Evangelical Mennonite Conference
Encyclopedia
The Evangelical Mennonite Conference is a Canadian
Mennonite
body of evangelical Christian
s.
settlement of southern Russia (now Ukraine) as the Kleine Gemeinde (Small Church) a group of Low German-speaking (Plautdietsch
-speaking) Mennonites of Dutch-German-Russian cultural background.
Klaas Reimer
(1770-1837), a Mennonite minister from Gdansk, settled in Molotschna in 1805. Reimer felt the Mennonites of the area were too lax in doctrine and piety, and began to hold meetings in homes in 1812. He was joined by another minister, Cornelius Janzen, and eighteen members, who together recognized themselves as a separate church body in 1814.
As for reasons for the 1812 separation, an 1838 pamphlet addresses five disputes with the main Mennonite body. The primary complaint was that Mennonite leaders were straying from their traditional nonresistant
stance when they turned lawbreakers over to the government for punishment while at the same time church leaders became more lax in enforcing spiritual discipline. An increased use of alcohol and other vices were cited as evidence.
The second problem was inconsistent application of discipline for minor offenses; while the breakaway group was banned, other types of offenses were ignored. Third, to a disloyalty charge, they reaffirmed their submission to the government while maintaining a stance against any involvement with detaining or punishing offenders. Fourth, they did not approve of attending weddings, which had become worldly in their view. Its final criticism was aimed at sermons and eulogies at funerals, practices that had recently been adopted from Catholics and Lutherans.
In 1860 a portion of this group migrated to Crimea
under the leadership of Jakob Wiebe. This group adopted baptism by immersion. After migrating in 1874 to Kansas, they became known as the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren.
In 1870 the Russian government issued a proclamation stating the intention to end all special privileges granted to German colonists by 1880. Alarmed at the possibility of losing control of their schools and military exemption, a delegation of Mennonite and Hutterite
leaders, including Cornelius Toews and David Claassen of the Kleine Gemeinde, visited North America in 1873 to investigate resettlement possibilities. In 1874, the main group proceeded to migrate to North America, settling in Manitoba
, Canada, and near Jansen, Nebraska
in Jefferson County
, USA.
The Jansen group moved to Kansas and eventually seceded from the Kleine Gemeinde. Later, a number of the Kleine Gemeinde went into the movement of Elder John Holdeman (Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
). In 1952, the Kleine Gemeinde changed its name to the Evangelical Mennonite Church, and then (because of a U.S. group of prior, same name) to the Evangelical Mennonite Conference in 1959.
The EMC now reflects a growing diversity of its members, adherents, and leaders in their church and cultural backgrounds. Since the 1940s it has moved consciously beyond its historic Dutch-German-Russian cultural roots and has expanded into many other cultural groups. Recently it has developed Hispanic congregations. Worship services are conducted in various languages, with English being most common. It also has ministries in about two dozen countries.
The denomination is planning to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2012 at its annual convention, which is scheduled to be held in southern Manitoba.
, the depravity of humankind, salvation
through the substitutionary atonement
of Jesus Christ, conditional security, and the expected return of Christ. Underlying these beliefs are the supreme and final authority and infallibility
of Scripture. The EMC is largely Arminian in theology.
Anabaptist distinctives such as baptism upon confession of faith, non-conformity, mutual accountability, church discipline, congregational governance, non-swearing of oaths, and non-resistance are maintained.
An Anabaptist emphasis is that belief in Jesus and discipleship in lifestyle are not to be separated. Individual discipleship is to be shown through togetherness with other believers and service to wider society.
The Life of Peace (Statement of Faith, Article 9) includes, "Instead of taking up arms, we should do whatever we can to lessen human distress and suffering, even at the risk of our own lives." In The State (Church Practices, Article 9) it says, "Christians should respect civil authorities and pray for them; pay taxes; assume social responsibility; oppose corruption, discrimination, and injustice; and obey all their requirements that do not conflict with the Scriptures."
Along with some other evangelicals and Anabaptists-Mennonites, the EMC officially takes a complementarian
stance and does not ordain women into the ministry. Some women, however, do serve in associate or senior pastoral roles. Women can serve on national boards and committees and as church delegates. Many women are active in missionary work.
Three ordinances are held — believers' baptism, the Lord's supper, and feet washing
, though the last is not widely practiced. Baptism is by pouring or by immersion.
Discussions on various theological and social issues are on-going. The EMC reflects a "community hermeneutic," the conviction and practice that the Scriptures are best interpreted by a gathered community, not simply as individuals nor as a clergy class handing down its decisions to so-called lay members.
The EMC has five national boards with wide ranging responsibilities. It, however, is ultimately governed by its churches together, whose delegates are to attend conference council meetings twice a year and whose ministerial members are to meet nationally twice a year (including on retreat).
The EMC archives, offices, Steinbach Christian High School and Steinbach Bible College
are located in Steinbach, Manitoba
, Canada
. The EMC is also linked to the graduate-level Winnipeg Centre for Ministry Studies in conjunction with Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Man., and MBBS and AMBS (WCMS's two overseeing Anabaptist seminaries whose headquarters are in the U.S.).
