Sara Wenger Shenk offers “proposal to pivot”
Sara Wenger Shenk, President Emerita of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), has written a plea to MCC leaders to shift away from “counterproductive” attempts to respond to reports about systemic abuse, and to “pivot” toward a path of accountability that begins with “fact-based, trust-worthy documentation” and continues with public transparency, acknowledgement of wrongdoing, confession, apology, and restitution.
Sara has met in person with a member of the MAST steering committee, has worn a teal ribbon in support of MAST, and has also met with MCC leaders to share her concerns.
We have added links where Sara quotes from or refers to material that is available online.
“I believe… that there are ways MCC could have responded (and still could) that would relieve the suffering of those who’ve been harmed, and enhance the integrity and vitality of MCC. While I’m aware that there are disagreements about the facts and what constitutes abuse, what seems indisputable to me is that the public statements MCC has made, with their minimizations and denials of abuse, have only exacerbated the sense of institutional betrayal for those in pain.”
A Modest Proposal to Pivot
Sara Wenger Shenk
July 2, 2025
Given my current distance from Mennonite Central Committee, and MCC’s profound inter-cultural complexity and multiple viewpoints on internal matters, I am reluctant to speak up. As an outsider, I am not in a position to ascertain the veracity of what is alleged about MCC’s abuse of power. Even so, I have been encouraged by others to speak up. And I am compelled by an inner sense of moral urgency, along with the hard-won wisdom I’ve learned from victims of abuse over many years, to offer a public witness.
I am a loyal and ardent MCC supporter. I trusted MCC leaders to make redemptive choices after seven former MCC employees published an open letter “Concerns about abuse within MCC and call for answers,” June 11, 2024 and their subsequent formation of MAST (MCC Abuse Survivors Together), September 10, 2024. Instead, I’ve watched with growing dismay as the ways MCC leaders have chosen to respond in public appear to have only increased the pain of those harmed. And dozens more have come forward to MAST alleging abuse, now totaling 67.
I have experienced MCC’s broad-brush public attempts to respond to allegations of abuse (and even apologize) as largely counterproductive. MCC’s own contracted consultant’s recent findings state:
There is deep pain and distrust among stakeholders regarding MCC’s past and present responses to harm, marked by perceptions of defensiveness, lack of empathy, and prioritization of image over genuine care. Many feel that MCC’s public statements are bureaucratic rather than heartfelt, leading to skepticism about its willingness and ability to truly listen and respond. As a result, confidence in MCC’s leadership and overall integrity is significantly eroded.
Jes Stoltzfus Buller, May 29, 2025 (A report on stakeholder voices and the feasibility of a listening space for Mennonite Central Committee)
I believe, based on my experience of leadership in three different Mennonite institutions (Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary and Virginia Mennonite Conference), that there are ways MCC could have responded (and still could) that would relieve the suffering of those who’ve been harmed, and enhance the integrity and vitality of MCC. While I’m aware that there are disagreements about the facts and what constitutes abuse, what seems indisputable to me is that the public statements MCC has made, with their minimizations and denials of abuse, have only exacerbated the sense of institutional betrayal for those in pain.
I speak to how institutional betrayal profoundly increases the pain victims feel in a chapter I was invited to write for the book Liberating the Politics of Jesus: renewing peace theology through the wisdom of women (t&tclark, 2020). Elizabeth Soto Albrecht, and her co-editor, Darryl Stephens, asked me to tell the story of how AMBS responded to victims of John Howard Yoder’s sexual exploitation after prolonged institutional cover-up. This story is captured in the chapter, “Repairing the Moral Canopy after Institutional Betrayal.”
For those of us seeking to improve our overall culture of institutional responses to persons we have harmed, the hard-won wisdom I have learned over the years (described in that chapter) is briefly distilled here:
1) To pursue fact-based, trust-worthy documentation to learn what in fact happened and to transparently share it is foundational for establishing any credibility going forward.
2) For victims to help guide the process is all important; it is often they who can best show us what must be done to make things right.
3) To break the silence and tell the truth about what happened is essential. Public truth-telling will not only serve the cause of justice for victims, but for perpetrators as well—and lead toward broadly shared community understanding and healing.
4) To take institutional responsibility and publicly acknowledge failure to live up to our own ideals and moral principles is important for restoring trust in our institutional mission.
5) To lament and confess our institutional complicity in exacerbating harm by blaming or disbelieving victims is essential to mitigating their sense of institutional betrayal.
6) To apologize in ways that are genuine and personally sensitive to those harmed—along with offering some form of restitution—these are important steps toward healing and restored well-being.
The renewed freedom, healing, and joy many of us experienced as we walked step by step through these movements (at AMBS 2013-2015) inspired us to walk in the nonviolent way of Jesus with a new spring in our steps, light in our spirit, integrity in our public witness and flourishing in our life together.
And so, a modest proposal to pivot toward collaboration:
1. Within reason, follow the lead of those who, out of their love for MCC’s mission, have identified ways MCC is falling short because they personally have experienced the harm of MCC’s failure to live up to its core commitments; heed their guidance and agree to the conditions they have requested for reviewing what happened. In particular, solicit their input when determining what is needed for establishing the facts, and for credible, public communication.
2. Commit to a new transparency, with documentation and reporting that is factually based and considered reliable by all involved as honestly representing both the institutional perspective and the victims’ perspective—with a shared desire for public truth-telling that is as fair as possible (meaning that anything shared publicly will invite input from those about whom it speaks).
3. Following reliable investigations and reporting about where MCC has specifically failed individual persons, publicly acknowledge institutional responsibility, and apologize to victims for blaming, disbelieving, or minimizing the harm they experienced. Seek meaningful ways to offer restitution.
I offer these perspectives with acknowledgement that while I don’t know the complexities of MCC well or the tough choices and trade-offs they need to make, I have been impressed from the beginning with the wisdom shared by the MAST team on their website, and more recently, by an in-person conversation and personal emails with one of their team. Had MCC leaders heeded their wisdom, I believe we would be much farther along on the road toward healing and restoration. I am grateful for co-workers and collaborators over the years who helped to show the way, chief among whom were victim/survivors themselves. How can MCC truly listen to and collaborate with MAST to find a way to pivot toward renewed trust and vitality?
Looking for a next step to take in response? Check out our list of ways to get involved (wear a teal ribbon - speak out publicly - sign the petition or write a letter - ask for an external investigation - support survivors - coordinate your efforts with others - educate yourself and your congregation about institutional abuse dynamics).