Loren Entz, former International Witness Associate with Mennonite Church Canada, died on June 27, 2026, at the age of 78 after several challenging years with an undiagnosed illness. A livestream celebration of life for Loren will be held at 4:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday August 9, 2026.
Born on March 13, 1948, in Kansas, Loren grew up on his family’s farm and later earned a degree in agricultural economics. Deeply committed to pacifism and love of the land, he chose alternative humanitarian service in Congo during the Vietnam War era, where he encouraged rabbit raising in villages. From his work with the Congolese, he learned that his relational gifts shared in Congo were much more important than what programs he started. This became the passion of his life and the principal strategy that guided his work — he made time for every person who entered his courtyard.
In 1978, Loren and his wife Donna became some of the first Mennonite Board of Missions (a Mennonite Mission Network predecessor) workers working through the Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM) in Burkina Faso, serving there until 2008. For the first decade, they focused on learning the trade language Jula, building relationships with new believers, partnering with Catholic communities, and helping strengthen the emerging Mennonite team in the Kénédougou province.
Tany Warkentin, who with her late husband Jeff served as Witness workers in Burkina Faso, recalled the Entzs as mentors:
“We as westerners often value the ‘think-ers’ and the ‘do-ers.’ But Loren taught me the value of ‘presence’ — of being available and having time for others. I am very thankful for this Christ-like gift which Loren embodied.”
In the mid-1980s, they shifted to work among the Dzuun (also known as Samogho or Dzùùngoo) people. Through ethnographic research—beginning with listening to elders share local stories and folktales — Loren and Donna helped develop a writing system and recorded approximately 70 Old Testament stories for translation into the Dzuun language. They later produced radio programs featuring these biblical stories alongside traditional Psalms songs and local folklore, preserving Dzuun culture and language while sharing the gospel. Loren and his family were members of the village and farm life. He used his agricultural background to grow medicinal crops to address nutritional needs in the community.
Siaka Traoré, a longtime Burkinabè colleague, compared Loren (known locally as Seydou Jan) to the Apostle Paul for his incarnational approach to ministry (1 Corinthians 9:20–23).
Traoré said,
“He put into practice the words of 1 Corinthians 9:20-23: ‘To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), in order to win those under the law.’ The fruit of Seydou Jan’s hard work today is the establishment of local churches among the Dzuun people, and God wills the dedication of the New Testament in the Dzunn language on December 5, 2026.”
Loren and Donna raised their three children — Zachary, Mariam, and Aisha — as active participants in village life. After retiring from Burkina Faso, the couple moved to Edmonton, Alberta, where they chose not to own a car and instead focused on simple, relational service: conversations on public transit, hospitality in their home, teaching English, and tending a community garden. Donna continued work strengthening Muslim-Christian relationships with Mennonite Church Alberta, while Loren cared for their home. They later moved to Winnipeg to be closer to family and live in community housing.
Those who knew Loren consistently highlighted his humility, deep listening, cultural sensitivity, and Christ-like presence.
Peter Rempel, former Africa Secretary for the Commission on Overseas Mission, remembered Loren’s gentle insights into local values that modeled humility. Dan Nighswander, former General Secretary of Mennonite Church Canada, noted that Loren “loved the people with whom he and Donna lived — and everywhere else that he lived. He delighted in sharing their stories… with deep respect and good humor. Loren saw something of God in everyone he met, and he honored that.”
Loren will be remembered for his quiet strength, profound respect for others, love of the land, and unwavering commitment to relational, incarnational witness. He is survived by his wife Donna, their children and families, and countless friends across cultures who were touched by his faithful presence.
