Background
The founding of the AMEC was the culmination of a movement to renew the 16th century Anabaptist emphasis on evangelism, coupled with concerns over doctrinal compromise and the upcoming merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. A consultation of evangelical Mennonite leaders was held at Smoketown, Pennsylvania, in July 1979. Out of this meeting came a declaration called the "Smoketown Statement". It called for "a reaffirmation of the authority of Scripture, a reexamination of priorities with emphasis on the saving power of the Gospel, and a clear call for renewed emphasis on evangelism." This was followed by another consultation held in Berne, Indiana in March 1981. In 1992 this evangelical group organized the Evangelical Anabaptist Fellowship, and began publishing an EAF Newsletter.
As the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church developed, they jointly adopted a new Confession of Faith as the basis of the merger. Members of the EAF believed that portions of the confession were left deliberately ambiguous, especially concerning the infallibility of the Scriptures. Other controversial issues included whether the new confession was merely a guideline or a definitive statement to which leadership would be expected to adhere in guiding the new denomination, and whether certain behaviors were to be prohibited to those who are members of the church. Some evangelical Mennonites felt that discussion of doctrinal issues was downplayed in order to promote unity and merger.
A meeting representing 24 churches from four states was convened on February 12, 2000, at Smoketown, Pennsylvania. Representatives concluded that "in light of the formation of the new Mennonite Church USA and its departure from Biblical orthodoxy, we believe God is calling us to form a new affiliation of evangelical Anabaptist congregations." The EAF Board of Directors appointed a committee to make recommendations on how to proceed. Early in 2000, Association of Evangelical Mennonite Congregations was adopted as the tentative name of the organization, and the move toward organization was affirmed. On September 30, 2000, at a meeting in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the first congregation committed to affiliate with the proposed organization. Soon after this, seven other congregations also committed to affiliate with the association. On June 19, 2002 bylaws were drafted. They were adopted on September 28, 2002. The name was changed to Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations.
Read more about this topic: Alliance Of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations
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