Conservative Mennonite Conference
Encyclopedia
The Conservative Mennonite Conference (CMC) is a Christian
body of conservative evangelical Mennonite
churches.
Mennonites — who separated from the main body of Swiss Brethren
and followed Jacob Amman
— was in Berks County, Pennsylvania
, around 1710–1720. Soon they had settlements in Chester
and Lancaster
counties as well. By the middle of the 19th century, they had congregations from Pennsylvania to Iowa
, as well as in Ontario, Canada. Amish Mennonite ministers' conferences were organized to serve these churches, and were held from 1862 until 1878. After the 1878 ministers' conference, three district conferences were formed: Eastern, Indiana-Michigan, and Western. Some congregations remained aloof from this conference movement, forerunners of two groups — the Old Order Amish and the Conservative (Amish) Mennonite Conference. Most of the churches in the conference movement eventually merged with other Mennonite groups. The Old Order Amish continue to worship in private homes (in the German language) and reject innovations in both worship and lifestyle. Some congregations were theologically in between the extremely conservative Old Order Amish and the more progressive conference Amish Mennonites. These churches did not join the Amish Mennonite conferences, but, unlike the Old Order Amish, were open to the use of meetinghouses, and the organization of missionary, publication, social service, and Sunday school work. Representatives of these congregations met in conference in Pigeon, Michigan
, on November 24-25, 1910, and adopted the name Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference. Amish was dropped and the current name taken when a revised constitution was adopted in 1957.
is a church ordinance, which may be performed by either pouring or immersion. Communion and feet washing
are also observed.
According to their mission statement: "The Conservative Mennonite Conference exists to glorify God by equipping leaders and congregations for worship, teaching, fellowship, service, and making disciples by providing resources and conference structures with an evangelical, Anabaptist, and conservative theological orientation."
Women may engage in ministry, but leadership and ordination is restricted to men. Two meetings are held annually, one in February for the ministers, and another in August for the general public. The executive board and the general secretary are elected at the ministers' meeting to oversee day-to-day operations.
. There was one congregation in Red Lake, Ontario
, Canada. There are related bodies in other nations, such as the Costa Rica Mennonite Conference (org. 1974) and the Nicaragua Mennonite Conference (org. 1977).
The Brotherhood Beacon, the conference's official monthly periodical, began in 1971. Before this the conference published the Herold der Wahrheit, a semi-monthly publication, starting in 1912, and later the Missionary Bulletin, a quarterly, starting in 1952.
The Conservative Mennonite Conference has a number of parachurch ministries. Rosedale Bible College
is an accredited, two-year college serving approximately 125 students annually. The college offers degrees in Biblical Studies with a number of additional concentration areas. Rosedale Mennonite Missions is the mission agency of the conference, with roughly 120 workers in some 17 countries. Choice Books of Great Lakes-Rosedale operates under the supervision of Rosedale Mennonite Missions. It is a vendor of inspirational, wholesome and family-oriented reading materials operating through a network of independent regional distributors working cooperatively with a central office located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The conference headquarters, Rosedale Bible College, Choice Books' distribution center, and the offices of Rosedale Mennonite Missions are all located in Rosedale, Ohio
, a rural crossroads about 30 miles west of Columbus, Ohio
.
The Conservative Mennonite Conference maintains a loose relationship with the Mennonite Church USA
(the largest Mennonite denomination), through representation on some of its major boards.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
body of conservative evangelical Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
churches.
Background
The first American settlement of the AmishAmish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
Mennonites — who separated from the main body of Swiss Brethren
Swiss Brethren
The Swiss Brethren are a branch of Anabaptism that started in Zürich, spread to nearby cities and towns, and then was exported to neighboring countries...
and followed Jacob Amman
Jacob Amman
Jakob Ammann , was an Anabaptist leader and namesake of the Amish religious movement.-Birth and death:...
— was in Berks County, Pennsylvania
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
, around 1710–1720. Soon they had settlements in Chester
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
and Lancaster
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
counties as well. By the middle of the 19th century, they had congregations from Pennsylvania to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, as well as in Ontario, Canada. Amish Mennonite ministers' conferences were organized to serve these churches, and were held from 1862 until 1878. After the 1878 ministers' conference, three district conferences were formed: Eastern, Indiana-Michigan, and Western. Some congregations remained aloof from this conference movement, forerunners of two groups — the Old Order Amish and the Conservative (Amish) Mennonite Conference. Most of the churches in the conference movement eventually merged with other Mennonite groups. The Old Order Amish continue to worship in private homes (in the German language) and reject innovations in both worship and lifestyle. Some congregations were theologically in between the extremely conservative Old Order Amish and the more progressive conference Amish Mennonites. These churches did not join the Amish Mennonite conferences, but, unlike the Old Order Amish, were open to the use of meetinghouses, and the organization of missionary, publication, social service, and Sunday school work. Representatives of these congregations met in conference in Pigeon, Michigan
Pigeon, Michigan
Pigeon is a village in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,207 at the 2000 census. The village is within Winsor Township.-Geography:*According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land....
