Conference Theme

The Church of the Brethren took a giant step forward in affirming the vision as a church that shares Jesus in our neighborhoods. The Compelling Vision gives us a roadmap for how we are called by God to witness to a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe we are also called to share Jesus with each other. Vision statements don’t address issues of doctrine. And while we find ourselves agreeing on basic Church of the Brethren interpretations of faith—the Lordship of Jesus Christ, a commitment to sharing the Gospel through both word and deed—we as a church are often in conflict as we sort out our different interpretations of Biblical precepts.

We’ve tolerated those differences with varying degrees of frustration over the years, but society has now convinced some Brethren that tolerating them is no longer worth the effort. Too many of us have fallen into the world’s trap of believing that if you don’t see or do things the way we do, there’s something wrong with you, forgetting that the unity
that we all want and is called for repeatedly in scripture, is not uniformity.

The apostle Paul calls us to live in harmony (Romans 12:16). We Brethren know harmony. Musically, it means not singing the same thing–the same words or melody. Instead, harmony implies variety. It means respecting and appreciating the differences in the way we understand scripture, respond to God’s love, or go about continuing the work of Jesus.

Our theme for 2022 explores what it means to live in harmony with one another, respecting each other’s gifts and perspectives, while committed to a saving Christ who calls us to another way of living. The word that embodies this notion best is, “embrace.” Embracing implies reaching out intentionally, not just tolerating or refraining from
objecting. It’s an action verb, consistent with the many Biblical calls to love one another as Christ loves us.

Paul echoes that theme in his advice to the Roman church, “Welcome one another,” he writes, “just as Christ welcomed you”. (Romans 15:7 NRSV). The NIV uses the word “accepting”. As we embark on the adventurous future that God promises, I invite us to go even further, “Embracing One Another, as Christ Embraces Us”, living and working in harmony, as we share Jesus in the neighborhood.

Jesus’ prayer was plain and direct: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35 NIV)

—David Sollenberger
2022 Moderator