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Abbotsford, B.C.
Mennonite Church Canada receives new structure; MC USA is born


Mennonite Church Canada delegates approved plans for a new structure for the denomination at their sessions held in Abbotsford, B.C. July 11–14. Delegates also affirmed a vision of the church which places God’s mission of healing and hope at the core of all the church’s activities.

The new structure allows MC Canada (not to be confused with MCC or Mennonite Central Committee) to take over the work of the former binational bodies of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church.

MC Canada’s work will be divided into three bodies:

The Christian Witness Council will concentrate on those programs involved with mission and evangelism. It will cooperate with Mennonite Mission Network – the new ministry of Mennonite Church USA – to take over the programs of the Commission on Overseas Missions, the Commission on Home Ministries, Mennonite Board of Missions and Canada’s Ministries Commission. The Christian Formation Council will promote leadership within area conferences and congregations, coordinate Christian education and nurture, provide resources and develop youth and young adult ministries. The Support Services Council will provide financial, clerical, personnel and communication services for the other two councils.

Each council will have the power to create and disband sub-committees, reference groups and online “round table” groups to provide broad input on council programs. The new structure for MC Canada promises to deliver all the programs and resources now administered binationally, but with a more flexible and efficient organization, Canadian ownership and cultural relevance.

The new structure will take effect in February 2002.

MC Canada’s 2002–03 budget is $5.5 million, with $3,030,000 designated for Christian Witness Council, $948,000 for Christian Formation, $770,000 for Support Services, $570,000 for Canadian Mennonite Bible College/Canadian Mennonite University, and $177,000 for the conference’s periodical Canadian Mennonite.

Born in the USA

With surprising ease, Mennonite Church USA was born on July 5, 2001. Delegates of the Mennonite Church and General Conference Mennonite took the final steps of an 18-year process to transform their denominations at meetings held July 2–7 in Nashville, Tenn.

In the first of two actions needed to complete the merger, 90 per cent of GC delegates and 89 per cent of MC delegates adopted the much-debated membership guidelines. Then 96 per cent of GC delegates and 95 per cent of MC delegates approved the plan of merger, which covers the legal aspects of the move.

The actions write the final chapters for the General Conference Mennonite Church, founded in 1860, and the Mennonite Church, organized in 1898, and their decades of cooperation. Mennonite Church USA is to be incorporated by August 31 and the bylaws will go into effect February 1, 2002.

During the last decade, the merger process had been plagued by conflicts over homosexuality and denominational membership. But at Nashville, delegates repeatedly said that they were ready to go forward with the work of the church, despite their disagreements.

In 1999, Mennonite Church, General Conference Mennonite Church and Conference of Mennonites in Canada delegates met jointly in St. Louis, Mo., and approved merger recommendations, including the transformation of their denominations into two national bodies.

Now both MC Canada and MC USA have structures in place that will take over the work of the two binational bodies. The two bodies will still do some work together and will hold joint assemblies every four years starting in 2005.

The birth of MC USA has created the largest Mennonite denomination in the world with a possible 116,000 members, followed by two Mennonite groups in the Congo. MC Canada is the largest Mennonite group in Canada with 37,000 members. By comparison, the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conference has 33,426 members and the US MB Conference 26,219 members.

 – adapted from reports from Canadian Mennonite and The Mennonite

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Last modified October 29, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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