Virginia Mennonite Missions has changed its name to Anabaptist Mission Partners.

The Harrisonburg, Va., mission agency announced on July 23 that the name was unanimously adopted by the Board of Directors in April following an eight-month constituent feedback process and five years of listening, discernment, and prayer.

“Changing our name really emerged as an idea on a prayer retreat with our staff in 2021,” said AMP President Aaron M. Kauffman in a release. “We realized that many of the people serving with us in mission didn’t fit the categories in our existing name. They weren’t from Virginia. They might not be from Mennonite background. And we started to wonder: how do we have a name that’s more welcoming of all the people who are participating in our ministries?”

The organization invited input from hundreds of mission workers, church partners and donors. Feedback showed overwhelming support for changing the name, and encouragement to remain rooted in Anabaptist identity.

Among the key constituents invited to offer their perspectives were pastors from Virginia Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA, Blue Ridge District of LMC (formerly Lancaster Mennonite Conference), Evana Network and others.

“When I heard that it was Anabaptist Mission Partners and that [the acronym] AMP was a potential part of that, I was like, ