Rosedale Network of Churches

The Rosedale Network of Churches is a Christian

Rosedale Network of Churches
body of Mennonite churches in the Anabaptist
tradition.[1] Rosedale Network of Churches was Classification Anabaptist
originally formed in 1910 by a group of Amish Theology Evangelical
Mennonites to promote unity while preserving
Moderator Preston Yoder
autonomy of the local congregation.[2]
Executive Director Brian Hershberger

History Conference Pastor Darren Peachey

Region North America
For the early history see History of Anabaptist Headquarters Irwin, Ohio
Christianity.
Origin 1910
Congregations 110
Amish beginnings
Members 13,000
The first American settlement of the Amish Tertiary institutions Rosedale Bible College
Mennonites — who in 1693 separated from the Official website https://rosedalenetwork.org/
main body of Swiss Brethren and followed Jacob
Amman — was in Berks County, Pennsylvania, around 1710–
1720. Soon they had settlements in Chester and Lancaster counties
as well. By the middle of the 19th century, they had congregations
from Pennsylvania to Iowa, as well as in Ontario, Canada.

The major division among the Amish

Before the division all factions of the Amish were either called A photo taken at the first meeting of
Amish or Amish Mennonites, with no difference in meaning. the Conservative Amish Mennonite
Mostly in the years between 1862 and 1878 a major division Conference in Grantsville, Maryland,
occurred among the Amish, that eventually led to two major in 1910
factions: The Amish Mennonites and Old Order Amish.

Some of the more liberal minded Amish ministers organized conferences to serve their churches between
1862 and 1878. After the 1878 conference, they became known as the Amish Mennonites and their
ministers formed three district conferences: Eastern, Indiana-Michigan, and Western.

Other congregations remained aloof from this conference movement and became forerunners of two groups
— the Old Order Amish that formed mostly in the last third of the 19th century and the Conservative
(Amish) Mennonite Conference that formed in 1910. Most of the churches of the liberal minded Amish
Mennonite conference movement eventually merged with other Mennonite groups.[3]

The Old Order Amish continued to worship in private homes (in the German language) and reject
innovations in both worship and lifestyle. Some congregations were theologically in between the extremely
conservative Old Order Amish and the more progressive conference Amish Mennonites. These churches
did not join the Amish Mennonite conferences, but, unlike the Old Order Amish, were open to the use of
meetinghouses, and the organization of missionary, publication, social service, and Sunday school work.
Representatives of these congregations met in a conference in Pigeon, Michigan, on November 24–25,
1910, and adopted the name Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference. "Amish" was dropped and the
Conservative Mennonite name taken when a revised constitution was adopted in 1957.[4]

Later developments

Concern by some members and churches within the conference over liberalizing tendencies caused a
number of congregations and individuals of the Rosedale Network of Churches (then known as the CMC)
to splinter or move away from this group to join Conservative Mennonite denominations. The earliest
group began to be associated informally together in what was called the Conservative Mennonite
Fellowship beginning in 1956 with churches in Ontario, Ohio and elsewhere. In 1998, a group of leaders in
the Conservative Mennonite Conference, disagreeing with a vote by the conference ministers that resulted
in the wives of ministers no longer being required to wear the prayer veiling, left the conference and formed
the Biblical Mennonite Alliance.[5]

On February 23, 2023, CMC, formerly known as Conservative Mennonite Conference, changed its name
to Rosedale Network of Churches, with the tagline “a global family of Anabaptists.”[6]

Faith and practice

The Rosedale Network of Churches subscribes to the "Mennonite Confession of Faith of 1963", and
adopted the "Conservative Mennonite Statement of Theology" in 1991. The statement follows orthodox
Trinitarian Christian patterns of belief with typical Mennonite emphasis. Baptism is a church ordinance,
which may be performed by either pouring or immersion. Communion and feet washing are also observed.
The statement also affirms the traditional Anabaptist position of nonresistance toward enemies: "Under
God's provision, the state uses the sword, which 'is ordained of God outside the perfection of Christ' and is
a function contrary to the New Testament teachings for the church and the disciple of Christ."[7]

The sociologist Cory Anderson writes that despite its former name, the Rosedale Network of Churches
(formerly the Conservative Mennonite Conference) is not categorized as a Conservative Mennonite
denomination, but rather, is mainline in orientation.[1]

Women may engage in ministry, but leadership and ordination is restricted to men. Within congregations
other roles of governance and/or teaching may be reserved for men. According to the Conservative
Mennonite Statement of Practice, "As the head of the wife, man was created to provide loving and
sacrificial leadership. The wife was created to respond with intelligent submission."[8]

Two meetings are held annually, one in February for the ministers, and another in August for the general
public. The executive board and the general secretary are elected at the ministers' meeting to oversee day-
to-day operations.