The Messenger, an official publication of the conference, is printed 12 times per year and available on-line. Theodidaktos, Journal for EMC theology and education is published twice a year and available on-line. It also occasionally publishes a Christian Education Update. In 2006 it published Follow Me, a Sunday School resource on biblical social justice.
In the 1940s an evangelical revival in the EMC was led by Rev. Ben D. Reimer and others. The defining mark of the EMC in recent years has been its missions emphasis. Currently, over 70 per cent of the Conference's national budget goes to missions activity. More recently, much emphasis has been placed on church planting within Canada.
There is a growing emphasis on holistic ministry, not simply on multiplying churches, but on churches reflecting more of Jesus' calling Christians to "obey everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). This is seen as, in part, a return to the holistic emphasis of Menno Simons, the early Dutch leader, that "true evangelical faith...cannot lie dormant, but manifests itself in all righteousness and works of love" (The Complete Writings of Menno Simons, 307).
The Evangelical Mennonite Conference is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, the Mennonite World Conference
, and other organizations.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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...
body of evangelical Christian
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...
s.
Background
The Evangelical Mennonite Conference began in 1812 in the MolotschnaMolotschna
Molotschna Colony was a Russian Mennonite settlement in what is now Zaporizhia Oblast in Ukraine. Today is called Molochansk with a population of under 10,000. The settlement is named after the Molochna River which forms its western boundary. Today the land mostly falls within the Tokmatskyi and...
settlement of southern Russia (now Ukraine) as the Kleine Gemeinde (Small Church) a group of Low German-speaking (Plautdietsch
Plautdietsch
Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, was originally a Low Prussian variety of East Low German, with Dutch influence, that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia, today Polish territory. The word is another pronunciation of Plattdeutsch, or Low German...
-speaking) Mennonites of Dutch-German-Russian cultural background.
Klaas Reimer
Klaas Reimer
Klaas Reimer was the founder of the Kleine Gemeinde, a Mennonite denomination now called the Evangelical Mennonite Conference.- Biography :...
(1770-1837), a Mennonite minister from Gdansk, settled in Molotschna in 1805. Reimer felt the Mennonites of the area were too lax in doctrine and piety, and began to hold meetings in homes in 1812. He was joined by another minister, Cornelius Janzen, and eighteen members, who together recognized themselves as a separate church body in 1814.
As for reasons for the 1812 separation, an 1838 pamphlet addresses five disputes with the main Mennonite body. The primary complaint was that Mennonite leaders were straying from their traditional nonresistant
Nonresistance
Nonresistance is generally defined as "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy...
stance when they turned lawbreakers over to the government for punishment while at the same time church leaders became more lax in enforcing spiritual discipline. An increased use of alcohol and other vices were cited as evidence.
The second problem was inconsistent application of discipline for minor offenses; while the breakaway group was banned, other types of offenses were ignored. Third, to a disloyalty charge, they reaffirmed their submission to the government while maintaining a stance against any involvement with detaining or punishing offenders. Fourth, they did not approve of attending weddings, which had become worldly in their view. Its final criticism was aimed at sermons and eulogies at funerals, practices that had recently been adopted from Catholics and Lutherans.
In 1860 a portion of this group migrated to Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
under the leadership of Jakob Wiebe. This group adopted baptism by immersion. After migrating in 1874 to Kansas, they became known as the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren.
In 1870 the Russian government issued a proclamation stating the intention to end all special privileges granted to German colonists by 1880. Alarmed at the possibility of losing control of their schools and military exemption, a delegation of Mennonite and Hutterite
Hutterite
Hutterites are a communal branch of Anabaptists who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. Since the death of their founder Jakob Hutter in 1536, the beliefs of the Hutterites, especially living in a community of goods and absolute...
leaders, including Cornelius Toews and David Claassen of the Kleine Gemeinde, visited North America in 1873 to investigate resettlement possibilities. In 1874, the main group proceeded to migrate to North America, settling in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada, and near Jansen, Nebraska
Jansen, Nebraska
Jansen is a village in Jefferson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 143 at the 2000 census. The village was named after local rancher and politician Peter Jansen.-Geography:Jansen is located at ....
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 8,333 people, 3,527 households, and 2,352 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile . There were 3,942 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...
, USA.
The Jansen group moved to Kansas and eventually seceded from the Kleine Gemeinde. Later, a number of the Kleine Gemeinde went into the movement of Elder John Holdeman (Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite is a 19th century offshoot of the Mennonite Church. They are also known as Holdeman Mennonites, after a leader, John Holdeman, who saw the decay in the Old Mennonite Church and having tried his best to reach all the mennonites in the US and Canada, and make them...
). In 1952, the Kleine Gemeinde changed its name to the Evangelical Mennonite Church, and then (because of a U.S. group of prior, same name) to the Evangelical Mennonite Conference in 1959.
The EMC now reflects a growing diversity of its members, adherents, and leaders in their church and cultural backgrounds. Since the 1940s it has moved consciously beyond its historic Dutch-German-Russian cultural roots and has expanded into many other cultural groups. Recently it has developed Hispanic congregations. Worship services are conducted in various languages, with English being most common. It also has ministries in about two dozen countries.
