Bi-National Factors in the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Transformation

Abstract: Evangelical Brethren, originally called the United Defenseless Brethren of North America, was formally organized in 1889 with congregations in Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas. main goals were a regenerated and pious spiritual life, evangelism and missions. Migrations to Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada and the formation of congregations there began in 1897. Several attempts at merger with other similar groups failed so this small group continued to struggle for survival and growth. Given the goals of outreach, growth should have resulted. But lack of clear educational objectives, the absence of a missionary strategy and structure, and organizational difficulties that were exacerbated by vast geographical separation, all hindered growth. These factors were further magnified by different contexts of the Canadian and American congregations which contributed considerably to the present unclear identity of the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches, the group's new name since 1987. ********** At the Mennonite Experience in America--A Celebration and Look Forward gathering held in 1997, Paul Toews presented the keynote address entitled The Quest for the Holy Grail: Reflections on the 'Mennonite Experience in America project.' Using the idiom of the Holy grail, Toews documented how insignificant Mennonites had been in the telling of the story of religion in America: In the world of American historiography writ large, the grail is hardly visible. (1) Toews then brought the image full circle by indicating that the insignificant heritage is being discovered and cherished by others. were the pariahs of the sixteenth century, he claimed, now we are being embraced because the dominant ways have been recognized as being bankrupt. Our time has come and often we do not know it. We are embarking as carriers of a timely word for a desperate world. (2) Toews' use of the term pariah to characterize Mennonites on the larger scene is deliciously ironic; for this term applies even more aptly within the context of the larger ethos to the saga of the Evangelical Brethren (EMB) and its latest incarnation--the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches. Until recently, very few scholars have considered significant the story of the Conference of United Defenseless Brethren of North America (CUDMBNA) and its transformation into the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Church (FEBC) between 1889 and 1986. (3) This paper assumes, like Toews, that size may not be all that closely related to significance and it presumes that the Evangelical Brethren will provide some useful insights on the interplay between religious impulses and cultural influences within as well as beyond the community. I argue that the EMB conference was unable to develop a clear theology and peoplehood identity in part because of significant differences between Canadian and American environments. (4) These differences contributed to a lack of both an educational philosophy and missionary strategy, and hindered the establishment of a cohesive conference life. materials to document these theses are relatively sparse, hence much of the argument is initiated by my own experience in the conference. Further documentation and analysis is welcomed in order to fully test them. (5) A BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Evangelical Brethren was known originally as the Conference of United Defenseless Brethren of North America. Agitation for the movement originated in the Ukraine of Russia in the 1840s and 1850s. There the lack of spiritual vitality and ethical living provoked a number of renewal movements, the best known of which was the Brethren. extensive revival that took place in the Ukraine, assisted in part by Edward Wrist, a Wurttemburg pietist, resulted in the conversion of Isaac Peters and Aron Wall, at a series of meetings at Gnadenfeld in 1846. …