Status
The Rosedale Network of Churches is a North American body. In 2005 the conference had 11,199
members in 113 congregations in the United States. There was one congregation in Red Lake, Ontario,
Canada. There are related bodies in other nations, such as the Costa Rica Mennonite Conference (org.
1974) and the Nicaragua Mennonite Conference (org. 1977).
The Brotherhood Beacon, the conference's official monthly periodical, began in 1971. Before this the
conference published the Herold der Wahrheit, a semi-monthly publication, starting in 1912, and later the
Missionary Bulletin, a quarterly, starting in 1952.

The Rosedale Network of Churches has a number of parachurch ministries. Rosedale Bible College is an
accredited, two-year Bible college serving approximately 125 students annually. The college offers degrees
in Biblical Studies with a number of additional concentration areas. Rosedale International, formerly
Rosedale Mennonite Missions until 2019, is the mission agency of the conference, with roughly 120
workers in some 17 countries. Choice Books of Great Lakes-Rosedale operates under the supervision of
Rosedale International. It is a vendor of inspirational, wholesome and family-oriented reading materials
operating through a network of independent regional distributors working cooperatively with a central
office located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The conference headquarters, Rosedale Bible College, and Choice
Books' distribution center, are all located in Rosedale, Ohio, a rural crossroads about 30 miles west of
Columbus, Ohio. The offices of Rosedale International were also located in Rosedale until 2015 when they
were moved into Columbus proper.[2]

The Rosedale Network of Churches maintains a loose relationship with the Mennonite Church USA (the
largest Mennonite denomination), through representation on some of its major boards.

Further reading
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
History of the Conservative Mennonite Conference (1985), by Ivan J. Miller,
Mennonite Encyclopedia (Vol. 5), Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis D. Martin, et al., editors
Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States (2000), Glenmary Research
Center

References
1. Anderson, Cory. "Frequently Asked Questions" (http://www.beachyam.org/FAQs.htm).
Beachy AM. Retrieved 31 August 2022. "The Beachy Amish-Mennonites are the largest
modern Amish-Mennonite affiliation. The other large group is the Conservative Mennonite
Conference, which used to be the Conservative Amish-Mennonite Conference, but the group
has become mainstream in most beliefs and practices and is no longer conservative or
Amish-Mennonite in practice."
2. Rosedale International website History section, https://rosedaleinternational.org/history/,
retrieved 10 August 2021
3. Stephen Scott: An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups,
Intercourse, Pennsylvania, 1996, pages 122-123.
4. Stephen Scott: An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups,
Intercourse, Pennsylvania, 1996, pages 123-124.
5. "Biblical Mennonite Alliance" (http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Biblical_Mennonite_Allianc
e). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
6. Huber, Tim (15 March 2023). "CMC becomes Rosedale Network" (https://anabaptistworld.or
g/cmc-becomes-rosedale-network/). Anabaptist World. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
7. "Statement of Theology" (http://cmcrosedale.org/about-us/statement-of-theology/).
Conservative Mennonite Conference. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
 8. "Conservative Mennonite Statement of Practice" (https://rosedalenetwork.org/wp-content/upl
oads/2020/06/Statement-of-Practice-for-email.pdf) (PDF). Rosedale Network. August 2007.
Retrieved March 30, 2023.

External links
The Beacon (https://beacon.rosedalenetwork.org/) - Official Periodical
The Brotherhood Beacon (https://web.archive.org/web/20070927033714/http://cmcrosedale.
org/resources/brobeacon.shtml/) - Official periodical archive
Choice Books of Great Lakes-Rosedale (https://web.archive.org/web/20070927033629/htt
p://cmcrosedale.org/agencies/choicebooks.shtml)
Constitution of CMC (https://rosedalenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Constitution-
Booklet-February-2020.pdf) - From official website
Rosedale Network of Churchres (http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/C6676ME.ht
ml) at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
Conservative Mennonite Statement of Practice (https://rosedalenetwork.org/wp-content/uplo
ads/2020/06/Statement-of-Practice-for-email.pdf) - From official website
Conservative Mennonite Statement of Theology (https://rosedalenetwork.org/wp-content/upl
oads/2020/06/Statement-of-Theology-for-email.pdf) - From official website
Rosedale Bible College (https://rosedale.edu/) - Official website
Rosedale Network of Churches (https://rosedalenetwork.org/) - Official website
Rosedale International (https://rosedaleinternational.org/) - Official website

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