Article Added On: June 17, 2004 - over 3 years ago
Title: Mennonites in Canada
Publication Date: January 01, 1999 - over 9 years ago
Faith Groups: Other Christian
Themes: Faith and Media
Description: General information about this organization.
Mennonites in Manitoba are a microcosm of Canadian society. Just as Canada is one of the most multicultural nations in the world, Canadian Mennonites also are made up of a plurality of groups, united by a common name. Canada's Mennonites have been described as a quilt with many pieces, with numerous different colours and shapes comprising the whole. These colours and shapes represent different ethnic origins, geographic locations, cultural traditions and customs, varying theological positions, and most noticeably, differing degrees of accommodation to the surrounding society.
Mennonites trace their origins to the Protestant Reformation of 16th century Europe. At the heart of their faith is a belief in the authority of the Bible, discipleship, adult baptism and a commitment to peace and non-resistance. They take their name from Menno Simons, an early influential 16th century leader.
Mennonites first came to Canada from the United States in 1786. Waves of Mennonite immigrants came a century later when they came to Canada from the Russian Ukraine. During and after the two World Wars about 45,000 more Russian Mennonites came to Canada. Today there are around 208,000 people who identify themselves as Mennonites in Canada (1991 census); official church membership figures are lower, however, since Mennonites become church members at the time of baptism, which usually occurs during the teenage years or later. There are over 118,000 Canadian Mennonite church members.
The majority of Canadian Mennonites can be found in Ontario and western Canada. The highest concentration is found in Manitoba, followed by Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta. There are around 1,000 Mennonites in Quebec and around 650 in the Maritimes. Mennonites make up only around one percent of Canada's population.
Although Mennonites in Manitoba are primarily European in origin, today members of the church come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds such as Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong, Laotian and Aboriginal. Worldwide, there are now more Mennonites who live in the southern hemisphere than in North America and Europe.
Mennonite church members in Canada belong to many different conferences or groups. These range from single, independent congregations which are not affiliated with any larger body to highly-organized conference structures with thousands of members. There are over 600 Mennonite meeting places in Canada, ranging from small, simple buildings to sanctuaries that hold 1,000 or more people. There are 27 different "conferences," or groupings of Mennonites in Canada. Each has its own office and elected or paid leadership.
Due to the decentralized nature of the Mennonite church, there is no one group or person who can speak for all Mennonites. Most Mennonite churches would describe themselves as having a congregational form of governance or polity. This means that the primary decision- making and action-initiating unit in the church is the local congregation. For this reason it is impossible to arrive at a definitive Mennonite view on almost any subject--there is no hierarchial system which allows one person to speak for all Mennonites. The majority of Mennonite congregations in Canada belong to groupings of congregations called conferences, which elect chairpersons or moderators, but the authority flows from the congregation to the larger body. For this reason it is important to clearly identify which kind of Mennonites are being reported about, and to talk to a representative from the appropriate conference body for an opinion.
Mennonites and the Amish, Hutterites, Old Order and Old Colony Mennonites
Historically, Mennonites, Hutterites and Amish are related, but are not the same. Mennonites, Hutterites and Amish all trace their origins to the Anabaptist movement of 16th century Europe. Each group is named after a prominent early leader: Mennonites after Menno Simons; Hutterites after Jakob Hutter; and Amish after Jacob Amman. Hutterites and the Amish are distinguishable from Mennonites by their unique style of life and dress. As well, Hutterites live communally, sharing all goods.
The most distinctive group of Mennonites are the Old Order Mennonites, who are highly visible due to their plain dress and use of horse and buggy for transportation. In fact, there are only around 2,000 of these Old Order Mennonites, all located in southern Ontario. Their dress and mode of transportation makes them highly visible.
Another group that tends to stand out are the Old Colony, or Mexican, Mennonites. These are descendants of Mennonites who moved to Mexico in the 1920s and 1940s in an effort to retain their distinctive style lifestyle (e.g. live together in homogenous communities called colonies, retain the Low German language, maintain control of their schools, adhere to strict life style choices regarding use of technology). They have become more visible in Canada over the past 20 or so years as more move back from Mexico in pursuit of a better standard of living.
Mennonites are well known for helping poor people around the world, primarily through Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), (www.mcc.org) the relief and development arm of the North American Mennonite churches, and Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS). MCC was founded in 1920 to send food to people starving in the former Soviet Union; today the agency has around 900 workers in over 50 countries, including the U.S. and Canada. Most people who serve with MCC are volunteers, giving a few weeks to up to five years at no salary to assist people around the world.
MDS (www.mds.mennonite.net/) is part of MCC; through it, volunteers help people clean up after natural disasters in North America. MDS was active in Manitoba during the 1997 flood.
Both MCC and MDS can be reached at (204) 261-6381.
Mennonites are members of what is called the Historic Peace Churches; since their inception in 1525 Mennonites have considered non-resistance an important tenet of faith. Said early leader Menno Simons: "The regenerated do not go to war or engage in strife. They have beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks and know no war. Since we are to be conformed with Christ, how can we then fight our enemies with the sword?"