, on November 24-25, 1910, and adopted the name Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference. Amish was dropped and the current name taken when a revised constitution was adopted in 1957.
Faith and practice
The Conservative Mennonite Conference subscribes to the "Mennonite Confession of Faith of 1963", and adopted a "Conservative Mennonite Statement of Theology" in 1991. The statement follows orthodox Trinitarian Christian patterns of belief with typical Mennonite emphasis. BaptismBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
is a church ordinance, which may be performed by either pouring or immersion. Communion and feet washing
Feet washing
Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. The name, and even the spelling, of this practice is not consistently established, being variously known as foot washing, washing the saints' feet, pedilavium, and mandatum.For some...
are also observed.
According to their mission statement: "The Conservative Mennonite Conference exists to glorify God by equipping leaders and congregations for worship, teaching, fellowship, service, and making disciples by providing resources and conference structures with an evangelical, Anabaptist, and conservative theological orientation."
Women may engage in ministry, but leadership and ordination is restricted to men. Two meetings are held annually, one in February for the ministers, and another in August for the general public. The executive board and the general secretary are elected at the ministers' meeting to oversee day-to-day operations.
Status
The Conservative Mennonite Conference is a North American body. In 2005 the conference had 11,199 members in 113 congregations in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. There was one congregation in Red Lake, Ontario
Red Lake, Ontario
Population trend:* Population in 2006: 4526* Population in 2001: 4233* Population total in 1996: 4778** Golden : 2248** Red Lake : 2277* Population in 1991:** Golden : 2355** Red Lake : 2268-Climate:...
, Canada. There are related bodies in other nations, such as the Costa Rica Mennonite Conference (org. 1974) and the Nicaragua Mennonite Conference (org. 1977).
The Brotherhood Beacon, the conference's official monthly periodical, began in 1971. Before this the conference published the Herold der Wahrheit, a semi-monthly publication, starting in 1912, and later the Missionary Bulletin, a quarterly, starting in 1952.
The Conservative Mennonite Conference has a number of parachurch ministries. Rosedale Bible College
Rosedale Bible College
Rosedale Bible College is an evangelical Anabaptist junior Bible college located in Rosedale in central Ohio. RBC offers associate degrees and one-year certificates in Biblical studies, with nine areas of concentration...
is an accredited, two-year college serving approximately 125 students annually. The college offers degrees in Biblical Studies with a number of additional concentration areas. Rosedale Mennonite Missions is the mission agency of the conference, with roughly 120 workers in some 17 countries. Choice Books of Great Lakes-Rosedale operates under the supervision of Rosedale Mennonite Missions. It is a vendor of inspirational, wholesome and family-oriented reading materials operating through a network of independent regional distributors working cooperatively with a central office located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The conference headquarters, Rosedale Bible College, Choice Books' distribution center, and the offices of Rosedale Mennonite Missions are all located in Rosedale, Ohio
Rosedale, Ohio
Rosedale is an unincorporated community in central Pike Township, Madison County, Ohio, United States, and roughly thirty miles west of the city of Columbus. The ZIP code is 43029 and mail is currently delivered by the Irwin post office....
, a rural crossroads about 30 miles west of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
The Conservative Mennonite Conference maintains a loose relationship with the Mennonite Church USA
Mennonite Church USA
The Mennonite Church USA, or MCUSA, is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century...
(the largest Mennonite denomination), through representation on some of its major boards.
External links
- The Brotherhood Beacon - Official periodical
- Choice Books of Great Lakes-Rosedale
- Conservative Mennonite Conference - official Web Site
- Conservative Mennonite Statement of Theology
- Rosedale Mennonite Missions
- Conservative Mennonite Conference at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineGlobal Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineThe Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online is an online encyclopedia of topics relating to Mennonites and Anabaptism. The mission of the project is to provide free, reliable, English-language information on anabaptist-related topics....