Mennonite Church Canada
Encyclopedia
Mennonite Church Canada is the conference of Mennonite
s in Canada
, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The first Mennonites in Canada arrived from Pennsylvania
in 1786. The majority of the Mennonites that migrated to Canada over the next 150 years came directly from Europe. The first annual meeting of Mennonite ministers was held in 1810, which eventually led to founding the Mennonite Conference of Ontario (later the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec). The Conference of Mennonites in Central Canada was formed in 1903. When other bodies arriving in Canada began to settle outside this "central" base, the name was changed to the General Conference of Mennonites in Canada in 1932 (later the Conference of Mennonites in Canada). The Ontario Amish Mennonite Conference (later Western Ontario Mennonite Conference) was founded in 1923, and the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario in 1945. In 1988, the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference, the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario and the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec united to form the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada.
Beginning in 1989, a series of consultations, discussions, proposals, and sessions led to the unification of two North American bodies (the Mennonite Church & General Conference Mennonite Church
) and the related Canadian Conference of Mennonites in Canada into the Mennonite Church USA
and the Mennonite Church Canada in 2000.
The doctrinal faith of the Mennonite Church Canada is set forth in The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. This confession was adopted in 1995 by the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church at Wichita, Kansas
. It contains 24 articles on the following: "God; Jesus
Christ
; Holy Spirit
; Scripture; Creation and Divine Providence; the Creation and Calling of Human Beings; Sin; Salvation; The Church of Jesus Christ; The Church in Mission; Baptism
; The Lord's Supper; Foot Washing
; Discipline in the Church; Ministry and Leadership; Church Order and Unity; Discipleship and the Christian Life; Christian Spirituality; Family, Singleness, and Marriage; Truth and the Avoidance of Oaths; Christian Stewardship; Peace, Justice, and Nonresistance; The Church's Relation to Government and Society; and The Reign of God."
The organizational structure of the Mennonite Church Canada is divided into five regional conferences - Mennonite Church Alberta, Mennonite Church British Columbia, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, Mennonite Church Manitoba, and Mennonite Church Saskatchewan. Denominational work is administered through a board elected by the delegates to the annual assembly. Currently (2003) the body has about 35,000 members in 235 churches. The MCC participates in the Canadian Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Mennonite World Conference
.
Canadian Mennonite is the official conference periodical. The conference also published the German-language Der Bote newspaper until 2008, when it ceased publication.
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
s in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The first Mennonites in Canada arrived from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1786. The majority of the Mennonites that migrated to Canada over the next 150 years came directly from Europe. The first annual meeting of Mennonite ministers was held in 1810, which eventually led to founding the Mennonite Conference of Ontario (later the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec). The Conference of Mennonites in Central Canada was formed in 1903. When other bodies arriving in Canada began to settle outside this "central" base, the name was changed to the General Conference of Mennonites in Canada in 1932 (later the Conference of Mennonites in Canada). The Ontario Amish Mennonite Conference (later Western Ontario Mennonite Conference) was founded in 1923, and the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario in 1945. In 1988, the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference, the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario and the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec united to form the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada.
Beginning in 1989, a series of consultations, discussions, proposals, and sessions led to the unification of two North American bodies (the Mennonite Church & General Conference Mennonite Church
General Conference Mennonite Church
The General Conference Mennonite Church was an association of Mennonite congregations based in North America from 1860 to 2002. The conference was formed in 1860 when congregations in Iowa invited North American Mennonites to join together in order to pursue common goals such as higher education...
) and the related Canadian Conference of Mennonites in Canada into the Mennonite Church USA
Mennonite Church USA
The Mennonite Church USA, or MCUSA, is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century...
and the Mennonite Church Canada in 2000.
The doctrinal faith of the Mennonite Church Canada is set forth in The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. This confession was adopted in 1995 by the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church at Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. It contains 24 articles on the following: "God; Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
; Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
; Scripture; Creation and Divine Providence; the Creation and Calling of Human Beings; Sin; Salvation; The Church of Jesus Christ; The Church in Mission; Baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
; The Lord's Supper; Foot Washing
Feet washing
Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. The name, and even the spelling, of this practice is not consistently established, being variously known as foot washing, washing the saints' feet, pedilavium, and mandatum.For some...
; Discipline in the Church; Ministry and Leadership; Church Order and Unity; Discipleship and the Christian Life; Christian Spirituality; Family, Singleness, and Marriage; Truth and the Avoidance of Oaths; Christian Stewardship; Peace, Justice, and Nonresistance; The Church's Relation to Government and Society; and The Reign of God."
The organizational structure of the Mennonite Church Canada is divided into five regional conferences - Mennonite Church Alberta, Mennonite Church British Columbia, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, Mennonite Church Manitoba, and Mennonite Church Saskatchewan. Denominational work is administered through a board elected by the delegates to the annual assembly. Currently (2003) the body has about 35,000 members in 235 churches. The MCC participates in the Canadian Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Mennonite World Conference
Mennonite World Conference
The Mennonite World Conference is a global community of Christian churches that facilitates community between Anabaptist-related churches and relates to other Christian world communions and organizations....
.
Canadian Mennonite is the official conference periodical. The conference also published the German-language Der Bote newspaper until 2008, when it ceased publication.
Further reading
- Ens, Adolf. Subjects Or Citizens?: The Mennonite Experience in Canada, 1870-1925 (1994)
- Epp, Frank. Mennonites in Canada, 1786-1920 (1996)
- Epp, Marlene. Mennonite Women in Canada: A History (Winnipeg, University of Manitoba Press, 2008. xiii + 378 pp.)
- Regehr, T. D.Mennonites in Canada, 1939-1970: Volume 3: A People Transformed (1996)
- Reimer, Margaret Loewen. One Quilt Many Pieces: A Guide to Mennonite Groups in Canada (2008)
- Suderman, Robert J. God's People Now: Face to face With Mennonite Church Canada (2007)
External links
- Official website
- Mennonite Church Canada in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online