Missionary Church
Encyclopedia
The Missionary Church is an evangelical Christian
denomination of Anabaptist
origins with Wesleyan, Pietist, and Keswickian influences.
body that believes the Bible
is the inspired
Word of God and authoritative in all matters of faith; that "salvation is the result of genuine repentance of sin and faith in the atoning work of Christ"; and that the "church is composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus who have been vitally united by faith to Christ". They hold two Christian ordinances: baptism
(by immersion) and the Lord's Supper, which are outward signs, not a means of salvation
.
s), German Pietism
, the holiness movement
, and American evangelicalism, (and to a smaller degree fundamentalism and Pentecostalism
). The preamble to their Constitution references this by stating:
In the late 19th century, several Mennonite preachers embraced pietism and revivalism, and were excluded from their conferences. Among the leaders were Solomon Eby (1834 -1929) of Ontario, William Gehman (1827-1917) of Pennsylvania, Daniel Brenneman (1834-1919) of Indiana, and Joseph E. Ramseyer (1869-1944). These brethren gradually found one another and their movements merged. Daniel Brenneman and Solomon Eby established the Reformed Mennonites in 1874. The Reformed Mennonite
s joined with some other expelled Mennonite members (called the New Mennonites) and formed the United Mennonites. In 1879 the followers of William Gehman (called Evangelical Mennonites) merged with the United Mennonites, creating the Evangelical United Mennonites. In 1883 a group from Ohio (called Brethren in Christ or Swankites
) joined the movement. The denomination became the Mennonite Brethren in Christ on December 29, 1883 in Englewood, Ohio
. The Mennonite Brethren in Christ changed their name to the United Missionary Church in 1947.
The Missionary Church Association was founded in Berne, Indiana
, in 1898. In that year, Joseph E. Ramseyer was excluded from the Egly Amish because he was rebaptized at a revival meeting. The Egly Amish rejected both the nature of the baptism (immersion) and its non-Amish and Mennonite connections (he had already been baptized by the Egly Amish). The Missionary Church Association and the United Missionary Church (formerly the Mennonite Brethren in Christ) carried on fraternal relations for many years, and then merged in 1969 to form the Missionary Church.
; and the Missionary Church of Canada withdrew from the Missionary Church in 1987 (and merged with the Evangelical Church of Canada in 1993 to form the Evangelical Missionary Church). The first two divisions occurred because of doctrinal differences, while the third was a friendly separation in response to legal issues pertaining to the church existing in two nations, the United States and Canada.
The organization of the church is divided into 11 districts (and 5 mission districts). Offices are located in Fort Wayne, Indiana
. Its ministries include World Partners USA, the Missionary Church Investment Foundation, U.S. Ministries and Bethel College. Bethel College (Indiana)
, located in Mishawaka, Indiana
, currently has over 2000 students.
Also, the Missionary Church Historical Society (founded in 1979) located at Bethel College was established to maintain and keep historical records.
"The archives of the Missionary Church, as the memory center for records of historical significance, is a collection of the official papers of the denomination as well as materials relating to its origin and development. Its task is to organize and preserve these materials so they may be a valuable resource for reference and research."
In recent years, the Missionary Church has sought a closer return to its Mennonite roots. In 2003, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ
, another body with Mennonite and Pietist heritage, began pursuing an attempt to join their 200-some churches in the United States with the Missionary Church. The leadership of both denominations were firmly behind this. However, United Brethren members in the United States voted against the idea 56% to 44%, thereby halting the discussions.
The Missionary Church is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals
.
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...
denomination of Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
origins with Wesleyan, Pietist, and Keswickian influences.
Faith and practice
The Missionary Church is a TrinitarianTrinity
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...
body that believes the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
is the inspired
Biblical inspiration
Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology that the authors and editors of the Bible were led or influenced by God with the result that their writings many be designated in some sense the word of God.- Etymology :...
Word of God and authoritative in all matters of faith; that "salvation is the result of genuine repentance of sin and faith in the atoning work of Christ"; and that the "church is composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus who have been vitally united by faith to Christ". They hold two Christian ordinances: baptism
Baptism
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...
(by immersion) and the Lord's Supper, which are outward signs, not a means of 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...
.
History
The Missionary Church has diverse roots, especially in Anabaptism (directly through the MennoniteMennonite
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...
s), German Pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
, the holiness movement
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
, and American evangelicalism, (and to a smaller degree fundamentalism and Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
). The preamble to their Constitution references this by stating:
- ...the Missionary Church will be better understood by the reader who recognizes that a singular commitment of our early leaders was to the position that the Scriptures were to be the primary source of doctrine and life. In addition to this commitment to be a biblical church, we recognize the contribution of John Wesley's emphasis on "the warmed heart"; A.B. Simpson's fourfold emphasis on Jesus Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King; the Anabaptist concepts of community and brotherhood; the evangelical emphases of the lost estate of mankind and redemption through Jesus Christ. The Missionary Church, then, is a unique blend of the thought and life of a people who have sought to build their church according to Scriptures and who have appreciated their historical roots.
