The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, also called Holdeman Mennonite, is a Christian Church of Anabaptist heritage. A man named John Holdeman (1832–1900), who was a baptized Mennonite, was instrumental in establishing the church in 1859. The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite is Conservative Mennonite and is different from other Conservative Mennonites because of its one true church doctrine. In 2021, the church had approximately 27,118 baptized members.

The coming of the Mennonites from Russia

The spread of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite among other Mennonites and among the Amish was minimal until the arrival of Mennonite immigrants from the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine), so called 'Russian' Mennonites who are of Dutch and Prussian heritage and who settled in Canada, mainly Manitoba and in the US, among other places in McPherson County, Kansas, starting in 1874. In 1878, Holdeman baptized 78 members of the McPherson County group. In 1881, he baptized 118 Kleine Gemeinde Mennonites in Manitoba who had migrated from southern Russia (now Ukraine) to North America some years before. With this group came Peter Toews, who led many Mennonite immigrants from Russia then living in Canada and Kansas into the Holdeman church.

Theology

Holdeman's teachings on salvation and the Bible probably reflect more evangelical Protestant and Pietist influence. The church began during a time of widespread revival and spiritual awakening. They believe that a person can lose his or her salvation if they stop following Jesus, termed the conditional preservation of the saints. Leaving or excommunication from the Holdeman Mennonite church is usually considered as following a loss of salvation. They believe that every person that has repented and turned their life over to Christ and follow Christ (born again as described by Jesus) is a member of the Kingdom of Heaven (Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Christ) and that the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite is a true visible church within the Kingdom of Christ. Baptism, by pouring, is the method by which born-again believers are admitted into this visible church. This physical baptism is the baptism of John and is a picture of the baptism of the Holy Spirit by Christ. Only born again Christians are baptized upon confession of faith and the request to be baptized.

Soteriologically, the new birth is considered the "cornerstone" of the doctrine of salvation. It is described as true repentance from sin and acceptance of the atoning work of Christ by faith, resulting in the redemption from sin and being spiritually born again.

Marriage is seen as divinely instituted between one man and one woman for life, for the propagation, purity, and happiness of the human race. It is only permitted between church members. In marriage, Christians are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Divorce is not the standard solution to a problem in marriage, but scripture allows for divorce when adultery has been committed, and remarriage is sanctioned for those who have divorced for adultery. From the beginning, God instituted marriage between one husband and one wife. It is because of the hardness of man's heart that Moses allowed for a writing of divorce. Instead of allowing young people to choose a partner and engage in dating rituals, every congregation has a formal youth group, which organizes group functions such as bible studies, singing evenings, or volleyball games at which young people get to know each other. If a man wants to get married, he meets with a church minister who "carries the proposal" for him. In this tradition, the minister pays a visit to the young lady to whom the young man wants to propose. She can then accept or reject this proposal. In the event that she says yes, the marriage engagement will usually be announced in church the following Sunday morning after the worship service. Weddings are simple religious services followed by a reception for guests. This software blocks access to social media as well as many websites that christians find objectionable.

A filter on a smart phone does not work if a person is not a Christian. The real filter is the Christian filter in the heart that is guided by the Holy Spirit that tells us when we are consuming content that cannot live in our heart with the Spirit of God. This Holy Spirit tells us when we are defiling the temple of God.

Ministers and church organization

Ministers are chosen from within the own ranks and formal training is not required. According to the 2010 US census, there were 153 congregations in the US. In 2021, the church had 27,118 members, of whom 16,132 lived in the US and 5,396 in Canada.

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|+ Membership of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Current membership still greatly reflects the growth of the church through the Swiss-German ancestry of those such as Holdeman, the Kansas-"Russian Mennonite" ancestry, and the Manitoba-"Russian Mennonite" ancestry. Yet, in some regions, like Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Eastern Ontario, there is a high percentage of believers who have recently joined the Church and do not have the same roots as the majority of the Holdemans in North America, who are still ethnic Mennonites.

In addition to the US and Canada, the Church of God has established congregations and mission work in various countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Europe. The lawsuit alleged that clergy failed to contact authorities as required by mandatory reporter statutes. His lawsuit pointed allegations of sexual abuse by people who attended congregations affiliated with the Church of God In Christ Mennonite, some resulting arrests and convictions. The case was settled out of court, and the terms of the settlement were not published by the parties.

2022 allegations by Mennonite Abuse Prevention List

On August 2, 2022, a nonprofit called Mennonite Abuse Prevention published a report alleging how sexual abuse allegations are handled in the church. This report alleges, in a series of cases, that there was clergy misconduct including failures to report abuse and cases where victims were discouraged from reporting abuse to police. The allegations claim that, as part of the settlement of the 2016 lawsuit, every congregation explored local mandatory reporting laws and declared that their congregations would now comply. The allegations further claim that, that same year, court records show that ministers at the Gospel Mennonite Church congregation in Almena, Wisconsin were notified that Leslie Toews, a member at the congregation, had sexually abused a 13-year-old girl for about a year, and claim that this abuse was not reported. The allegations claim that the alleged perpetrator arranged to speak with detectives four years later, in 2021. MAP claims that church policy documents shared with them show that church members, including school teachers, are required by law to report directly to authorities, are required to report abuse to clergy, who then investigate and make a judgement call with regard to whether the abuse should be reported to authorities.

The purge of the 1970s (The New Way)

Economic trends in the 1970s led to an increasing rate of non compliant members, in addition to some members who began to question the doctrine of the "one true church." Church discipline concerns led to a "new way" of dealing with non-conforming members. Church leadership began the process of interviewing every member of every congregation around the conference. This new method was referred to as "paneling", which led to number of members who were disciplined and excommunicated. The practice of excommunicating former members, known as The Avoidance, is still practiced and is an official Conference Decision (policy).

Publications

The Messenger of Truth, which was begun in the early 20th century, is issued bi-weekly from the church headquarters in Moundridge, Kansas, US. Canadian offices are located in Greenland, Manitoba. The church's publishing arm is Gospel Publishers.

See also

  • Schowalter Foundation

References

Literature

  • John M. Penner: A Concise History of the Church of God, 1967.
  • Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al. (editors): Mennonite Encyclopedia, 1990.
  • P. G. Hiebert: Principles of Faith, 3rd edition 1967.
  • [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/churchofgodmembershipforum/church-of-god-in-christ-mennonite-f419882/] forum for members and exe’s’’
  • Church of God in Christ, Mennonite in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
  • Basic information