The four Mennonite World Conference (MWC) commissions represent MWC at work between and beyond the global assemblies, which are held every six years. The commissions have been described as the four chambers of one heart, which seeks to link the global community of Anabaptist-related churches for fellowship, worship, service and witness.
Each of the commissions is comprised of a chairperson, a secretary (staff) and up to 10 members drawn from the MWC General Council. In addition, commissions can have up to five members selected for their specialist competencies.
Commissions prepare issues or materials for consideration by the General Council. Commissions give guidance and propose resources to MWC or member churches. Commissions also facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of common interest and focus.
The commissions work closely together in order to maintain and promote a holistic gospel and vision in the MWC community. In addition, each individual commission establishes three-year goals and works within a given budget.
Stories by or about the Commissions
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Jesus’ message of resilience and liberation
Reading: Matthew 5:3-20 In June 1981, our family moved to Cochabamba, Bolivia, where my parents were to teach in a Baptist seminary that wanted more Anabaptist input. We arrived at a particularly raucous point in Bolivian history. In July 1980, Luis García Meza, a commander of the Bolivian army, led a coup d’etat, initiating a…
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Finding new ways to respond
Resilience in the face of the pandemic When we look back at what happened in the last two years all throughout the world, one could just offer a sigh. We were never prepared for this. Being locked down for several months in the Philippines forced us to reconfigure our social life. We tend to look…
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Peace with broken pieces
The power of resilience A Peace Sunday 2022 testimony “The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him” (Jeremiah 18:4). This theme has been discussed a lot recently, especially since the pandemic, while some of us may be struggling with…
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Vaccines and care at MB hospitals
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, lack of vaccination is a problem. Even before COVID-19, a measles outbreak took more than 40 children in 2019 in Kikwit, a city of some 500,000 people, and host to a growing number of internally displaced persons. But the church is not silent. Last August, Mennonite World Conference (MWC)…
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Support for maternal health leads to vaccination openness
Millicent conceived in March 2020, just when Kenya reported the first case of COVID-19. The resident of Mathare, a poor district, was very fearful. Her neighbour Sophie, a care group volunteer with Centre for Peace and Nationhood (CPN), reached out when she realized Millicent was worried. With the support of Sophie and other CPN-trained mentors,…
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After Zoom, prayers carry on
Online Prayer Hour doesn’t end when the hour does. Not only do participants in Mennonite World Conference’s bimonthly prayer meeting continue for another 15 minutes – greeting each in other in a pandemonium of languages – they also carry prayers back to their local congregations. On 18 March 2022, participants in breakroom rooms prayed in…