Virginia Mennonite Conference is a body of

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

churches in the south-Atlantic region of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, consisting of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and the city of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

There are 60 congregations in the Conference, and a number of ''congregations in formation'' without full membership status. As one of the regional Conferences of

Mennonite Church USA The Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radi ...

, the congregations belong to nine Districts: Calvary, Central, Eastern (VA), Harrisonburg, Northern, Potomac, Southern, and Tennessee/Carolina/Kentucky.

History

The first meeting at which minutes were taken and preserved, of what would be later be incorporated as Virginia Mennonite Conference, took place in 1835 at Weavers Mennonite Church, near

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 2 ...

. It is thought that perhaps Virginia Mennonites met in even earlier gatherings. In 1955, Pilgrim Mennonite Church of Amelia, Virginia, withdrew from Conference and helped begin what are known as the Nationwide Fellowship Churches. See

Conservative Mennonites Conservative Mennonites include numerous Conservative Anabaptist groups that identify with the theologically conservative element among Mennonite Anabaptist Christian fellowships, but who are not Old Order groups or mainline denominations. Con ...

. Later, the Southeastern Mennonite Conference officially began their withdrawal from Virginia Mennonite Conference in June 1972.

Organization and commissions

Virginia Mennonite Conference is overseen by Conference Council, an appointed group that makes larger decisions about the work of the Conference, appoints oversight leaders for the different districts and commissions, and through the Faith & Life Commission, credentials ministers. Congregations appoint delegates to represent them at two meetings a years to discern issues and vote on resolutions. Within the Conference structure are two Commissions that work on specific foci. The Congregational Life Commission "provides vision for new expressions of

Anabaptism Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

, provides the means for congregations, conference-related programs and institutions to communicate and network their ministries, and provides educational resources for congregations to nurture the spiritual formation of their members throughout the life cycle," according to a list of Commission duties. The Faith and Life Commission strives to "provide leadership for Conference in spiritual, doctrinal, and faith and life issues, be a forum for interchanging concerns relating to congregational life and leadership, attend to leadership needs of congregations, promote unity of faith and practice, issue ministry credentials, and provide professional development, fellowship and inspiration for pastors," according to its list of duties.

Conference commissions and ministries

* Congregational Life Commission * Faith & Life Commission * Historical Committee * Virginia Mennonite Missions * Congregational Resource Center * Eastern Mennonite School

Controversy

Virginia Mennonite Conference was in the center of controversy in 2016 when it suspended a pastor in one of its member churches for performing a wedding ceremony between two women. Pastor Isaac Villegas from Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship married the women in May 2016 with the approval of his congregation, and his ministerial license was quickly suspended by VMC with a charge of pastoral misconduct. This decision acted against a church-wide forbearance resolution passed in 2015 by

, the denominational body that oversees Virginia Mennonite Conference. Virginia Mennonite's actions were covered in national news outlets, and numerous commentaries and editorials were published in national and Mennonite media sources.

Conference endorsed ministries

Eastern Mennonite Seminary Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) is the graduate theological division of Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), which is an accredited Christian liberal arts university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. EMU was established as Eastern Mennonite College in 19 ...

Eastern Mennonite University Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private Mennonite university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The university also operates a satellite campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which primarily caters to working adults. EMU's bachelor-degree holders ...

* Family Life Resource Center * Mennonite Women of Virginia * Pleasant View, Inc. * Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community * Gift and Thrift, Inc. * Highland Retreat *

Mennonite Disaster Service The Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is a volunteer network through which various groups within the Anabaptist tradition assist people affected by disasters in North America. The organization was founded in 1950 and was incorporated as a 501(c)(3 ...

* Mennowood Retirement Community * NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center * Roberta Webb Child Care Center * Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center * Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale *

Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *William ...

Virginia Mennonite Conference publishes a monthly newsletter ''Connections'' in conjunction with Virginia Mennonite Missions.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Mennonite denominations Mennonitism in the United States Mennonite Conference Religious organizations established in 1835 Mennonite Church USA 1835 establishments in Virginia