Church Associations
After nearly three years of processing throughout the denomination, delegates gathered in San Jose in 2007 strongly voted in favor of Mennonite Church USA joining Christian Churches Together as a full participant. CCT brings together leaders from the various streams of the Christian church: Evangelical, historic Protestant, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Historic Black churches and the Roman Catholic Church. Two or three Mennonite Church USA leaders attend the annual CCT meetings. During the last two annual sessions, together with other representatives from the Historic Peace Churches, they have hosted a conversation on Jesus’ call to peacemaking for CCT participants.
Greetings from Richard “Dick” Hamm, CCT Executive Director to the delegates gathered at the Mennonite Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, July 2, 2009
National Council of Churches USA
For more than twenty years, Mennonites have participated in theological conversations convened by the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches. Gayle Gerber Koontz, Professor of Theology and Ethics at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, currently participates in these conversations on behalf of Mennonite Church USA.
The National Council of Churches USA held its annual General Assembly in Minneapolis, MN, November 10-12. Ed Kauffman, Central Plains conference minister, Pastor Joetta Handrich Schlabach and Hermann Weinlick, both from Faith Mennonite Church in Minneapolis, attended as observers on behalf of Mennonite Church USA.
In response to a recent NCC statement calling for nuclear disarmament, Mennonite Church USA wrote the NCC affirming this call, but encouraging the NCC to issue it to Christians and Christian churches as well as government bodies and political decision-makers. NCC general secretary, Michael Kinnamon, responded expressing significant agreement with this concern as well as posing an important invitation to Mennonites.
In various settings, Mennonites are in conversation and partnership with evangelical leaders and organizations. As is possible, Mennonite Church USA sends representatives to the NAE meetings which are open to non-member churches.