Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America (1917 - 1937) - Religious Group
Religious Family: Mennonite/AmishReligious Tradition: Evangelical Protestant
Description: The Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America can be traced to work organized in 1889 by Isaac Peters and Aaron Walls. In that year, they joined their congregations to create the United Mennonite Brethren of North America, though the name was soon changed to Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America. In 1937, the name was changed to Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference, and in 1987 it adopted its present name, the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches.
Official Site: Not available
Connections: Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America
| Group (Active) | Group (Defunct) | Other |
Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America, Trends (1935 - 1943)1
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 1,059 | 10 | 12 |
| 1940 | 1,400 | 13 | |
| 1942 | 1,625 | 12 | |
| 1943 | 1,626 | 12 | |
Sources
1 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.
Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.
When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.