In the late 19th century, several Mennonite preachers embraced pietism and revivalism, and were excluded from their conferences. Among the leaders were Solomon Eby (1834 -1929) of Ontario, William Gehman (1827-1917) of Pennsylvania, Daniel Brenneman (1834-1919) of Indiana, and Joseph E. Ramseyer (1869-1944). These brethren gradually found one another and their movements merged. Daniel Brenneman and Solomon Eby established the Reformed Mennonites in 1874. The Reformed Mennonite
Reformed Mennonite
The Reformed Mennonite Church is an Anabaptist religious denomination that officially separated from the main North American Mennonite body in 1812.-History:...
s joined with some other expelled Mennonite members (called the New Mennonites) and formed the United Mennonites. In 1879 the followers of William Gehman (called Evangelical Mennonites) merged with the United Mennonites, creating the Evangelical United Mennonites. In 1883 a group from Ohio (called Brethren in Christ or Swankites
Swankites
The Swankites were an offshoot of the Wengerites formed in Ohio in 1861. This occurred over issues of meeting length, church order and method of baptism. They called themselves the Brethren in Christ, a name used by both the Wengerites and the River Brethren at that point.In 1883 the Swankites...
) joined the movement. The denomination became the Mennonite Brethren in Christ on December 29, 1883 in Englewood, Ohio
Englewood, Ohio
Englewood, a northern suburb of Dayton, is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,465 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. The Mennonite Brethren in Christ changed their name to the United Missionary Church in 1947.
The Missionary Church Association was founded in Berne, Indiana
Berne, Indiana
Berne is a city in Monroe and Wabash townships, Adams County, Indiana, United States, 35 miles south of Fort Wayne. The population was 4,150 at the 2000 census...
, in 1898. In that year, Joseph E. Ramseyer was excluded from the Egly Amish because he was rebaptized at a revival meeting. The Egly Amish rejected both the nature of the baptism (immersion) and its non-Amish and Mennonite connections (he had already been baptized by the Egly Amish). The Missionary Church Association and the United Missionary Church (formerly the Mennonite Brethren in Christ) carried on fraternal relations for many years, and then merged in 1969 to form the Missionary Church.
Branches
The Missionary Church (and the movements that formed it) has experienced three divisions — the withdrawal of several leaders from the Missionary Church Association in 1923 over disagreements concerning the Holy Spirit; in 1947 the Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ withdrew over issues of doctrine and polity, and in 1959 became the Bible Fellowship ChurchBible Fellowship Church
The Bible Fellowship Church is a conservative pietistic Christian denomination with Mennonite roots.-History:The Bible Fellowship Church history begins with the formation of the Evangelische Mennoniten Gemeinschaft on September 24, 1858 in Milford Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania...
; and the Missionary Church of Canada withdrew from the Missionary Church in 1987 (and merged with the Evangelical Church of Canada in 1993 to form the Evangelical Missionary Church). The first two divisions occurred because of doctrinal differences, while the third was a friendly separation in response to legal issues pertaining to the church existing in two nations, the United States and Canada.
Status
The Missionary Church has a membership of over 206,000 people in more than 1,800 congregations in 35 countries. As of 2009, in the United States there were over 400 congregations. Indiana remains the geographic center of the denomination, with nearly half of its members. Ohio and Michigan also contain sizable numbers of members.The organization of the church is divided into 11 districts (and 5 mission districts). Offices are located in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. Its ministries include World Partners USA, the Missionary Church Investment Foundation, U.S. Ministries and Bethel College. Bethel College (Indiana)
Bethel College (Indiana)
Bethel College is a Christian liberal arts institution located in Mishawaka , Indiana, United States. It was established in 1947 by a Mennonite group which was one of the founding members of the Missionary Church...
, located in Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...
, currently has over 2000 students.
Also, the Missionary Church Historical Society (founded in 1979) located at Bethel College was established to maintain and keep historical records.
"The archives of the Missionary Church, as the memory center for records of historical significance, is a collection of the official papers of the denomination as well as materials relating to its origin and development. Its task is to organize and preserve these materials so they may be a valuable resource for reference and research."
In recent years, the Missionary Church has sought a closer return to its Mennonite roots. In 2003, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ
Church of the United Brethren in Christ
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana. It is a Protestant denomination of episcopal structure, Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities of 18th century Pennsylvania, as well as close...
, another body with Mennonite and Pietist heritage, began pursuing an attempt to join their 200-some churches in the United States with the Missionary Church. The leadership of both denominations were firmly behind this. However, United Brethren members in the United States voted against the idea 56% to 44%, thereby halting the discussions.
The Missionary Church is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works in four main areas: Church & Faith Partners, Government Relations,...
.