General Conference Mennonite Church (United States)
The General Conference Mennonite Church United States Assembly was organized on 1 August 1983, and was made up of the General Conference Mennonite churches in the United States, totaling 35,961 members in 211 congregations in 26 states. The United States Assembly met in conjunction with the General Conference Mennonite Church's triennial sessions. Business between sessions was transacted by the United States Council which was made up of United States members on the General Conference General Board Executive Committee, United States district presidents, and two persons elected to the Commission on Home Ministries (US).
Over the 10-year period preceeding its organization there was a growing awareness that there was no forum, apart from the binational triennial conference, to deal with questions pertaining exclusively to the General Conference Mennonites in the United States. The Conference of Mennonites in Canada served this function in Canada. A consultation on 14-16 May 1981 was an important step in the process that led to the General Conference United States Assembly in 1983. The delegates from the United States churches to the General Conference triennial sessions constituted the voting members of the assembly. Concerns that clearly pertained to the United States included such items as: receiving reports from Mennonite Central Committee United States and Mennonite Mutual Aid, United States native ministries, conscription concerns, and United States political issues.
After the 1999 restructuring of Mennonite Church, the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Conference of Mennonites in Canada into Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada, the General Conference U.S. Assembly ceased to exist.
See also General Conference Mennonite Church; Conference of Mennonites in Canada.
Additional Information
Membership in the United States
| Year | Churches | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 126 | 19,937 |
| 1929 | 136 | 21,582 |
| 1935 | 156 | 25,561 |
| 1942 | 178 | 36,032 |
| 1945 | 240 | 40,000 |
| 1950 | 276 | 35,290 |
| 1955 | 180 | 34,589 |
| 1960 | 209 | 35,491 |
| 1966 | 188 | 35,841 |
| 1970 | 187 | 49,105 |
| 1976 | 187 | 36,397 |
| 1980 | 202 | 36,736 |
| 1985 | 211 | 36,318 |
| 1990 | 218 | 33,535 |
| 1995 | 268 | 35,852 |
| 1999 | 295 | 35,759 |
Source: ARDA: The Association of Religious Data Archives. "General Conference Mennonite Church." 20 June 2013. http://www.thearda.com/denoms/D_1027.asp.
| Author(s) | James Gingerich |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1989 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Gingerich, James. "General Conference Mennonite Church (United States)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1989. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(United_States)&oldid=122333.
APA style
Gingerich, James. (1989). General Conference Mennonite Church (United States). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(United_States)&oldid=122333.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 332. All rights reserved.
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