The Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is an international Mennonite Anabaptist Christian denomination. Its headquarters are in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
History The first Mennonite World Conference was held in Basel in 1925.J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1859 Its main purpose was to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Anabaptism. An assembly is convened approximately every six or seven years.
Christian Neff (1863–1946), a Mennonite minister in Germany, is often called the "father" of the Mennonite World Conference. Neff, through the Conference of Mennonites in South Germany, issued the call for the first gathering in 1925, and was president of the following meetings in 1930 and 1936.
The MWC prints a quarterly news publication in three languages—Spanish (as ), English (Courier), and French (.) This project began in 1986. The Mennonite World Conference considers that its mission is to (1) be a global community of faith in the Anabaptist-tradition, (2) facilitate relationships between Anabaptist-related churches worldwide, and (3) relate to other Christian world communions and organizations.
The official repository of Mennonite World Conference is the Mennonite Church USA Archives.
According to a census published by the association in 2025, it would have 111 member denominations in 61 countries, and 1,45 million baptized members in 10,180 churches. Mennonite World Conference, Membership, map and statistics, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, retrieved August 16, 2025
Beliefs The Conference has an Anabaptist confession of faith.Mennonite World Conference, Shared convictions, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
Affiliated organizations GMF The Global Mission Fellowship (GMF) has 71 mission member organizations. Mennonite World Conference, Global Mission Fellowship, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
GASN The Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN) supports humanitarian aid projects. Mennonite World Conference, Global Anabaptist Service Network, mwc-cmm.org, Canada, accessed May 5, 2023
Conferences Year Location Conference Focus 1925 Basel, Switzerland 400th anniversary of Anabaptism 1930 Free City of Danzig Mennonite Relief Efforts 1936 Amsterdam and Elspeet, Netherlands 400th anniversary of Menno Simons' conversion 1948 Goshen, Indiana, and North Newton, Kansas, United States Relief, Nonconformity to the World, Faith and Life, Missions, Young People's Work, A Young People's Program, the Peace Testimony, Colonization, Institutions and Mennonite Life, and Christian EducationMennonite World Conference in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online 1952 Bettingen, Switzerland The Church of Christ and Her Commission 1957 Karlsruhe, West Germany The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the World 1962 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada The Lordship of Christ 1967 Amsterdam, Netherlands The Witness of the Holy Spirit 1972 Curitiba, Brazil Jesus Christ Reconciles 1978 Wichita, Kansas, United States The Kingdom of God in a Changing World 1984 Strasbourg, France God's People Serve in Hope 1990 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Witnessing to Christ in Today's World 1997 Calcutta, India Hear what the Spirit is Saying to the Churches 2003 Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Sharing Gifts in Suffering and in Joy 2009 Asunción, Paraguay Come together in the way of Jesus Christ 2015 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States Walking with God 2022 Salatiga, Jepara, Surakarta, Margokerto, Ungaran, Semarang, Indonesia Following Jesus together across barriers
Notes
References Mennonite Encyclopedia, Harold S. Bender, Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors
External links
Official website Member churches and General Council Mennonite World Conference in the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online