Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches
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The Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches is an evangelical Christian denomination with an Anabaptist Mennonite heritage.
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Background
The Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches began in 1889 as the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference. This body originated among Mennonite Brethren immigrants that came to Canada and the United States from Russia around 1874. They withdrew from the Mennonite Brethren to place greater evangelical emphasis on such doctrines as repentance and conversion. A new confession of faith was published in 1907.
The Evangelical Mennonite Brethren and the Evangelical Mennonite Church began talks of merger in 1953, but the effort ended without success in 1962. In this period, the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference was also strengthening ties with the Evangelische Mennonitische Bruderschaft von Südamerika (Evangelical Mennonite Brethren of South America). These South American brethren shared similar background, language, doctrine, and practice. Affiliation was accomplished in 1958, with the South American group being made a district of the general conference, but with self-government. Until 1983, the conference officially held the Mennonite position of non-resistance and not bearing arms in war. Since that year, the constitution, while maintaining the official position, has also recognized the individual's right to their own conscience concerning these matters.
The Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference changed its name to the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches (FEBC) on July 16, 1987. At that time the conference consisted of 36 congregations with a membership over 4500 (of which about 500 were in South America).
Status
The Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches holds an orthodox Trinitarian theology, the infallible inspiration of the Scriptures, and is dispensational premillennial in eschatology. The body recognizes two ordinances – baptism and the Lord's supper. They practice water baptism of believers by immersion, but will recognize as valid other modes when administered by others, and observe open communion with bread and fruit of the vine. The Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches exists to increase fellowship between member congregations, promote evangelism & missions, and represent the congregations through membership in boards and organizations outside the FEBC.
In 2003 the FEBC in North America had 3620 members (Canada - 2170; USA - 1450) in 36 congregations (Canada - 20; USA - 16)¹, as well as 5 churches in Argentina and Paraguay. The Fellowship Focus is a bi-monthly magazine published by the FEBC. The conference headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska, having been moved there from Mountain Lake, Minnesota in 1956. They hold membership in the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (org. 1964), the National Association of Evangelicals (USA, org. 1942) and the Mennonite World Conference.
External links
- FEBC official Web Site (http://members.aol.com/febcoma/)
- MWC North American members (http://www.mwc-cmm.org/Directory/namerica.html)
- Adherents.com (http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_281.html#1582)
References
- Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor
- Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
- Leaving Anabaptism: From Evangelical Mennonite Brethren to Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches, by Calvin Wall Redekop
- Mennonite Encyclopedia, Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors
Footnote
- 1. source: Mennonite World Conference website – 2003 North America Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches