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The Mennonite Church USA represents the largest group of Mennonite Christians in the United States. Though the organization is recent, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. Mennonites make up a large portion of a movement within Christianity called Anabaptism (meaning "baptized again"). The formation of an Anabaptist congregation in Zürich, Switzerland in 1525 is considered by many to be the beginning of a recognizable "Mennonite" doctrinal and historical existence. They were nicknamed after the Dutch Anabaptist leader Menno Simons (1496-1561). Image File history File links Mcusa_logo. ... Image File history File links Mcusa_logo. ... The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist (Re-baptizers) denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Christianity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Anabaptists (Greek ana+baptizo re-baptizers, German: Wiedertäufer) are Christians of the so-called radical wing of the Protestant Reformation. ... Location within Switzerland â–¶(?) (German pronunciation IPA: ; in English often Zurich, without the umlaut) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ... Events January 21 - The Swiss Anabaptist Movement was born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptized each other in the home of Manzs mother on Neustadt-Gasse, Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. ... Menno Simons (1496–1561) was an Anabaptist religious leader from the Dutch province of Friesland. ...

Mennonites first arrived in America chiefly through the efforts of William Penn (1644-1718) of Pennsylvania. Penn visited Mennonite districts in Europe, offering them freedom from persecution and an invitation to come to Pennsylvania. For the British admiral, see William Penn (admiral). ... State nickname: The Keystone State Official languages None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Senators Arlen Specter (R) Rick Santorum (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 33rd 119,283 km² 2. ... Europe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

The Mennonite Church USA came into existence through the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church.

(General Assembly) Mennonite Church

Dutch and German immigrants from Krefeld, Germany settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1683. Swiss Mennonites came to North America in the early part of the 18th century. Their first settlements were in Pennsylvania, and then in Virginia and Ohio. These Swiss immigrants, combined with Dutch & German Mennonites and progressive Amish Mennonites who later united with them, until 2002 made up the largest body of Mennonites in North America (in the past often referred to as the "Old Mennonites"). They formed regional conferences in the 1700s, and a North American conference in 1898. The year 1725 is often considered the date of organization in the United States, when a ministers' conference met in Pennsylvania and adopted the Dordrecht Confession as their official statement of faith. Germantown is the name of five places in the State of Pennsylvania and a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Germantown, Adams County, Pennsylvania Germantown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania Germantown, Columbia County, Pennsylvania Germantown, Franklin County, Pennsylvania Germantown, Pike County, Pennsylvania See also: Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania This is a disambiguation page — a navigational... Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... State nickname: Old Dominion Other U.S. States Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner (D) Tim Kaine (D-Governor Elect) Senators John Warner (R) George Allen (R) Official language(s) English Area 110,862 km² (35th)  - Land 102,642 km²  - Water 8,220 km² (7. ... State nickname: The Buckeye State Official languages None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Governor Bob Taft (R) Senators Mike DeWine (R) George V. Voinovich (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 34th 116,096 km² 8. ... Amish couple in a horse-drawn buggy in rural Holmes County, Ohio, the site of one of the largest concentrations of Amish in the United States The Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists noted for their restrictions on the use of modern devices such as automobiles and electricity. ... 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... Events and trends The Bonneville Slide blocks the Columbia River near the site of present-day Cascade Locks, Oregon with a land bridge 200 feet (60 m) high. ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Events February 8 - Catherine I became empress of Russia February 20 - The first reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony. ...

General Conference Mennonite Church

"Progressives" under the leadership of John H. Oberholtzer and others allied with him organized the General Conference Mennonite Church (GCMC) at Wayland, Iowa in 1860. These brethren desired to see the church adopt Sunday Schools and missions, and move away from rigidly enforced standards of dress. They were most successful among the South German Mennonites in Illinois and Iowa, who responded well to these calls for reform. Many Russian Mennonite immigrants that came into the United States after the organization of the General Conference also chose to become part of it. Though intending to organize a loose conference available to all Mennonites, their movement started a separate branch of the Mennonite Church. By the 1980s, there remained little difference between the General Conference Mennonite Church and the "Old" Mennonite church. Wayland is a city located in Henry County, Iowa. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) Senators Richard Durbin (D) Barack Obama (D) Official language(s) English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... State nickname: The Hawkeye State Other U.S. States Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Governor Thomas Vilsack (D) Senators Chuck Grassley (R) Tom Harkin (D) Official language(s) English Area 145,743 km² (26th)  - Land 144,701 km²  - Water 1,042 km² (0. ... The Russian Mennonites are an ethnically Dutch group of Mennonites who traditionally spoke Plautdietsch, and who established colonies in Russia (present-day Ukraine) beginning in 1789. ...

