Mennonite World Conference
| Mennonite World Conference | |
|---|---|
| File:Mennonite World Conference logo.svg | |
| Classification | Mainline |
| Orientation | Anabaptist, Mennonites |
| Region | 61 countries |
| Headquarters | Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| Origin | 1925 |
| Congregations | 10,180 |
| Members | 1,45 million |
| Missionary organization | Global Mission Fellowship |
| Aid organization | Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN) |
| Official website | mwc-cmm |
| Part of a series on |
| Anabaptism |
|---|
| A 1685 illustration by Jan Luyken, published in Martyrs Mirror, of Dirk Willems saving his pursuer, an act of mercy that led to his recapture, after which he was burned at the stake near Asperen in the present-day Netherlands |
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The Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is an international Mennonite Anabaptist Christian denomination. Its headquarters are in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
History
[edit | edit source]The first Mennonite World Conference was held in Basel in 1925.[1] Its main purpose was to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Anabaptism. An assembly is convened approximately every six or seven years.
Christian Neff (1863–1946), a Mennonite minister in Germany, is often called the "father" of the Mennonite World Conference. Neff, through the Conference of Mennonites in South Germany, issued the call for the first gathering in 1925, and was president of the following meetings in 1930 and 1936.[2]
The MWC prints a quarterly news publication in three languages—Spanish (as Correo), English (Courier), and French (Courrier.) This project began in 1986. The Mennonite World Conference considers that its mission is to (1) be a global community of faith in the Anabaptist-tradition, (2) facilitate relationships between Anabaptist-related churches worldwide, and (3) relate to other Christian world communions and organizations.[3]
The official repository of Mennonite World Conference is the Mennonite Church USA Archives.
According to a census published by the association in 2025, it would have 111 member denominations in 61 countries, and 1,45 million baptized members in 10,180 churches. [4]
Beliefs
[edit | edit source]The Conference has an Anabaptist confession of faith.[5]
Affiliated organizations
[edit | edit source]GMF
[edit | edit source]The Global Mission Fellowship (GMF) has 71 mission member organizations. [6]
GASN
[edit | edit source]The Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN) supports humanitarian aid projects.[7]
Conferences
[edit | edit source]| Year | Location | Conference Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Switzerland Basel, Switzerland | 400th anniversary of Anabaptism |
| 1930 | Free City of Danzig Free City of Danzig | Mennonite Relief Efforts |
| 1936 | Netherlands Amsterdam and Elspeet, Netherlands | 400th anniversary of Menno Simons' conversion |
| 1948 | United States Goshen, Indiana, and North Newton, Kansas, United States | Relief, Nonconformity to the World, Faith and Life, Missions, Young People's Work, A Young People's Program, the Peace Testimony, Colonization, Institutions and Mennonite Life, and Christian Education[8] |
| 1952 | Switzerland Bettingen, Switzerland | The Church of Christ and Her Commission |
| 1957 | West Germany Karlsruhe, West Germany | The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the World |
| 1962 | Canada Kitchener, Ontario, Canada | The Lordship of Christ |
| 1967 | Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands | The Witness of the Holy Spirit |
| 1972 | Brazil Curitiba, Brazil | Jesus Christ Reconciles |
| 1978 |  Wichita, Kansas, United States |
The Kingdom of God in a Changing World |
| 1984 | France Strasbourg, France | God's People Serve in Hope |
| 1990 | Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Witnessing to Christ in Today's World |
| 1997 | India Calcutta, India | Hear what the Spirit is Saying to the Churches |
| 2003 | Zimbabwe Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Sharing Gifts in Suffering and in Joy |
| 2009 | Paraguay Asunción, Paraguay | Come together in the way of Jesus Christ[9] |
| 2015 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States |
Walking with God |
| 2022 | Indonesia Salatiga, Jepara, Surakarta, Margokerto, Ungaran, Semarang, Indonesia | Following Jesus together across barriers[10] |
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Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1859
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- ^ Mennonite World Conference, Membership, map and statistics, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, retrieved August 16, 2025
- ^ Mennonite World Conference, Shared convictions, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
- ^ Mennonite World Conference, Global Mission Fellowship, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
- ^ Mennonite World Conference, Global Anabaptist Service Network, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
- ^ Mennonite World Conference in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
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References
[edit | edit source]- Mennonite Encyclopedia, Harold S. Bender, Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors
External links
[edit | edit source]
- Official website
- Member churches and General Council
- Mennonite World Conference in the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
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