Evangelical Mennonite Conference

Evangelical Mennonite Conference

The Evangelical Mennonite Conference is a Canadian Mennonite body of evangelical Christians.

Background

The "Evangelical Mennonite Conference" began in 1814 in the Molotschna settlement of southern Russia as the "Kleine Gemeinde", [In Plautdietsch, "De Kleen-gemeenta" (both meaning "little church").] a group of Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites. Klaas Reimer (1770-1837), a Mennonite minister from Gdansk, settled in Molotschna in 1805 Reimer felt the Mennonites of the area were too lax in doctrine and piety, and began to hold meetings in homes in 1812. He was joined by another minister, Cornelius Janzen, and eighteen members, who together recognized themselves as a separate church body in 1814.

An 1838 pamphlet addresses five disputes with the main Mennonite body. The primary complaint was that Mennonite leaders were straying from their traditional nonresistant stance when they turned lawbreakers over the government for punishment while at the same time church leaders became more lax in enforcing spiritual discipline. An increased use of alcohol and other vices were cited as evidence. The second problem was inconsistent application of discipline for minor offenses; while the breakaway group was banned, other types of offenses were ignored. To a disloyalty charge, they reaffirmed their submission to the government while maintaining a stance against any involvement with detaining or punishing offenders. They did not approve of attending weddings, which had become worldly in their view. The final criticism was aimed at sermons and eulogies at funerals, a practice that had recently been adopted from Catholics and Lutherans. [Smith, pp. 275-6.]

In 1860 a portion of this group migrated to Crimea under the leadership of Jakob Wiebe. This group adopted baptism by immersion. After migrating in 1874 to Kansas, they became known as the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren. [Smith, p. 276-7.]

In 1870 the Russian government issued a proclamation stating the intention to end all special privileges granted to German colonists by 1880. Alarmed at the possibility of losing control of their schools and military exemption, a delegation of Mennonite and Hutterite leaders, including Cornelius Toews and David Claassen of the "Kleine Gemeinde", visited North America in 1873 to investigate resettlement possibilities. In 1874, the main group proceeded to migrate to North America, settling in Manitoba and near Jansen, Nebraska in Jefferson County. The Jansen group moved to Kansas and eventually ceased to be part of the "Kleine Gemeinde". A number of the "Kleine Gemeinde" went into the movement of Elder John Holdeman (Church of God in Christ, Mennonite). In 1952, the "Kleine Gemeinde" changed its name to the "Evangelical Mennonite Church", and then to the "Evangelical Mennonite Conference" in 1959.

Doctrine

Doctrines of the "Evangelical Mennonite Conference" are presented in the EMC Constitution, adopted in 1994. The constitution reveals conservative evangelical Christian teachings such as the Trinity, the depravity of man, salvation through the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, the assurance of present salvation (distinct from the doctrine of "eternal security" which also offers the assurance of future salvation), and the supreme and final authority and infallibility of Scripture. Mennonite distinctives such as non-conformity to the world, mutual accountability, church discipline, congregational governance, and non-resistance are maintained. Along with other evangelicals and orthodox Mennonites, the EMC takes a complementarian stance and does not ordain women into the ministry. Three ordinances are held — believers' baptism, the Lord's supper, and feet washing.

tatus

The churches of the "Evangelical Mennonite Conference" are located in five Canadian provinces - Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. In 2006 there were over 7000 members in 57 churches, with roughly 150 ministers serving the churches. [ 2006 EMC Yearbook] The congregations are organized into nine regional conferences. Foreign mission work is established in 25 countries. A general conference council meets twice a year. The Evangelical Mennonite Conference archives, offices, Steinbach Christian High School and Steinbach Bible College are located in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada. "The Messenger", an official publication of the conference, is printed 22 times per year.

Since an evangelical revival in the EMC led by Rev. Ben D. Reimer and others in the 1940s, the defining mark of the EMC in recent years has been its missions emphasis. Currently, over 70% of the Conference's national budget goes to missions activity. [2006 EMC Conference Budget] More recently, much emphasis has also been placed on church planting within Canada.

The "Evangelical Mennonite Conference" is a member of the "Evangelical Fellowship of Canada" and the Mennonite World Conference.

Notes

References

* Dyck, Cornelius J., Martin, Dennis D., et al., editors, "Mennonite Encyclopedia"
*Plett, Delbert, " [http://www.hshs.mb.ca/BooksOnline.html Saints and Sinners] "
*cite book |last=Smith |first=C. Henry |other=Revised and expanded by Cornelius Krahn |title=Smith's Story of the Mennonites |year=1981 |publisher=Faith and Life Press |location=Newton, Kansas |id=ISBN 0-87303-069-9| pages=249-356
*"Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches (2001)", National Council of Churches

External links

* [http://www.emconf.ca/ Official Website]
* [http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_282.html#1524 Adherents.com]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference — The Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (EMMC) is an evangelical body of Mennonite Christians, organized on July 1, 1959.The EMMC was formed from the Rudnerweider Mennonite Church , which was organized in 1937. The conference is currently… …   Wikipedia

  • Conservative Mennonite Conference — The Conservative Mennonite Conference (CMC) is a Christian body of conservative evangelical Mennonite churches. Contents 1 Background 2 Faith and practice 3 Status 4 References …   Wikipedia

  • Chortitzer Mennonite Conference — For other uses, see CMC (disambiguation). The Chortitzer Mennonite Conference, or Die Mennonitische Gemeinde zu Chortitz, is a small body of Mennonites in western Canada. Contents 1 History 2 Congregations 3 References …   Wikipedia

  • Mennonite — Total population 1,478,540 Founder Peaceful Anabaptists Regions with significant populations United States, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada …   Wikipedia

  • Mennonite Church USA — Classification Protestant Orientation Anabaptist Polity Congregational Associations Mennonite World Conference Geographical areas United States …   Wikipedia

  • Mennonite Church Canada — Classification Protestant Orientation Anabaptist Polity Congregational Associations Mennonite World Conference Geographical areas Canada …   Wikipedia

  • Fellowship of Evangelical Churches — The Fellowship of Evangelical Churches is an evangelical body of Christians with a Mennonite heritage. Conference offices are located in Fort Wayne, IN.Founded in 1865 66 as the Defenseless Mennonite Church , the new group was often referred to… …   Wikipedia

  • Mennonite Brethren Church — The Mennonite Brethren Church was established among Russian Mennonites in 1860 and has congregations in more than 20 countries representing well over 300,000 believers as of 2003. Contents 1 History 2 Status 3 See also …   Wikipedia

  • Mennonite — Mennonitism, n. /men euh nuyt /, n. a member of an evangelical Protestant sect, originating in Europe in the 16th century, that opposes infant baptism, practices baptism of believers only, restricts marriage to members of the denomination,… …   Universalium

  • Evangelical United Brethren Church — The Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB) was an American Protestant church which was formed in 1946 by the merger of the Evangelical Church with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (not to be confused with the current Church of the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”