Mennonite Church USA
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Official name: | Mennonite Church USA |
| Logo: |
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| Membership: | Mennonite World Conference |
| Regional districts: | 18th |
| Municipalities : | 641 |
| Parishioners: | 68,753 as of 2018 |
| Address: | |
| Official Website: | Mennonite Church USA |
The Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA) is an association of Mennonite congregations in the USA . The church is a relatively young church. It was formed in 2002 from the union of the Mennonite Church with the General Conference Mennonite Church and is the largest Mennonite Church in the USA.
The Mennonite Church goes back to German, Dutch and Swiss immigrants who emigrated to North America from the end of the 17th century ( see also Mennonite emigration ). The first centers of German and Mennonite immigration were Pennsylvania and later Virginia and Ohio . The North American Mennonites formed the first regional conferences in the 18th century, which ultimately led to the formation of the Mennonite Church . In 1725 the Dordrecht Creed was adopted at a conference of preachers . The General Conference Mennonite Church was founded in 1860 by pre-existing congregations inIowa founded. They were increasingly joined by Russian mennonites who immigrated to North America in the 19th century . This church had over 64,000 members at the end of the 20th century.
After both churches had cooperated on many levels since the Second World War, both churches decided to formally unite in 1995. There should be one Mennonite church in the United States and one in Canada. The two North American churches formed the Mennonite Church Canada in 2000 and finally the Mennonite Church USA in 2002. Both sister churches are members of the Mennonite World Conference . Both churches use a dove with an olive branch as a symbol, reminding of the biblical story about Noah's Ark . The Mennonite Church in the United States comprised more than 900 local congregations with over 100,000 members at one point. It consists of several regional associations ( regional conferences ) and commissions for mission , education , press work and diakonia . The Church is affiliated with several Mennonite colleges and seminaries such as Goshen College in Indiana . The Mennonite Church USA works with the aid organization Mennonite Central Committee and Christian Peacemaker Teams .
Since the founding process, the young church has also accompanied discussions, in particular about the acceptance of LGBT relationships , which led to several regional conferences leaving the Mennonite Church USA, especially after 2014. Among them is the Lancaster Mennonite Conference (LMC) , which has now also accepted congregations from other area conferences and Latin America and has applied for admission to the Mennonite World Conference.
The hymn book Hymnal: A Worship Book from 1992 used in the congregations of the church was created in an ecumenical collaboration with the Church of the Brethren . In 2005 and 2007 two supplementary volumes appeared with Sing The Journey and Sing The Story . The first volume focuses thematically on the time between Pentecost and Advent, the second on the time from Advent to Easter.
Web links
- Official website of the Mennonite Church USA
- Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online: Mennonite Church USA
- Lancaster Mennonite Conference - a fellowship of anabaptist churches (a regional conference that has left MCUSA)
Individual evidence
- ^ Southeast Conference withdraws. Mennonite World Review, accessed October 16, 2018 .
- ↑ Lancaster Mennonite Conference formally exits Mennonite Church USA. The Mennonite, accessed October 16, 2018 .
- ↑ History of Mennonite Published Hymnals. Third Way Cafe. Retrieved May 19, 2013 .