China Mennonite Mission Society
China Mennonite Mission Society, an organization formed among the supporters of the mission work started by H. C. Bartel in North China. Bartel first went to China in 1901 and after four years of service with the South Chihli Mission started independent work at Ts'ao-hsien, Shandong. Adjacent areas were added to the field—Shan-hsien to the east in 1906, Ts'ao-chow to the west in 1909, and later the Honan counties of K'ao-ch'eng and Yü-ch'eng.
By 1911 sixteen additional workers had arrived. The staff then came from the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren, the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren, the Mennonite Brethren, and the Missionary Church Association. A home organization was effected in 1912 based on supporters in these four groups, the board being incorporated in 1913 as the China Mennonite Mission Society. At the peak of mission work in 1916 there were 30 missionaries. Types of endeavor included evangelistic work with a Bible school, an orphanage with agricultural and industrial training, and a home for old women. In 1942, during the Japanese occupation, the Bartels moved west and again opened new work in Kansu province. The total number of communicants was estimated at about 2,500.
Difficulties of administration impressed the need for reorganization of the board and at a meeting on 7 May 1946 various proposals were considered. As finally agreed upon the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren accepted responsibility for the original Shandong-Honan field, while the Mennonite Brethren and the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren accepted the new Kansu field. With this agreement the China Mennonite Mission Society was dissolved.
| Author(s) | Samuel Floyd Pannabecker |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Pannabecker, Samuel Floyd. "China Mennonite Mission Society." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=China_Mennonite_Mission_Society&oldid=55587.
APA style
Pannabecker, Samuel Floyd. (1953). China Mennonite Mission Society. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=China_Mennonite_Mission_Society&oldid=55587.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 560. All rights reserved.
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