Omaha, Nebraska.
New hire to support Faith and Life projects
Jesse Swiers, chair of the national Board of Faith and Life, reported that the board will receive updates on the hiring of the Pacific District associate minister and USMB national resources lead position. With the hiring of this position, the BFL plans to create short videos based on Faith and Life pamphlets, rewrite the Confession of Faith pastoral commentary and produce an audiobook of the Confession of Faith in multiple languages.
Swiers also shared plans to host a Board of Faith and Life event that will be for district BFLs only January 11-13, 2027, in Phoenix, Arizona. This is a change from the previously planned Study Conference. The topic will be on hearing the voice of God. The goal of the gathering will be to build relationships among the boards, which provide spiritual oversight and uphold the Confession of Faith at the district level.
Council members give updates
In addition to Swiers, the Leadership Board received reports from Jon Wiebe, MB Foundation president and CEO, and written reports from USMB NextGen and the USMB ministry with immigrant churches.
District ministers Jordan Ringhofer (Pacific), Daniel Rodriguez (Central), James Moore (Eastern) and Brian Harris (Southern) provided written reports.
The National Strategy Team reported on discussions about the spring gathering with immigrant pastors and how to better support immigrant communities as well as general leadership development within the conference. This group works with the national director to facilitate the USMB core commitments.
Leadership Board discuss governance process, Multiply task force
The Leadership Board reconvened Saturday to further discuss agenda items from Friday’s meeting as well as address new business.
The board discussed its current governance process, including matters of budget and designated funds. As a result, the board plans to write a governance policy regarding financial reserves, which will be discussed at the fall board meeting.
Additionally, the board received updates on the progress of the Multiply task force, formed to develop an effective structure for the bi-national missions agency. The task force will provide a report to the Leadership Board this summer.
Leaders of USMB boards
Leadership Board members include: Dave Thiessen, chair; Jared Pulliam, vice chair; Joan Warkentin, secretary; Gaven Banik, treasurer; and members at large Ross Bentley, Samuel Hailemariam, Amy Jackson-Kincaid, Staci Janzen, Jason Quiring and Moises Tagle Jr.
Leadership Council members do not vote and are part of the council by virtue of their ministry assignment. Council members include the district ministers, Board of Faith and Life chair, USMB NextGen director, the Pacific District Conference Hispanic Council chair, MB Foundation president and CEO and the Multiply general director.
Lacey joined the Christian Leader staff as editor in July 2025. She has more than two decades of experience in editorial writing and strategic communications, creating and editing content for newspaper, magazines, websites and email campaigns. Lacey, her husband and their two girls live in Wichita, Kansas, and attend Ridgepoint Church.
