KRONSFELD, MB
For decades, members of South Kronsfeld Mennonite Church have faithfully followed the biblical model of deciding absolutely everything, including church leaders, by pulling names out of Mr. Wall’s hat. However, this practice has come into question recently after the church’s first female elder was selected using this method.
“We usually just throw all the names of the eligible candidates in a hat, pray over it, and let the Lord decide,” explained longtime church elder Peter B. Wall. “I’m not sure how it happened but when I reached in to select the new elder, I pulled out the name of Mrs. Henry Vogt. I thought for sure there must be some kind of error.”
Wall suggested that the ‘s’ at the end of ‘Mrs’ was really not meant to be there, but try as he might he could not succeed in explaining it away.
“Perhaps it was just an ink smudge,” pondered the elder. “Because it couldn’t possibly be that the Lord wanted a woman on the board. A woman elder? It doesn’t give such.”
Some church members were considering casting another vote, but Mr. Wall reluctantly admitted that, “the hat has spoken,” and that Mrs. Vogt would be allowed to take her position.
Since the casting of lots was clearly the biblical method of elder selection there was simply nothing Mr. Wall or any of the other men in the congregation could do, and Mrs. Vogt was pleased to take her spot on the board.
“I’m glad to see our church make some progress, even if it was brought on by a leaky pen,” said Mrs. Vogt, who said she was pleased with her selection. “Oba, the Lord works in mysterious ways, yet.”
(Photo credit: by euthman 
