A statement by members of the Council of Moderators and Secretaries in attendance at the Anabaptist Consultation on Alternative Service:

The Council of Moderators and Secretaries includes the leaders of the following denominations: Brethren-in-Christ, Church of the Brethren, Conservative Mennonite Conference, Mennonite Brethren, and Mennonite Church USA.

"As members of the Historic Peace Church family of churches, we gathered in Elgin, Ill., on March 4 and 5, 2005, as people in need of God's salvation, seeking God's healing and peace in a time of war and violence. Aware of the rich history on which we stand, we leave asking God for grace and courage as we face the challenges and the opportunities before us.

"We are called to a clear allegiance to Christ above all other allegiances, and a recognition that it is only through Christ that we can show love to our enemies. We confess that not only have we often failed to love our enemies, we have not always shown respect and love to one another in the Spirit of Christ. We remain rooted in our conviction that Jesus calls us to a life of love and peace, and call on our members to reject violence in all its forms.

"We listened carefully to presentations by staff from the Selective Service System and the Center on Conscience and War about the potential for a return to military conscription. Selective Service reported that a draft has not been authorized and is not imminent, but detailed plans for a draft and alternative service are in place in the event a draft becomes law. We acknowledge with appreciation the sincere efforts of Selective Service to protect the right of conscientious objection to war.

"Whether conscription is imminent or in the distant future, we know that God calls us to lives of joyful and sacrificial service in the way of Christ. We confess that we have not always modeled this in our own lives. To teach peace only when a draft seems imminent is a failure to live out the full meaning of Christ's ministry of reconciliation.

"We learned that intensified, high-pressure military recruitment is already occurring where poverty and racism exclude our brothers and sisters from the opportunities that give life meaning and hope. We were challenged to offer clear and meaningful alternatives to young people who would otherwise go to the military for jobs, education, or leadership training.

"We learned that many past and present models of service are designed around the needs of those serving without adequate thought to the longterm impact on the communities being served. We believe that God's Spirit is stirring anew among us, enlivening our imaginations and opening our hearts to patterns of relationship that are characterized by mutuality across the lines of race, class, and nation that too often divide us.

"We were called to openness and transparency in sharing Christ's way of peace and loving service beyond ourselves, with our neighbors, our communities, and our world.

"The Council of Moderators and Secretaries will be the authorizing and delegating body for continuing work on the issues discussed at the consultation, such as: contingency plans for a military draft or mandatory national service; responses to the ongoing military recruitment among communities of color and areas of poverty."

—Stan Noffsinger, Church of the Brethren; Charles Buller, US Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches; James Schrag, Mennonite Church USA; and Ben Shirk, Conservative Mennonite Conference.

Source: Newsline 3/7/2005
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