The Mission Centre Design Team is a group of members of Community of Christ in Canada who in 2024 responded to the call of Field Apostle Art Smith to envision a unified Canadian Mission Centre. This new Mission Centre will embody the traditions, ministries, and mission taking place regionally and locally. It will also reflect the hopes for the future of our church that members across Canada shared in the All Voices discernment process, which are summarized in the Onward Together statement.
Our Mandate
To design a unified, Canada-wide Mission Centre to support the mission, programming, and diverse needs of Community of Christ members and stakeholders across the country. The team will prioritize alignment with the Community of Christ in Canada strategic plan, as well as the broader church’s mission and values.
Our Goals
To preserve cherished regional traditions while envisioning unified practices for the future.
To explore how congregations can fund the mission centre equitably, whether through quotas, generosity, or new models.
To reconcile differing voting models (delegates vs. all-member voting).
To envision Canada-wide conferences that foster community.
To examine how campgrounds, reunions, youth camps, and retreats can continue to thrive.
To build stronger connections with those not connected to any congregation.
The Teams
The Mission Centre Design Team is composed of five sub-teams under the leadership of:
Vonda Vonda DenBoer - Canada East Mission Centre co-President
Shannon McAdam – Canada West Mission Centre co-President
Communication and Transparency Processes Communication is key to the success of any organization and especially so for the church across Canada. This group has identified the importance of transparency and diversity in all communications. No one method reaches all needs, and this group is striving to find the best solution for quickly, effectively and efficiently keeping members and friends apprised of opportunities, events and updates.
Team members include:
Wende Badder - Canada East
Troy Roach – Canada East
Shirley Smith – Canada West
Steve Thompson – Canada West
Conferences and Representation Model This team is focused on looking at the two existing models of representation: member and delegate. The goal is to arrive at the recommendation for an equitable representation model for Canada that best fits the current and future direction of the church in Canada. It also discusses the purpose, frequency and management of conferences.
Team members include:
John Scherer – Canada East
Bryce Taylor – Canada East
Marian Thompson – Canada West
Budget & Funding Systems This team is focused on looking at the two existing models of funding: generosity and assessment and possible alternative models. The goal is to arrive at the recommendation for a funding model for Canada that best fits the current and future direction of the church in Canada.
Team members include:
Sandra Hunter – Canada West
Brian Shantz – Canada East
Sam Smalldon - Bishop of Canada
Roy Young – Canada East
Preserving & Integrating Traditions, Fostering Prayerful and Spiritual Support This team has a multipronged task of identifying key traditions and ways to support them as well as methods of fostering spiritual formation. Their challenge is finding the most appropriate opportunities, for a diverse membership across great distances, several time zones, from congregations, camping communities and general membership that lead to developing lasting and meaningful relationships.
Team members include:
Lindsay DenBoer – Canada East
Sarah Glassford – Canada East
Emelia Goheen – Canada West
John Nichols – Canada East
Susan Scott – Canada East
Mission Alignment and Planning This group is seeking to identify areas of mission planning that are not currently identified in the strategic plan. They seek to identify ways in which the mission centre can best support congregations, pastors, and mission endeavours.
Team members include:
Rod Downing – Canada West
Parker Johnson – Canada West
Pat Pallister – Canada East
Sam Smalldon – Bishop of Canada
Susan Trimble - Canada East
Please note: The volunteer teams may reach out to others with specific skills to assist in their work. Each committee’s efforts are interconnected, all working toward the common goal of addressing successes and challenges in a way that positions the church to grow and thrive in the 21st century.
