The Moderator of Mennonite Church Manitoba is pleased with the outcome of their annual general meeting last weekend.

There had been concern about a major split over the issue of same-sex marriage. Some of the 45 congregations want to allow same-sex marriage while others don't. Moderator Peter Rempel says, rather than putting forward a resolution to allow congregations to go ahead with same-sex marriage, the board suggested congregations continue studying the matter over the next three years with the knowledge that there are different understandings of this issue.

"We re-framed the issue as, Christians have different convictions of conscience about various matters including how much of the rules of the Old Testament still apply. That's a debate and discussion that started already in the early church about circumcision and about Sabbath and about Holy Days and about pure food. If we regard it as matter of conscience over which Christians can disagree, then we can look to some advice that Paul gives about accept one another, but not to despise or judge and to respect the conscience of the other, to own your own conscience and then live it out to honour Christ and to serve the Lord. I think it's helpful to re-frame it as a matter of difference of conscience in which Christians can respect each other and then still work together and then, as Paul says, we'll all have to stand before God who will judge our actions and our decisions."

Rempel says very few people spoke directly to the board's statement on marriage at the annual meeting but adds the comments from delegates were very much compatible with the board.

"We want to, at this point, stress that we have much that unites us in Christ as Mennonite Church Manitoba and that we want to live and minister in that unity. And, there seemed to be a readiness to let this particular discussion rest, at least at the area church level, for three years and we want to proceed in that way.

Three congregations have left Mennonite Church Manitoba over the same-sex marriage issue in previous years and Rempel says he has heard a fourth is considering such a move. He notes these departures are one factor that has led to a significant cut in the budget of Mennonite Church Manitoba.

"Financially we are struggling. With, in part, the departure of several congregations, but also, a general decline in donations received by congregations from their members, there has been less funding coming forward to the area church. So we will need to be more prudent in this current year in terms of our spending."