View source for Southern District of Mennonite Brethren Churches (United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches)

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<h3>1959 Article</h3> <div> Southern District Conference of the [[General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches|Mennonite Brethren Church of North America]] was organized in 1909, comprising the churches of [[Kansas (USA)|Kansas]], [[Oklahoma (USA)|Oklahoma]], and [[California (USA)|California]]. The California churches, however, withdrew the following year and organized their own conference. The first convention of the Southern District was held in 1910 in the [[Buhler Mennonite Brethren Church (Buhler, Kansas, USA)|Ebenezer Church]] near [[Buhler (Kansas, USA)|Buhler]], Kansas, with Johann Foth chairman, [[Just, Martin M. (1866-1919)|Martin M. Just]] vice-chairman, and [[Schellenberg, Abraham L. (1869-1941)|Abraham L. Schellenberg]] secretary.

The purpose for the organization of the district conferences was to stress chiefly the home mission work and evangelism in the churches. At its organization this Conference had a membership of 2,100 with a total of 21 churches. The [[Colorado (USA)|Colorado]] and [[Texas (USA)|Texas]] churches soon were added to the Southern District.

A number of leaders made valuable contributions in the early days of the Conference. Among these were Johann Foth, Martin M. Just, Heinrich Adrian, and Abraham Schellenberg. Later leaders include [[Lohrenz, Henry W. (1878-1945)|H. W. Lohrenz]], H. H. Flaming, P. E. Nickel, J. K. Hiebert, [[Rempel, Peter Paul (1865-1938)|P. P. Rempel]], J. S. Regier, and [[Hiebert, Peter C. (1878-1963)|P. C. Hiebert]]. Soon the sphere of labor of the conference expanded. Home mission work occupied the chief attention and called for the greatest efforts on the part of the Home Missions Committee. A Committee of Reference and Counsel was created and charged with looking after the spiritual welfare of the Conference and assisting the individual churches in the event of difficult problems. The evangelism project for the churches was another important factor to which much emphasis was given. The Home Missions Committee secured qualified evangelists and presented them to the churches for engagement.

A third project of the Conference is extension work. At first this work was confined to the fringe areas of the churches. In 1936 the Conference opened a field of mission work in Texas along the Mexican border with Mr. and Mrs. Harry Neufeld as missionaries. Other stations have been created there since, and also in [[Arkansas (USA)|Arkansas]] and [[Wichita (Kansas, USA)|Wichita]] missionary projects are carried on with good success.

Although a General Conference project, [[Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA)|Tabor College]] is located in the Southern District, and the Oklahoma churches support a full four-year academy at [[Corn Bible Academy (Corn, Oklahoma, USA)|Corn]] with a strong Bible department. A church school committee promotes the Sunday-school work as well as the religious education work of this district, and a youth committee has charge of the Christian fellowship work and the youth retreat.

In 1947 a constitution was adopted and in 1948 the Conference was incorporated in Kansas. Thirty-five churches belong to the Conference (1956) with a total membership of 4,763. -- <em>P. H. Berg</em>

</div> <hr/> <h3>1989 Article</h3> In 1987 the Southern District Conference ([[Mennonite Brethren Church|Mennonite Brethren]])<strong> </strong>consisted of 40 congregations in the following states: [[Kansas (USA)|Kansas]], [[Oklahoma (USA)|Oklahoma]], [[Colorado (USA)|Colorado]], [[Texas (USA)|Texas]], and [[Arkansas (USA)|Arkansas]]. In 1960 the [[Krimmer Mennonite Brethren|Krimmer Mennonite Brethren]] Churches in these five states joined the Southern District Conference through merger. The total membership of the Southern District in 1987 was 6,598.

The Southern District Conference had five commissions: Stewardship; Youth; Church Extension and Evangelism; Christian Education; and Faith and Life. They were coordinated through a Coordinating Board, an executive committee, and a district minister.

