Mennonite World Conference
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The Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is an international Mennonite Anabaptist Christian denomination. Its headquarters are in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
History
The first Mennonite World Conference was held in Basel in 1925. 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.
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.
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.
Beliefs
The Conference has an Anabaptist confession of faith.
Affiliated organizations
GMF
The Global Mission Fellowship (GMF) has 71 mission member organizations.
GASN
The Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN) supports humanitarian aid projects.
Conferences
| 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 |
| 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 | United States 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 |
| 2015 | United States Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States | Walking with God |
| 2022 | Indonesia Salatiga, Jepara, Surakarta, Margokerto, Ungaran, Semarang, Indonesia | Following Jesus together across barriers |
Notes
- Mennonite Encyclopedia, Harold S. Bender, Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors