Chortitzer Mennonite Conference

Chortitzer Mennonite Conference

The Chortitzer Mennonite Conference, or Die Mennonitische Gemeinde zu Chortitz, is a small body of Mennonites in western Canada.

Contents

History

The forerunners of this group came to Manitoba from Russia in 1874. They were first known as Bergthalers, but eventually became known as the Chortitzer Church because their bishop, Gerhard Wiebe (1827-1900), lived near the village of Chortitz (now known as Randolph). This group was very conservative. They sang without harmony (parts), restricting the singing to a melody only. They allowed neither Sunday schools nor evening services. The German language was used exclusively in church services. The bishop and ministers possessed most of the authority in the conference, allowing for little local autonomy.

The departure in 1948 of the more conservative families to Paraguay, left the more progressive families remaining in Canada. This opened the way for a number of changes in the Chortitzer conference. A new emphasis was placed on Christian education, with the addition of Bible studies, Sunday school, Sunday evening services, and young people's programs. Exclusive use of the German language made way for the adoption of English - first in Sunday School, and then in the Sunday morning services. A mission board was formed to conduct the mission outreach of the conference, and now a number of Chortitzer conference members serve in different parts of the world.

The Chortitzer Mennonite Conference has over 2,400 baptized members in 15 congregations. The bishop is the spiritual leader of the conference and is the head of the CMC Ministerial Executive Committee. Although all land and property is owned by the conference, each congregation is nearly autonomous and presides over its ministerial elections, spiritual matters, ministries, and budget. The bishop is responsible for the ordination of ministers and deacons. Some of the conference pastors are financially supported by the conference and their local church, but most pastors serve without salaries. The conference, which has its main office in Steinbach, Manitoba, prints the CMC Chronicle as its official publication and has a radio program ministry that ministers to German-speaking Mennonites in South America, Mexico, Belize, and Canada.

Congregations

Manitoba:

Saskatchewan:

  • Osler Mission Chapel

Alberta:

  • New Life Mission Church (Edberg)
  • Two Hills Mennonite Church

British Columbia:

References

  • Mennonite Encyclopedia (Vol. 5), Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Silberfeld Mennonite Church — is a Chortitzer Mennonite Conference (CMC) congregation located approximately 3 1/2 miles northeast of New Bothwell, Manitoba. The church actively serves the New Bothwell area.External links* [http://www.silberfeldcmc.com Official website] …   Wikipedia

  • List of Christian denominations — (or Denominations self identified as Christian) ordered by historical and doctrinal relationships. (See also: Christianity; Christian denominations; List of Christian denominations by number of members). Also, some groups included do not consider …   Wikipedia

  • Хортица (значения) — Хортица: Хортица  самый большой остров на Днепре. Хортица село, административный центр Хортицкого сельсовета Александровского района Оренбургской области России. Хортица село на Украине в Запорожской области, Запорожском районе.… …   Википедия

  • Ethnic Germans — German Argentines celebrate Oktoberfest in Villa General Belgrano. This article is about the ethnic German diaspora. See Germans Abroad for German citizens with residence abroad. See Emigration from Germany for disambiguation. Ethnic Germans… …   Wikipedia

  • CMC — may refer to: Contents 1 Certifications 2 Christianity 3 Crime 4 …   Wikipedia

  • Randolph CMC — The Randolph CMC Church is a Chortitzer Mennonite Conference (CMC) congregation located in the postal district of Randolph (originally known as Chortitz). It is the only CMC Church that still conducts services in the traditional format: singing… …   Wikipedia

  • Steinbach CMC — The Steinbach CMC is a Chortitzer Mennonite Conference (CMC) church located in Steinbach, Manitoba. The church consists of two congregations: one English and one German, each with its own elected Ministerial.The Steinbach church is also home to… …   Wikipedia

  • Grunthal — Grünthal and Grunthal may refer to:* Grunthal, Manitoba * Grunthal, Hanover, Manitoba * Grünthal, a part of Röthenbach an der Pegnitz * Grunthal, see Kreis Kolmar in Posen * Grunthal CMC, a church, see Chortitzer Mennonite Conference * Grunthal,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

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