Mennonite World Conference

The Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is an international Mennonite Anabaptist Christian denomination. Its headquarters are in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

Mennonite World Conference
ClassificationEvangelicalism
OrientationAnabaptist, Mennonites
Region59 countries
HeadquartersKitchener, Ontario, Canada
Origin1925
Congregations10,300
Members1.47 million
Missionary organizationGlobal Mission Fellowship
Aid organizationGlobal Anabaptist Service Network (GASN)
Official websitemwc-cmm.org

History

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The first Mennonite World Conference was held in Basel in 1925.[1] Its main purpose was to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Anabaptism. An assembly is convened approximately every six or seven years.

Christian Neff (1863–1946), a Mennonite minister in Germany, is often called the "father" of the Mennonite World Conference. Neff, through the Conference of Mennonites in South Germany, issued the call for the first gathering in 1925, and was president of the following meetings in 1930 and 1936.[2]

The MWC prints a quarterly news publication in three languages—Spanish (as Correo), English (Courier), and French (Courrier.) This project began in 1986. The Mennonite World Conference considers that its mission is to (1) be a global community of faith in the Anabaptist-tradition, (2) facilitate relationships between Anabaptist-related churches worldwide, and (3) relate to other Christian world communions and organizations.[3]

The official repository of Mennonite World Conference is the Mennonite Church USA Archives.

According to a census published by the association in 2022, it would have 107 member denominations in 59 countries, and 1,47 million baptized members in 10,300 churches. [4]

Beliefs

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The Conference has an Anabaptist confession of faith.[5]

Affiliated organizations

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The Global Mission Fellowship (GMF) has 71 mission member organizations. [6]

GASN

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The Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN) supports humanitarian aid projects. [7]

Conferences

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Year Location Conference Focus
1925   Basel, Switzerland 400th anniversary of Anabaptism
1930   Free City of Danzig Mennonite Relief Efforts
1936   Amsterdam and Elspeet, Netherlands 400th anniversary of Menno Simons' conversion
1948   Goshen, Indiana, and North Newton, Kansas, United States Relief, Nonconformity to the World, Faith and Life, Missions, Young People's Work, A Young People's Program, the Peace Testimony, Colonization, Institutions and Mennonite Life, and Christian Education[8]
1952   Bettingen, Switzerland The Church of Christ and Her Commission
1957   Karlsruhe, West Germany The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the World
1962   Kitchener, Ontario, Canada The Lordship of Christ
1967   Amsterdam, Netherlands The Witness of the Holy Spirit
1972   Curitiba, Brazil Jesus Christ Reconciles
1978   Wichita, Kansas, United States The Kingdom of God in a Changing World
1984   Strasbourg, France God's People Serve in Hope
1990   Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Witnessing to Christ in Today's World
1997   Calcutta, India Hear what the Spirit is Saying to the Churches
2003   Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Sharing Gifts in Suffering and in Joy
2009   Asunción, Paraguay Come together in the way of Jesus Christ[9]
2015   Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States Walking with God
2022   Salatiga, Jepara, Surakarta, Margokerto, Ungaran, Semarang, Indonesia Following Jesus together across barriers[10]

Notes

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  1. ^ J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1859
  2. ^ "Previous Assemblies". Mennonite World Conference. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Vision and Mission". Mennonite World Conference. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  4. ^ Mennonite World Conference, About MWC, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, retrieved November 5, 2022
  5. ^ Mennonite World Conference, Shared convictions, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
  6. ^ Mennonite World Conference, Global Mission Fellowship, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
  7. ^ Mennonite World Conference, Global Anabaptist Service Network, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
  8. ^ Mennonite World Conference in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
  9. ^ "Mennonite World Conference Assembly 15 theme chosen". MWC. 2008-01-30. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  10. ^ "Indonesia 2022" (PDF). Mennonite World Conference. Retrieved 31 October 2020.

References

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  • Mennonite Encyclopedia, Harold S. Bender, Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors
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