Desalegn Abebe, president of Meserete Kristos Church (the largest Mennonite World Conference member church, located in Ethiopia) wrote this paper, “From Inertia to Momentum: Restoring Institutional Integrity in Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)” after reading MCC’s February 5, 2025 statement. He shared it with MAST, with the following comment:

“As someone deeply committed to both truth and organizational stability, I found myself wrestling with multiple perspectives. On the one hand, my studies have challenged me to view these complexities through the lens of leadership, understanding the difficult decisions leaders must make. On the other hand, I was also struck by the culture of silence—instances where voices that should have spoken out remained unheard. This tension between institutional responsibility and the moral imperative to speak truthfully has been at the forefront of my reflections.”

Shared here with permission. Download the full paper as a PDF here.

From Inertia to Momentum: Restoring Institutional Integrity in Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)

by Desalegn Abebe, leadership practitioner and president of Meserete Kristos Church

February 13, 2025

Introduction

Institutional inertia is when institutions hold on to stability in the face of moral, ethical, or operational failure. This holding on is particularly frightening in peace-fostering, justice-seeking, reconciliation-focused religious institutions like MCC. Conversely, momentum indicates an organization’s ability to welcome change, realign to its own integrity, and move forward in honesty.

The current controversy surrounding MCC’s handling of allegations of abuse and problems of power imbalance brings the tension between momentum and inertia to the surface. There are people in MCC’s leadership who have publicly addressed past mistakes, but whose reaction—expressed as slow speech, minimal disclosure, and institutional prestige protection—is evidence of inertia rather than of momentum or adaptation. This article reviews the historical and theological foundations of institutional renewal, using Scripture and Anabaptist history to reflect on MCC’s response and propose a new path.

Biblical Insights into Organizational Inertia and Momentum

In the Bible, God calls institutions to rebirth and integrity, criticizing religious and political authorities who are irresponsible. The prophet Amos, for example, condemns Israel for holding religious festivities while failing to dispense justice: "I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me." "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"(Amos 5:21, 24, NIV). This assertion summarizes the mutually exclusive character of religious formalism and structural justice/righteousness. Similarly, MCC leadership’s attempts at being a global leader while drawing back from fully embracing responsibility for harm are paralleled in Amos’s call for responsibility over complacency. A peacebuilding agency cannot in good conscience label itself as a global leader in this regard if it is not subject to material responsibility for its own injustices. Isaiah also rebukes rulers who prefer to preserve themselves at the expense of justice, and states, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.” (Isaiah 10:1-2, NIV)

MCC’s handling of whistleblowers and survivors testifies to an institutional culture more invested in control of procedure than justice. The biblical imperative is plain: true repentance involves dismantling systems of oppression and seeking justice, not institutional self-interest (Brueggemann, 2014). Jesus also condemned religious complacency, i.e., hypocrisy of leaders that preserved religious power at the cost of justice. He condemns them, stating, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spice mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of law, justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23, NIV)

The reluctance of MCC’s leadership to be fully accountable to the world outside itself exemplifies the same misplaced prioritizing. A response honoring Christ would place virtues of justice, openness, and respect for survivors before institutional self-protection. Jesus’ walking out of the temple (Mark 11:15-17) also points to the importance of addressing institutional abuse. In the same way that Jesus threw into turmoil a religious system that was victimizing the poor, institutions now must be prepared to overthrow established systems of power that are hurting people (Wink, 1992).

Anabaptist Perspectives on Organizational Change and Integrity

The Anabaptist Reformation was built on faithfulness to integrity, rather than Catholic and Protestant institutionalism. The Schleitheim Confession of 1527 required Christian leadership to be as humble and transparent as Christ (Klaassen, 2001). Anabaptists have traditionally been resistant to domination by hierarchical systems, yet MCC’s leadership appears to be using bureaucratic systems to protect leadership from criticism.

The John Howard Yoder case serves as a warning against institutional self-satisfaction. One of the leading Anabaptist theologians, Yoder, practiced serial sexual abuse, but was protected by institutional cover-up by his Mennonite institutions over decades. Decades of survivors’ mobilization and outside pressure were required before these same institutions themselves admitted to breakdown (Miller, 2014).

MCC leaders’ response to successive allegations of abuse risks reproducing this scenario. Without external scrutiny and institutional transformation, complacency will defeat justice. In her apology for AMBS’s past culpability in the Yoder case, Wenger Shenk (2015) states that a theological school committed to teaching what is good, genuine, and beautiful about the Gospel cannot afford to fail. “We failed the sacred trust of the church,” she says.

MCC is presented with a decision today: follow the route of institutional drift or embark on the radical accountability that its Anabaptist heritage requires? MCC’s leadership will need to heed these voices if it is to regain integrity.

Momentum will demand:

1. An Independent, Public Investigation. MCC will need to be willing to be held accountable by outsiders in full transparency.

2. Leadership Accountability. Leaders who led the damage or facilitated the cover-up should be held accountable.

3. Survivor-led restoration. Policy reform with Restorative Justice must take place.

4. Institutional Reforms. MCC needs to eliminate structures of power which are abuse-enabling. They must create defenses against abuses to come.

MCC’s Crisis: Inertia or Momentum?

The current policy direction of MCC is full of all the signs of organizational inertia:

Self-Protection at All Costs: Damage control is more on the agenda than total openness.
Managed Apologies: As MAST (2024) records, MCC’s language carefully avoids culpability for taking wholehearted responsibility.
Denying the Empowerment of Survivors: A response shaped by justice would put survivors’ interests ahead of institutional image.

If MCC were to seize initiative, it would:

Make a simple, obvious apology—naming failures, taking institutional blame, and vowing root-and-branch change.
Submit to outside inquiries with open public view of results.
Restore leadership structures—accounting for everyone.
Prioritize transparency over institutional reputation—no more evasive language or behind-closed-doors settlements.

Conclusion: A Call to Institutional Repentance

MCC’s leadership stands at a crossroads. Will it persist in inertia, half-steps, and managed apologies? Or will it embrace the radical honesty that Anabaptist heritage and biblical justice call us to? As Jesus commands: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."(Matthew 16:25, NIV). For MCC, the path forward is to leave behind institutional self-interest in favor of genuine justice. Anything short of this risks continuing harm and undermines MCC’s functioning as a peacebuilding organization.

—-Desalegn Abebe Ejo

References

Brueggemann, W. (2014). Prophetic imagination. Fortress Press.

Klaassen, W. (2001). Anabaptism: Neither Catholic nor Protestant. Pandora Press.

MCC Abuse Survivors Together Steering Committee (MAST) (2024). “MAST responds to MCC statement that denies ‘claims of systemic abuse.’” Retrieved from https://www.mccabusesurvivors.org/mastnews/response-mcc-feb5-2025.

Miller, C. (2014). The enduring legacy of John Howard Yoder: Theology and misconduct. Mennonite Quarterly Review, 88(3), 401-423.

Wenger Shenk, S. (2015). Response to AMBS accountability failures. Anabaptist Witness Journal, 2(1), 56-68.

Wink, W. (1992). Engaging the powers: Discernment and resistance in a world of domination. Fortress Press.

Looking for a next step to take in response? Check out our list of ways to get involved (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).

“From Inertia to Momentum:” a call for change to MCC by Desalegn Abebe, MKC president