Southeastern Mennonite Conference
Southeastern Mennonite Conference was officially organized in June 1972 by a group concerned about deviations from Bible doctrine and practices espoused by the Anabaptist movement, particularly at Eastern Mennonite College and the Virginia Mennonite Mission Board. Formerly part of the West Valley District of the Virginia Mennonite Conference, Southeastern Conference initially consisted of 12 congregations, 559 members, and 37 ordained men. The conference published a bimonthly periodical, Life Lines of the Southeastern Mennonite Conference. In the late 1980s it met semiannually in regular session during the last full week of January and June. In June 1979 the conference took action to form two districts, designated as Virginia-West Virginia District and Georgia-Carolina District. In 1981 the conference opened a mission in Anasco, Puerto Rico. In 1986 Southeastern Conference consisted of 17 congregations, with three in Georgia, one in Puerto Rico, one in South Carolina, nine in Virginia, and three in West Virginia. There were a total of 837 members and a ministerial body numbering 54 members (5 bishops, 32 ministers, and 18 deacons).
In 1995 the South Atlantic Mennonite Conference was formed from the Georgia-Carolina District of the Southeastern Mennonite Conference.
In 2010 the Southeastern Mennonite Conference had 734 members in 16 congregations:
| Congregation | Location | State | Founded | Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Mennonite Church | Hinton | Virginia | 1849 | 122 |
| Bethany Mennonite Church | Dayton | Virginia | 1910 | 44 |
| Bethesda Mennonite Church | Broadway | Virginia | 1974 | 34 |
| Boyer Hill Mennonite Church | Bartow | West Virginia | 1959 | 28 |
| Brushy Run Mennonite Church | Onego | West Virginia | 1929 | 27 |
| Ebenezer Mennonite Church | South Boston | Virginia | 1904 | 78 |
| Followers of Christ Mennonite Church | Añasco | Puerto Rico | 1981 | 9 |
| Fountain of Life Mennonite Church | Barceloneta | Puerto Rico | 1989 | 3 |
| McDowell Mennonite Church | McDowell | Virginia | 2004 | 31 |
| McGaheysville Mennonite Church | McGaheysville | Virginia | 1980 | 26 |
| Mount Hermon Mennonite Church | Stanardsville | Virginia | 1936 | 47 |
| North Fork Mennonite Church | Petersburg | West Virginia | 1948 | 37 |
| Peake Mennonite Church | Hinton | Virginia | 1910 | 85 |
| Pike Mennonite Church | Harrisonburg | Virginia | 1825 | 90 |
| Rawley Springs Mennonite Church | Rawley Springs | Virginia | 1930 | 40 |
| Strasburg Mennonite Church | Strasburg | Virginia | 1999 | 33 |
| Total | 734 |
See also Conservative Mennonites.
Bibliography
Horsch, James E., ed. Mennonite Yearbook and Directory. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House (1988-89): 97.
Lehman, James O. "My Discoveries in Local Mennonite History." CrossRoads Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center website. 2 November 2008. Web. 3 September 2010. http://www.vbmhc.org/history/2008/08FallLecture/08FallLehman.shtml.
Mennonite Church Directory 2010. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2010: 115-117.
| Author(s) | John D Risser |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | October 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Risser, John D and Richard D. Thiessen. "Southeastern Mennonite Conference." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2010. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Southeastern_Mennonite_Conference&oldid=121698.
APA style
Risser, John D and Richard D. Thiessen. (October 2010). Southeastern Mennonite Conference. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Southeastern_Mennonite_Conference&oldid=121698.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 847. All rights reserved.
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