In addition to the commissions there is an active Women's Missionary Service organization. Tabor College, a regional Christian liberal arts college, was owned by four districts: Southern, [[Central District of Mennonite Brethren Churches (United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches)|Central]], [[Latin America District of Mennonite Brethren Churches (United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches)|Latin American]], and [[North Carolina District of Mennonite Brethren Churches (United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches)|North Carolina]] districts. The Tabor College Senate, with representatives from the churches of the four districts, operated the college. The college made annual reports to the four district conferences.

Other Southern District ministries were managed through cooperative arrangements with the United States Conference of the Mennonite Brethren and the [[General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches|General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches]] in North America. The records of the Southern District Conference are housed in the archival center at the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies at Tabor College. The Southern District Conference maintained an office in Hillsboro, Kansas. -- <em>Wesley Prieb</em>

<hr/> <h3>2010 Update</h3>  In 2010 the following congregations were members of the Southern District Conference:

<div align="center"> <table class="vertical listing">  <tr> <th> City</th> <th> State</th> <th> Congregation</th> </tr> <tr> <td> Marshall</td> <td> Arkansas</td> <td> Martin Box</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Aurora</td> <td> Colorado</td> <td> Ethiopian Evangelical Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Denver</td> <td> Colorado</td> <td> [[Garden Park Mennonite Brethren Church (Denver, Colorado, USA)|Garden Park Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Franktown</td> <td> Colorado</td> <td> Holy Spirit Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Littleton</td> <td> Colorado</td> <td> Belleview Community Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Littleton</td> <td> Colorado</td> <td> Trailhead Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Buhler</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> [[Buhler Mennonite Brethren Church (Buhler, Kansas, USA)|Buhler Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Cimarron</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Valleyview Bible Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Garden City</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Garden Valley Mennonite Brethren Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Hays</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> North Oak Community Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Hesston</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Hesston Mennonite Brethren Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Hillsboro</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> [[Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA)|Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Hillsboro</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> [[Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA)|Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Hillsboro</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Inman</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> [[Zoar Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church (Inman, Kansas, USA)|Zoar Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Marion</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Good News Christian Fellowship</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Newton</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Koerner Heights Mennonite Brethren Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Olathe</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Community Bible Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Olathe</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Topeka</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Cornerstone Community Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Ulysses</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Ulysses Mennonite Brethren Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Wichita</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> [[Wichita First Mennonite Brethren Church (Wichita, Kansas, USA)|First Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Wichita</td> <td> Kansas</td> <td> Lighthouse Community Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Kansas City</td> <td> Missouri</td> <td> Watershed</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Adams</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> [[Adams Mennonite Brethren Church (Adams, Oklahoma, USA)|Adams Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Balko</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> Crossroads Bible Fellowship</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Collinsville</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> Discovery Bible Fellowship</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Cordell</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> Bible Mennonite Brethren Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Corn</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> [[Corn Mennonite Brethren Church (Corn, Oklahoma, USA)|Corn Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Edmond</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> Memorial Road Mennonite Brethren Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Enid</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> [[Enid Mennonite Brethren Church (Enid, Oklahoma, USA)|Enid Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Fairview</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> [[Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church (Fairview, Oklahoma, USA)|Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Indiahoma</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> [[Post Oak Mennonite Brethren Church (Indiahoma, Oklahoma, USA)|Post Oak Mennonite Brethren Church]]</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Lawton</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> Faith Bible Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Meno</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> New Hopedale Mennonite Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Okeene</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> Okeene Mennonite Brethren Church</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Tulsa</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> The Heart</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Weatherford</td> <td> Oklahoma</td> <td> Pine Acres Church of the Mennonite Brethren</td> </tr>  </table> </div>
= Bibliography =
<em class="gameo_bibliography">Mennonite Brethren General Conference Yearbook</em> (1981): 174, 192-195.
= Additional Information =
<strong>Address</strong>: 7348 W 21st Street, Suite 115, Wichita KS 67205-1765

<strong>Phone</strong>: 316-722-8680

<strong>Web site</strong>: [http://www.usmb.org/southern http://www.usmb.org/southern]
{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 4, pp. 588-589; vol. 5, pp. 847-848|date=June 2010|a1_last=Berg|a1_first=P. H.|a2_last=Prieb|a2_first=Wesley}}