Merger

In 1983 the General Assembly of the Mennonite Church met jointly with the General Conference Mennonite Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in celebration of 300 years of Mennonite witness in the Americas. Beginning in 1989, a series of consultations, discussions, proposals, and sessions (and a vote in 1995 in favor of merger) led to the unification of these two major North American Mennonite bodies into one denomination organized on two fronts - the Mennonite Church USA and the Mennonite Church Canada. The merger was "finalized" at a joint session in St. Louis, Missouri in 1999, and the Canadian branch moved quickly ahead. The United States branch did not complete their organization until the meeting in Nashville, Tennessee in 2001, which became effective February 1, 2002. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bethlehem is a city located in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in eastern Pennsylvania, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,329. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mennonite Church Canada is the conference of Mennonites in Canada, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba. ... The Gateway Arch, shown here behind the Old Courthouse, is the most recognizable part of the St. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) is a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Nashville skyline Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The merger of 1999-2002 at least partially fulfilled the desire of the founders of the General Conference Mennonite Church to create an organization under which all Mennonites could unite. Yet all Mennonites did not favor the merger. The Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations represents one expression of the disappointment with the merger and the events that led up to it. The Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations (AMEC) is an association of conservative evangelical Mennonite churches. ...

Faith and Practice

The doctrinal faith of the Mennonite Church USA is set forth in The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. This confession was adopted in 1995 at the joint session in 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." Wichita, also known as the Air Capital, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, as well as a major aircraft manufacturing hub and cultural center. ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being believed by monotheistic religions to exist and to be the creator and ruler of the Universe. ... Jesus, also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from Greek Ιησούς Χριστός) with Christ not being a surname but rather a title meaning Anointed. He is also considered a very important prophet in Islam. ... Christ is the English representation of the Greek word Χριστός (transliterated as Khristós), which means anointed. ... In variouss religions, most notably Christianity, the Holy Spirit (also called the Holy Ghost in Trinitarian Christianity; in Hebrew רוח הקודש Ruah haqodesh) is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. ... Creation is a doctrinal position in many religions which maintains that one or a group of gods or deities is responsible for creating the universe. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, and Sikhism, and has its origins with the Jewish ritual of mikvah. ... The Lords Supper is a variation of the name and the service of The Last Supper or Eucharist. ... Feet washing is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. ...

Status

The new Mennonite Church USA maintains four church-wide ministry agencies - the Mennonite Mission Network, the Mennonite Education Agency, the Mennonite Publishing Network, and the MMA Stewardship Agency. A general assembly meets every three years. The main offices of the denomination are located in Newton, Kansas and Elkhart, Indiana. The church maintains several higher education institutions (including Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN; Bethel College in North Newton, KS; Hesston College in Hesston, KS; Bluffton University in Bluffton, OH; Eastern Mennonite University, in Harrisonburg, VA; and Goshen College in Goshen, IN), as well as numerous elementary and secondary schools. The Mennonite is a semi-monthly magazine published by the church. In 2003 membership was 113,972 in 1008 congregations¹ and 21 conferences. Newton is a city and county seat of Harvey County, Kansas. ... Elkhart is a city located in Elkhart County, Indiana. ... Bethel College was founded in 1887 as a private college of the Mennonite church. ... Hesston College, a two-year college founded in 1909, is located in Hesston, Kansas, 35 miles north of Wichita. ... Bluffton University (Bluffton, Ohio) is a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. The university also offers the following graduate degrees: Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Organizational Management, and Master of Arts in Education. ... Eastern Mennonite University is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. ... Goshen College Goshen College is a Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Regional Conferences (2003)

External links

• Mennonite Church USA - official Web Site
• Mennonite Church USA History and Archives
• Third Way Café
• Mennolink
• Cascadia Publishing House - Publisher of Anabaptist-Mennonite resources
• DreamSeeker Magazine - Featuring Anabaptist-Mennonite writers and articles

References

• Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor
• Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
• Mennonite Church USA, 2003 Directory
• Mennonite Encyclopedia, Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors
• The Anabaptist Vision, by Harold S. Bender

Footnote

• 1. This total includes 5 congregations not affiliated with any regional conference.