April 15thSeeking to Be “A Church to Belong and Be Loved, Embraced in the Spirit”
This is the fifth in a series of reflections from Executive Minister Michael Pahl on our new MCM Vision & Mission Statement, approved at our 2026 Gathering.
It’s been a truism in missional church, evangelism, and faith formation circles for a few decades: belonging comes before believing. People generally are drawn to church for the community and care; a faith commitment often comes after, and details of theology are typically secondary. Belonging comes before believing.
This is borne out in surveys on church participation. A 2024 U.S. survey by the American Bible Society, for example, found that for most Christians who are actively participating in a local church, the most influential factor in this is the sense of community and belonging they feel—shared spiritual beliefs and faith came second.
This also came through in focus groups and surveys over the past two years in our visioning process for Mennonite Church Manitoba. When asked what was especially important to people about church, words and phrases like “community,” “relationships,” “a sense of belonging,” and “being cared for” repeatedly came up first. This doesn’t mean our shared faith is not important to us—our Anabaptist-Mennonite identity, centered on Jesus, also surfaced as a strong emphasis—but this is not the first thing that comes to mind for many of us when we think about what we most value about church.
We all want “a church to belong and be loved, embraced in the Spirit.”
There are many reasons for this, of course. Cultural observers have long noted the individualism that marks most western societies (in contrast to the collectivism of many non-western societies). They’ve also, in recent decades, observed an increased sense of isolation felt by many, a general disengagement from social discourse, and a sharpened polarization around political and social issues. In reaction to all this, a renewed longing for connection and community seems inevitable.
There’s also a basic human need for connection that transcends our particular cultural moment. It’s there in some of the most ancient of our Scriptures: “It is not good for the human to be alone” (Gen 2:18). We need human connection. We need human companionship. We need community. We need each other.
The church has been created by God, built by Christ, and formed by the Spirit in part to meet these deep needs. There’s a reason family language is so prevalent in the New Testament related to the church: we need the reliable relationships and safe spaces and devoted care that a healthy family provides, with a group of people who share some of our most significant convictions and values.
We all need “a church to belong and be loved, embraced in the Spirit.”
That last phrase is not an add-on for poetic purposes; it’s crucial to the belonging and be-loving we experience in the church. We are first and foremost embraced by the Spirit, and this divine embrace prompts us and enables us to embrace others with the same forgiveness, merciful care, and simple acceptance of who we are which we have ourselves experienced.
It’s a truth embedded in our Scriptures. “We love because God first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us” (Eph 5:1). “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you” (Rom 15:7).
May we all know—truly know, deep in our spirits—God’s embrace in the Spirit. And may we all extend that same embrace—that same forgiveness, that same compassion, that same joyful welcome—to others. May we—in our individual congregations, in our community of congregations—be “a church to belong and be loved, embraced in the Spirit.”