Convención de las Iglesias Evangélicas Menonitas de Nicaragua
The Convención de las Iglesias Evangélicas Menonitas de Nicaragua (Nicaragua Mennonite Conference) was founded in 1977 through the mission work of Rosedale Mennonite Missions (Conservative Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities). Their work in Nicaragua began 10 years earlier with a large, rural voluntary service program. The first church planters arrived in 1973, and planted churches in Managua and in rural areas, often related to the voluntary service work.
The (Sandinista) revolution of 1979 brought changes to the structure of the conference. Indigenous leaders took major new responsibilities in the leadership of their own conference, and the churches emerged from the revolution with a new vision for church planting. This, coupled with increased receptivity in the general population, brought a spurt of growth from 1981 to 1983. Foreign missionaries worked in leadership training and gradually phased out their work by 1987. Economic and political difficulties have slowed church growth since then. Several churches were dispersed by armed conflict, and some of the conference leaders left the country . Rampant inflation and scarcity contributed to a loss of vision for starting new churches.
The conference strives to train new leaders to nurture existing congregations and to plant new ones. The key to the future of the conference is in its ability to call and equip new leaders. The revolution brought many changes in Nicaraguan life, and church leaders are often called upon to make difficult decisions. They must be resourceful in order to carry on the work with limited material resources. A dedicated core of national leaders has worked to carry this out.
In 2003 there were 80 congregations with 4,300 members.
Bibliography
Mennonite World Handbook Supplement. Strasbourg, France, and Lombard, IL: Mennonite World Conference, 1984 : 90.
Mennonite Yearbook and Directory. Scottdale: Mennonite Publishing House, 1986-1987: 160.
Mennonite World Conference website.
| Author(s) | Don Byler |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1987 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Byler, Don. "Convención de las Iglesias Evangélicas Menonitas de Nicaragua." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1987. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Convenci%C3%B3n_de_las_Iglesias_Evang%C3%A9licas_Menonitas_de_Nicaragua&oldid=55834.
APA style
Byler, Don. (1987). Convención de las Iglesias Evangélicas Menonitas de Nicaragua. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Convenci%C3%B3n_de_las_Iglesias_Evang%C3%A9licas_Menonitas_de_Nicaragua&oldid=55834.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 202-203. All rights reserved.
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