The denomination is planning to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2012 at its annual convention, which is scheduled to be held in southern Manitoba.
Doctrine
Beliefs and practices of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference are presented in its "Statement of Faith" and "Church Practices," most recently revised as adopted in 1994. They reveal conservative evangelical Christian teachings such as the TrinityTrinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, the depravity of humankind, salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
through the substitutionary atonement
Substitutionary atonement
Technically speaking, substitutionary atonement is the name given to a number of Christian models of the atonement that all regard Jesus as dying as a substitute for others, "instead of" them...
of Jesus Christ, conditional security, and the expected return of Christ. Underlying these beliefs are the supreme and final authority and infallibility
Infallibility
Infallibility, from Latin origin , is a term with a variety of meanings related to knowing truth with certainty.-In common speech:...
of Scripture. The EMC is largely Arminian in theology.
Anabaptist distinctives such as baptism upon confession of faith, non-conformity, mutual accountability, church discipline, congregational governance, non-swearing of oaths, and non-resistance are maintained.
An Anabaptist emphasis is that belief in Jesus and discipleship in lifestyle are not to be separated. Individual discipleship is to be shown through togetherness with other believers and service to wider society.
The Life of Peace (Statement of Faith, Article 9) includes, "Instead of taking up arms, we should do whatever we can to lessen human distress and suffering, even at the risk of our own lives." In The State (Church Practices, Article 9) it says, "Christians should respect civil authorities and pray for them; pay taxes; assume social responsibility; oppose corruption, discrimination, and injustice; and obey all their requirements that do not conflict with the Scriptures."
Along with some other evangelicals and Anabaptists-Mennonites, the EMC officially takes a complementarian
Complementarian
Complementarianism is a theological view held by some in Christianity and other world religions, such as Islam, that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, religious leadership, and elsewhere. The word ‘'complementary’' and its cognates...
stance and does not ordain women into the ministry. Some women, however, do serve in associate or senior pastoral roles. Women can serve on national boards and committees and as church delegates. Many women are active in missionary work.
Three ordinances are held — believers' baptism, the Lord's supper, 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...
, though the last is not widely practiced. Baptism is by pouring or by immersion.
Discussions on various theological and social issues are on-going. The EMC reflects a "community hermeneutic," the conviction and practice that the Scriptures are best interpreted by a gathered community, not simply as individuals nor as a clergy class handing down its decisions to so-called lay members.
Status
The churches of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference are located in five west-central Canadian provinces from British Columbia to Ontario. In 2010 there were over 7,200 members in 61 churches, with roughly 150 ministers serving the churches. The congregations are organized into nine regions. Mission work is established in 25 countries, often working in formal mission partnerships with evangelical interdenominational or Anabaptist organizations.The EMC has five national boards with wide ranging responsibilities. It, however, is ultimately governed by its churches together, whose delegates are to attend conference council meetings twice a year and whose ministerial members are to meet nationally twice a year (including on retreat).
The EMC archives, offices, Steinbach Christian High School and Steinbach Bible College
Steinbach Bible College
Steinbach Bible College is a small Anabaptist college located in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada. It opened in 1936 as a training school for Mennonite Brethren and Evangelical Mennonite Brethren churches of Canada.-Affiliation:...
are located in Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach is a city of approx. 13,500 people in the southeast corner of the province of Manitoba, Canada, a short distance from the capital Winnipeg. Steinbach is the largest community in the Eastman region of Manitoba. The city is located in the R.M. of Hanover and bordered to the east by the R.M...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The EMC is also linked to the graduate-level Winnipeg Centre for Ministry Studies in conjunction with Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Man., and MBBS and AMBS (WCMS's two overseeing Anabaptist seminaries whose headquarters are in the U.S.).
The Messenger, an official publication of the conference, is printed 12 times per year and available on-line. Theodidaktos, Journal for EMC theology and education is published twice a year and available on-line. It also occasionally publishes a Christian Education Update. In 2006 it published Follow Me, a Sunday School resource on biblical social justice.
In the 1940s an evangelical revival in the EMC was led by Rev. Ben D. Reimer and others. The defining mark of the EMC in recent years has been its missions emphasis. Currently, over 70 per cent of the Conference's national budget goes to missions activity. More recently, much emphasis has been placed on church planting within Canada.
There is a growing emphasis on holistic ministry, not simply on multiplying churches, but on churches reflecting more of Jesus' calling Christians to "obey everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). This is seen as, in part, a return to the holistic emphasis of Menno Simons, the early Dutch leader, that "true evangelical faith...cannot lie dormant, but manifests itself in all righteousness and works of love" (The Complete Writings of Menno Simons, 307).
The Evangelical Mennonite Conference is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, the Mennonite World Conference
Mennonite World Conference
The Mennonite World Conference is a global community of Christian churches that facilitates community between Anabaptist-related churches and relates to other Christian world communions and organizations....
, and other organizations.
External links
- Official Website
- Evangelical Mennonite Conference (Kleine Gemeinde) 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....
- Adherents.com