Mennonite Church USA

Mennonite Church USA, with 70,000 members, is one of several denominations that traces their beginnings to the Protestant Reformation in the early 1500s. Mennonites hold common core beliefs with other Christian denominations, but they live out God's call in some ways that make them distinct. Mennonites believe in giving ultimate loyalty to God rather than to the nations in which they live. They believe that Jesus revealed a way for people to live peacefully and nonviolently, and they seek to be peacemakers in everyday life.
Mennonite church USA is committed to sharing its faith and passion for Jesus with others and is open to anyone who confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and wants to live as Jesus taught.
The vision statement of Mennonite Church USA reads, "God calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow as communities of grace, joy, and peace, so that God's healing and hope flow through us to the world." Mennonite Church USA -- its congregations, area conferences, Executive Board, ministry offices and churchwide agencies -- focus on seven priorities as it seeks to nurture missional congregations that join in God's activity in the world:
1. Christian formation. This priority reflects the centrality of Jesus Christ in the church. Missional Mennonite congregations call people to Christian commitment, disciple them in the way of Christ, teach them to embrace the Scriptures, help them develop Christian identity from an Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective, and cultivate their vocational calling.
2. Christian community. This priority reflects the communal, organic nature of the body of Christ. Missional congregations worship together, extend hospitality, practice scriptural discernment, cultivate Christ-centered unity, and learn to agree and disagree in love.
3. Holistic Christian witness. This priority reflects the winsome nature of the church’s witness. Missional churches share the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed, birthing new communities of faith. They reflect God’s coming reign by striving for peace and justice.
4. Stewardship. This priority reflects our commitment to surrender all that we have for the sake of God’s reign. Missional churches cultivate whole-life stewardship, care for creation, and practice mutual aid.
5. Leadership development. This priority reflects our commitment to develop leaders at all levels of the church. Missional churches help all of their members reach their potential as they follow God’s call.
6. Undoing racism and advancing intercultural transformation. This priority reflects our intent to dismantle individual and systemic racism in our church, develop intercultural competence, heal racial divisions, and value all the gifts of God’s diverse people.
7. Church-to-church relationships. This priority reflects our desire to give and receive gifts in the broader body of Christ, working toward Christian unity as a witness to the world. We cultivate a particularly close relationship with Mennonite Church Canada since we share a common history, confession of faith, and ministerial polity, and many joint ministry ventures.
Mennonite Church USA lists as its strengths a high level of integrity recognized in both society and the religious community; high church attendance (90% of members attend church regularly); expanded global awareness through exposure to other world cultures; strong commitment to nonviolence and use of conflict resolution skills; above average giving to the work of the church; a natural communitarian impulse demonstrated by an emphasis on congregational relationships and mutual accountabilities; strong support of volunteer efforts, relief and service activities; and a holistic theology that holds word and deed together.