Mosaic Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)
Formation of the Mosaic Mennonite Conference was approved on 2 November 2018 when the Franconia Mennonite and Eastern District conferences held reconciliation votes during joint assemblies at Souderton Mennonite Church. The new conference began to function on 1 February 2020 under the new structure and name.
The Eastern District resulted from a division in the Franconia Conference in 1847 and eventually became part of the General Conference Mennonite Church. When the Mennonite Church (MC) to which Franconia Conference belonged merged with the General Conference Mennonite Church to form Mennonite Church USA in 2002, cooperation between the two conferences increased. Joint assemblies were held after 2012, and in 2016 the conferences voted to start a reconciliation process. There was a service of reconciliation at the joint assemblies in 2018.
The Mosaic Mennonite Conference was comprised of 57 congregations and 7,587 members at the time of its formation. One congregation announced its departure; the West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship planned to join MC USA’s Allegheny Mennonite Conference which had a more flexible polity in accepting performance of same-sex marriages by its pastors. Seven Southeast Mennonite Conference churches planned to join Mosaic Mennonite Conference in 2020 in order to stay connected to Mennonite Church USA after their conference voted to leave the denomination.
The Mosaic Mennonite Conference structure at it formation included a 12-member Conference Board, plus the Executive Minister, as well as an Executive Committee that worked on behalf the Board between meetings. Committees represented on the Conference Board included Finance, Ministerial and Intercultural. Steve Kriss served as the first Executive Minister, and Ken Burkholder was the first moderator of the new conference.
Bibliography
Heinzekehr, Hannah. "Franconia, Eastern District explore reconciliation after 169 years." TheMennonite 21 November 2016. Web. 17 June 2020. https://themennonite.org/daily-news/franconia-eastern-district-explore-reconciliation-169-years/.
Howes, Sue Conrad. "A new conference looks ahead." Mosaic Mennonite Conference. 13 February 2020. Web. 17 June 2020. https://mosaicmennonites.org/2020/02/13/a-new-conference-looks-ahead/.
Huber, Tim. "Franconia, Eastern District mend a 172-year split" Mennonite World Review 4 November 2019. Web. 17 June 2020. http://mennoworld.org/2019/11/04/news/franconia-eastern-district-conferences-mend-a-172-year-split/.
Servant, Emily Ralph. "A new name on Pentecost comes with power and possibilities." Mosaic Mennonite Conference. 3 June 2020. Web. 17 June 2020. https://mosaicmennonites.org/2020/06/03/a-new-name-on-pentecost-comes-with-power-and-possibilities/.
Stella, Rachel. "Franconia, Eastern District move to unite." Mennonite World Review. 4 December 2017. Web. 17 June 2020. http://mennoworld.org/2017/12/04/news/franconia-eastern-dist-move-to-unite/.
Additional Information
Address: 1000 Forty Foot Rd., Lansdale, PA 19446 (located at Dock Mennonite Academy)
Phone: 267-932-6050
Website: https://mosaicmennonites.org/
Denominational Affiliations: Mennonite Church USA
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | June 2020 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Mosaic Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2020. Web. 23 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mosaic_Mennonite_Conference_(Mennonite_Church_USA)&oldid=168389.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (June 2020). Mosaic Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mosaic_Mennonite_Conference_(Mennonite_Church_USA)&oldid=168389.
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