Mennonite Church Canada

Mennonite Church Canada, commonly abbreviated MC Canada and sometimes called the General Conference, is a Canadian Mennonite denomination headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is part of the wider Anabaptist Christian tradition and serves as a national church body for congregations and regional conferences across Canada. The organization is a member of the Mennonite World Conference and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and it also participates in the Canadian Council of Churches. The denomination’s roots extend to the arrival of the first Mennonites in Canada from Pennsylvania in 1786. Subsequent migration, particularly from Europe, established Mennonite communities in several parts of the country. Attempts to coordinate these communities developed over the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A first annual meeting of Mennonite ministers was held in 1810, eventually contributing to the formation of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario, later known as the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec. The Conference of Mennonites in Central Canada was established in 1903. As Mennonite bodies expanded beyond the central settlement areas, that organization adopted the name General Conference of Mennonites in Canada in 1932 and was later known as the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. Other regional structures developed alongside it. The Ontario Amish Mennonite Conference, later the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference, was founded in 1923. The Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario followed in 1945. In 1988, the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference, the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario, and the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec united as the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada. The present national denomination emerged from a wider North American restructuring. Beginning in 1989, Mennonite leaders and delegates undertook consultations, discussions, proposals, and formal sessions concerning the unification of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. The Canadian Conference of Mennonites in Canada participated in this process. The reorganization resulted in Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada in 2002. MC Canada is organized into five area churches: Mennonite Church Alberta, Mennonite Church British Columbia, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, Mennonite Church Manitoba, and Mennonite Church Saskatchewan. Denominational work is administered by a board elected by delegates to the biennial assembly. The church’s ministries include congregational support, theological education, mission and witness, peace and justice work, leadership development, and the publication of Canadian Mennonite. Its doctrinal framework is expressed through The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, adopted in 1995 by the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church. The confession addresses core Christian doctrines, baptism, communion, foot washing, church discipline, ministry and leadership, discipleship, family and marriage, stewardship, peace, nonresistance, social responsibility, and the relationship between church, government, and society. The denomination ordains women as pastors. In 2016, it adopted a resolution allowing each local church to decide whether it would celebrate blessings of same-sex marriages. By 2025, the In This Together Network connected 46 churches supporting such blessings. The denomination is connected with educational institutions including Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, British Columbia; Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana; Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario; and Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. It also has a publishing and communications history that includes Canadian Mennonite as its official periodical and the former German-language newspaper Der Bote, which ended publication in 2008. A 2025 Mennonite World Conference census reported 202 churches and 23,992 baptized members.

Mennonite Church Canada belongs to a Canadian Mennonite tradition whose history begins with the arrival of Mennonites from Pennsylvania in 1786. During the following 150 years, many additional Mennonites came directly from Europe and established communities in different parts of Canada. These settlements developed local congregational and conference structures intended to support worship, ministry, mutual aid, and theological order. A significant early coordinating event was the first annual meeting of Mennonite ministers in 1810. Over time, this development contributed to the formation of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario, later called the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec. In central Canada, the Conference of Mennonites in Central Canada was created in 1903. As Mennonite communities spread beyond the geographic area implied by that name, the body became the General Conference of Mennonites in Canada in 1932 and was later known as the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. Additional regional organizations formed during the twentieth century. The Ontario Amish Mennonite Conference, subsequently renamed the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference, began in 1923. The Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario was formed in 1945. In 1988, the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference, the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario, and the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec combined to create the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada. The modern national church arose from a broader effort to reorganize Mennonite structures in North America. From 1989 onward, the Mennonite Church, the General Conference Mennonite Church, and the related Canadian conference engaged in consultations, discussions, proposals, and formal decision-making. The process led to the creation of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada in 2002. MC Canada subsequently operated as a national denominational body supported by regional area churches and congregations. The current structure consists of five area churches: Alberta, British Columbia, Eastern Canada, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. A board elected by delegates to a biennial assembly administers denominational work. The organization participates in the Mennonite World Conference, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Canadian Council of Churches. Its work includes ministry coordination, theological education, mission, peace and justice initiatives, leadership formation, and support for congregational life. The church’s theological identity is summarized in The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, adopted in 1995 by the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church. The confession covers Christian doctrine, Scripture, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, foot washing, church discipline, ministry, discipleship, family life, stewardship, peace, nonresistance, justice, and the church’s relationship with society and government. Mennonite Church Canada ordains women as pastors. In 2016, the denomination approved a resolution giving local churches the choice of celebrating blessings of same-sex marriages. By 2025, 46 churches were connected through the In This Together Network, which supports churches that affirm such blessings. Education and communication have been important parts of the denomination’s institutional life. Associated theological and educational institutions include Columbia Bible College, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Conrad Grebel University College, and Canadian Mennonite University. Canadian Mennonite serves as the official conference periodical. The German-language Der Bote was also published by the conference until it ceased in 2008. A Mennonite World Conference census published in 2025 recorded 202 churches and 23,992 baptized members.

