The Mennonite groups that made the most concerted effort to accommodate to the culture, while affirming their Mennonite heritage, became the largest Mennonite bodies. The Mennonite Church USA came about as a result of the 2002 merger of these two groups: The Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, but its roots are in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century, and is the major Mennonite body. At the time of the merger, the hope was that this would be an organization that could unite all Mennonites. But not all Mennonites, even within these two bodies, favored the merger. Because of their insistence on freedom from the traditional Mennonite restrictions on attire and technology, the Mennonite Church USA was considered liberal by many other Mennonite bodies, but its theological positions still reflect the Radical Reformation, believing in the baptism of believers, nonresistance rather than retaliation as one’s personal response to mistreatment, and the church as a non-hierarchical community. In keeping with their commitment to pacifism, the Convention take a pro-life stance, and also opposes capital punishment. However, in recent years there has been a decline in its membership. Several conservative congregations have left the body, largely due to its liberal position on same-sex marriage and LGBT members in ministry. Membership is strongest in Pennsylvania and the Midwestern United States. The Mennonite Church USA maintains four church-wide ministry agencies: Mennonite Mission Network, Mennonite Education Agency, MennoMedia, and Everence.
Recommended Resources
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
AMBS is a Mennonite seminary in Elkhart, Indiana offers Master of Divinity degrees, Master of Arts, certificate programs, and one-course options, which are highlighted here, along with a course list and calendar, academic partnerships, and a course catalog. Its admissions policies, financial aid programs, and lifelong learning resources are outlined, along with its publishing and research resources.
http://www.ambs.edu/
Founded in 1945 by the Mennonite Church, Everence is the stewardship agency of the Mennonite Church USA, an Anabaptist denomination, and has ties to other churches with Anabaptist roots. Member benefits, and its planning and education services to congregations and other church organizations are discussed, along with an overview of its investment, retirement, insurance and banking services.
https://www.everence.com/
Headquartered in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, the Franconia Conference is part of the Mennonite Church USA and the Mennonite World Conference. General information about the Conference if presented, along with its leadership strategies, member congregations, staff contacts, boards, committees, conference related ministries and projects. Other resources include an audio-video gallery, bulletin announcements, and a calendar of events.
http://franconiaconference.org/
Published by MennoMedia, the publishing agency for the Mennonite Church in the US and Canada, the site announces new books or other publications produced by MennoMedia, often with a lengthy description and review, and other news from MennoMedia. Archives are available as far back as February of 2013, sorted by month and year. Links to additional resources are included.
http://mennobytes.com/
Mennonite Central Committee Canada
MCC is a global, non-profit Anabaptist organization with offices in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Its vision, mission and areas of focus are put forward, job openings are posted, and volunteer opportunities and programs for young adults are published. Readers can subscribe to its magazine, “A Common Place,” through the site, or access its archives.
https://mcccanada.ca/
Mennonite Central Committee United States
The MCC is a global, non-profit Anabaptist organization that initiates programs in relationship with its local partners and churches, providing development work around the world, such as education, health, agriculture, peace and justice issues, relief work, and job creations, as well as efforts related to immigration, refugee assistance, and other issues. Its history, organizational structure, sponsoring denominations, activities and funding are described.
http://www.mcc.org/
The Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination with members in most of the states of the United States of America. Its site offers a profile of the denomination's administrative body, area conferences, a directory of conferences, congregations, ministers, agencies and other resources. Mennonite churches may also be located through an interactive map.
http://www.mennoniteusa.org/
The MEA is the education arm of the Mennonite Church USA, charged with assisting Mennonite educational institutions to provide resources, programming and support to Mennonite schools, teachers and administrators, and tying church and school together, while ensuring the quality of Anabaptist Mennonite education. Its board and staff are identified, and a directory of schools is set forth.
http://www.mennoniteeducation.org/
The MMN is the mission agency of the Mennonite Church USA, which supports workers and ministries in several countries throughout the world, through its offices in Elkhart, Indiana and Newton, Kansas, along with dispersed staff in various locations. Its locations, global impact, and service impact are featured, and several volumes of its publication, Missio Dei, are available for downloading in English or Spanish.
https://www.mennonitemission.net/
A constituency group of Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Women USA is made up of women who are diverse in age, ethnicity, geography and theology, who meet in Bible study groups, during seminars, mission and service groups, one-on-one friendships, and at retreats. A history and profile of the organization is set forth, and its board members and staff are identified. Its ministries, resources, publications and events are featured.
https://mennonitewomenusa.org/
Produced by MennoMedia on behalf of the Mennonite Churches USA and Canada in 1998, the site was so named as a reflection of the fact that Mennonites and Anabaptists are somewhere between Catholic and Protestants in several issues of theology. The site defines Mennonites and Mennonite values, offers adult Bible study and other Mennonite resources, including a glossary, subscriptions to its publications, and an online store.
http://thirdway.com/
The VMC, a member of Mennonite Church USA, equips pastors, lay leaders, and congregants to support worship, mission, and to bring the Good News to the world. Staff contacts, conference congregations, councils, and commissions, and denominational organizations are published, along with a calendar of events, delegate materials and reports, as well as various reports and documents.
http://virginiaconference.org/
