The Christian Mennonite Conference, formerly known as the ''Chortitzer Mennonite Conference'' (german: Die Mennonitische Gemeinde zu Chortitz), is a small 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 Radi ...

s in western

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

History

The forerunners of this group came to

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

in 1874. They were first known as Bergthalers, but eventually became known as ''the Chortitzer Church'' because their bishop, Gerhard Wiebe (1827-1900), lived near the village of Chortitz (now known as Randolph), and made the local church his home church. This group was very conservative. They sang without harmony (parts), restricting the singing to a melody only. They allowed neither Sunday schools nor evening services. The German language was used exclusively in church services. The bishop and ministers possessed most of the authority in the conference, allowing for little local autonomy. The departure of the more conservative families to

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

in 1948 left the more progressive families remaining in Canada. This opened the way for a number of changes in the conference. A new emphasis was placed on Christian education, with the addition of Bible studies, Sunday school, Sunday evening services, and young people's programs. Exclusive use of the German language made way for the adoption of English - first in Sunday School, and then in the Sunday morning services. A mission board was formed to conduct the mission outreach of the conference, and now a number of conference members serve in different parts of the world. Today, the conference has just over 1,000 baptized members in 9 congregations. The bishop is the spiritual leader of the conference. Although all land and property is owned by the conference, each congregation is nearly autonomous and presides over its ministerial elections, spiritual matters, ministries, and budget. The bishop is responsible for the ordination of ministers and deacons. The conference, which has its main office in

Steinbach, Manitoba Steinbach () ( Plautdietsch: /ˈʃte̞nbah/ or /ˈʃte̞nbax/) is a city located about south-east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Steinbach is the third-largest city in Manitoba, with a population of 17,806, and the largest community in the Eas ...

, prints ''The Chronicle'' as its official publication and has a radio program ministry that ministers to German-speaking Mennonites in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and

. The conference officially changed its name to ''Christian Mennonite Conference'' in 2015.

Congregations

Fort St. John, British Columbia Fort St. John is a city located in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The most populous municipality in the Peace River Regional District, the city encompasses a total area of about with 20,155 residents recorded in the 2016 Census. Located ...

* Grunthal, Manitoba *

Mitchell, Manitoba Mitchell is a local urban district located in the Rural Municipality of Hanover, Manitoba, Canada. It is located three kilometers west of Steinbach, Manitoba along Provincial Highway 52. The community has a population of 3,136 as of 2016, making ...

* New Bothwell, Manitoba *

Niverville, Manitoba Niverville is a town in the Eastman Region, Manitoba, Canada. The town lies between the northwest corner of the Rural Municipality of Hanover and the southeastern portion of the Rural Municipality of Ritchot. Niverville's population as of the 2021 ...

* Prespatou, British Columbia *

* Weidenfeld, Manitoba *

Winkler, Manitoba Winkler is a city in Manitoba, Canada with a population of 13,745, making it the 4th largest city in Manitoba, as of the 2021 Canadian census. It is located in southern Manitoba, surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Stanley, about one hundre ...

Former congregations

Osler, Saskatchewan Osler is a town in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, founded in the 1890s. The community was named after Sir Edmund Boyd Osler (1845–1924), who was an Ontario-based explorer, railroad financier, and Member of Parliament. The town has ...

Randolph, Manitoba Randolph, originally known as Chortitz, is a small community in the Rural Municipality of Hanover, Manitoba, Canada. The community has an estimated population of 70 and is located 1.6 kilometres north of Highway 52 on Provincial Road 206 about ...

* Rosengard, Manitoba * Schanzenfeld, Manitoba *

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

References

* ''

Mennonite Encyclopedia 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 Radi ...

(Vol. 5)'', Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors {{reflist

External links

Official website

Christian Mennonite Conference
in ''Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online'' Mennonite denominations Mennonitism in Canada Russian Mennonite diaspora in Canada Steinbach, Manitoba

History

Congregations

Former congregations

See also

References

External links