Bible Mennonite Fellowship
The Bible Mennonite Fellowship is a loose confederation of two congregations, Brownsville Mennonite Church and Sheridan Mennonite Church, both in Oregon. Originally there was also a congregation in Corvallis, Montana, the Woodside Mennonite Church. The fellowship originated after World War II, when conservative members of the Pacific Coast Conference of the Mennonite Church began calling for stricter church discipline. In 1966 the conservative wing of the conference proposed that the entire conference withdraw from the Mennonite Church. This recommendation was rejected in 1967 by a two-to-one margin.
After the vote, the Sheridan, Bethel, and Hopewell congregations left the Pacific Coast Conference. They were followed in 1968 by East Fairview and Brownsville, in 1969 by Fairview, and in 1970 by Winston.
In 1967 an organization called the Bible Mennonite Fellowship was formed, with a common statement of faith, discipline, and constitution. Membership was offered to both congregations and individuals. The group sponsored mission work in northwestern Mexico.
The total membership of the fellowship in 1988 was 79. In 2010 the fellowship was led by Bishop Arlen Krabill from Brownsville. Schools were operated in Brownsville and Sheridan, where the two member congregations had a combined total of 122 members:
| Congregation | Location | State | Founded | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville Mennonite Church | Brownsville | Oregon | 1958 | 92 |
| Sheridan Mennonite Church | Sheridan | Oregon | 1923 | 30 |
| Total | 122 |
Bibliography
Mennonite Church Directory 2010. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2010: 54.
Mennonite Yearbook and Directory (1988/89): 92; (1996): 111.
Scott, Stephen. An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups. People's Place Book #12. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1996: 189-190.
| Author(s) | Reynold Sawatzky |
|---|---|
| Sam Steiner | |
| Date Published | October 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Sawatzky, Reynold and Sam Steiner. "Bible Mennonite Fellowship." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bible_Mennonite_Fellowship&oldid=116557.
APA style
Sawatzky, Reynold and Sam Steiner. (October 2010). Bible Mennonite Fellowship. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bible_Mennonite_Fellowship&oldid=116557.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 78. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.