{"id":27348,"date":"2026-06-28T21:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T21:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=27348"},"modified":"2026-06-29T01:55:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T01:55:56","slug":"mmb-adopts-two-statements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2026\/mmb-adopts-two-statements\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission and Ministry Board adopts two statements on Supreme Court decisions, approves budget parameter for 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board in its pre-Annual Conference meeting on Sunday, June 28, adopted two statements on Supreme Court decisions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— \u201cA Statement of Concern on Voting Rights Protections\u201d<\/strong> laments the Supreme Court\u2019s April 29 decision weakening key protections of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— \u201cOur Faith Calls Us to Stand Beside Those Who Suffer\u201d<\/strong> responds to the June 25 ruling allowing the federal government to remove temporary protected status (TPS) from Haitians, Syrians, and others who have been in the US legally and had been protected from deportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full texts of the two statements follow below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board approved a 2027 budget parameter<\/strong> for the Church of the Brethren\u2019s Core Ministries of $5.17 million income and $5.21 million expense, resulting in a net expense of $44,000 in Core Ministries. This represents an expense reduction of $242,000 below the 2026 budgeted expenses based on a number of factors including an increase in rental income from a new tenant at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.; a decrease in rental income from Eder Financial at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill.; a 2 percent cost-of-living increase in employee wages and salaries; and a decrease in cost for medical insurance benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board is expected to approve the full 2027 budget for all denominational ministries at its October meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board also approved an increase in the Ministry Enablement Contribution.<\/strong> This contribution, which is a percentage of restricted gifts such as donations to the Emergency Disaster Fund and the Global Food Initiative Fund, helps offset administrative costs of the related ministries. The board increased the Ministry Enablement Contribution from 9 percent to 12 percent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Mission and Ministry Board meeting on Sunday, June 28, in Fort Wayne, Ind., was led by board chair Kathy Mack, assisted by chair-elect Josiah Ludwick and general secretary David Steele. Photos by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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In other business,<\/strong> the board received a 2026 financial update and several reports, welcomed international guests, and recognized the three board members completing their terms of service: Barbara Dat\u00e9, Karen Shively Neff, and Joanna Wave Willoughby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 7:9 Awards<\/strong> were given by the Intercultural Ministries to Wendy McFadden, publisher and executive director of Brethren Press and Communications, and Nancy Sollenberger Heishman, director of Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting was led by chair Kathy Mack, assisted by chair-elect Josiah Ludwick and general secretary David Steele. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find the full agenda and background documents at www.brethren.org\/mmb\/meeting-info<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find a photo album from the meeting at https:\/\/churchofthebrethren.smugmug.com\/AC-2026\/Mission-and-Ministry-Board<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The full text of the two Mission and Ministry Board statements:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A statement of concern on voting rights protections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Mission and Ministry Board of the Church of the Brethren offers the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting voting rights protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We believe God desires a reconciled people drawn from \u201cevery nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages\u201d<\/em> (Revelation 7:9). Yet we recognize that many people and communities continue to experience racism, discrimination, and exclusion. As followers of Christ, we are called to listen deeply to those experiences, to learn from them, and to join God\u2019s work of reconciliation, justice, and peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, we lament the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s April 29, 2026, decision weakening key protections of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For decades, this provision has helped protect against racial discrimination in voting and public participation. We are concerned this ruling may create new barriers for communities that have historically faced exclusion and may further limit their ability to participate fully in decisions that affect their lives and the common good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 2007 Annual Conference statement, Separate No More (www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/2007-separate-no-more<\/a>), the Church of the Brethren affirmed God\u2019s call to become a people united across racial, ethnic, and cultural differences. We recognize that living into that vision requires more than good intentions. It requires us to confront discrimination, build relationships across differences, and speak with courage when human dignity, justice, and peace are threatened. That commitment continues today through the Church of the Brethren\u2019s strategic priority to \u201cSeek God\u2019s Racial Justice,\u201d which calls us to identify and dismantle barriers that prevent us from becoming a community of all nations, peoples, and languages gathered in God’s presence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The board recognized three members who are completing their terms: Barbara Dat\u00e9 (in top photo, with general secretary David Steele), Karen Shively Neff (above), and Joanna Wave Willoughby (below), who attended via Zoom. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Guided by those convictions, we join our voices with all who seek a society in which every person is valued, every voice is heard, and those most vulnerable to discrimination are protected. We encourage congregations and members throughout the Church of the Brethren to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n