This summer I made a road trip with a former Northern District Conference minister. We visited the sites of 10 rural churches in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, all formerly affiliated with the General Conference Mennonite Church. Two had closed, and in one case only the cemetery and a marker remained.
Only one of the 10 was still affiliated with Mennonite Church USA, and that affiliation will end when North Central Conference leaves the denomination. The other seven survive, and some even thrive, appearing to carry on a vital ministry in dying rural communities. Only two of the seven retain the Mennonite name as independent congregations. Many of the others call themselves “Bible” or “community” churches.