• 2025

  Membership reported by Mennonite World Conference census

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  The census reported 202 churches and 23,992 baptized members associated with the denomination.

• 2016

  Local choice on same-sex marriage blessings

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Delegates approved a resolution allowing individual congregations to decide whether to celebrate blessings of same-sex marriages.

• 2008

  Der Bote publication ends

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  The conference’s German-language newspaper Der Bote ceased publication.

• 2002

  Mennonite Church Canada established

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  A North American Mennonite restructuring resulted in the formation of Mennonite Church Canada alongside Mennonite Church USA.

• 1988

  Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada created

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Three Ontario-based conference bodies united to form the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada.

• 1932

  Central conference adopts a national name

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  As Mennonite communities expanded beyond central Canada, the organization became the General Conference of Mennonites in Canada.

• 1903

  Conference of Mennonites in Central Canada formed

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  A central Canadian Mennonite conference was established to coordinate congregational and denominational activity.

• 1810

  First annual meeting of Mennonite ministers

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Mennonite ministers held the first annual meeting that helped lay the groundwork for later conference organization in Ontario.

• 1786

  First Mennonites from Pennsylvania arrive in Canada

  [1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Mennonites from Pennsylvania established the earliest documented Mennonite migration stream into Canada.

A Canadian Anabaptist-Mennonite church body emphasizing discipleship, congregational community, peace, justice, nonresistance, shared governance, theological education, and mission.

• Religious services · 2002

  Congregational and denominational ministry

  Mennonite Church Canada coordinates and supports congregational life through its national office, area churches, assemblies, elected board, and ministry networks. Its work encompasses worship-related support, leadership, mission, peace and justice initiatives, and cooperation among Canadian Mennonite congregations.

• Doctrinal resource · 1995

  The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective

  This 24-article confession provides the denomination’s principal doctrinal framework. It addresses God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Scripture, salvation, baptism, communion, church order, ministry, discipleship, family, stewardship, peace, nonresistance, justice, and the church’s relationship with government and society.

• Periodical

  Canadian Mennonite

  Canadian Mennonite is the official periodical associated with Mennonite Church Canada and serves as a communications channel for news, reflection, denominational developments, and Canadian Mennonite perspectives.

• 2016

  Authorize local decisions on same-sex marriage blessingsStrategy

  Background

  The denomination faced differing views among congregations concerning whether same-sex marriages could receive church blessings.

  Action taken

  Delegates approved a resolution giving each local church the choice of celebrating blessings of same-sex marriages.

  Aftermath

  The decision permitted variation among congregations. By 2025, the In This Together Network connected 46 churches that supported such blessings.

  Source

• 2025

  Mennonite World Conference census reports Canadian membership[1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A census published by the Mennonite World Conference reported 202 churches and 23,992 baptized members associated with Mennonite Church Canada.

• 2016

  Mennonite Church Canada adopts local-choice resolution on same-sex marriage blessings[1]Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The denomination voted for a resolution allowing individual local churches to decide whether they would celebrate blessings of same-sex marriages.

1. 1Mennonite Church Canadaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Mennonite Church Canada websitehome.mennonitechurch.ca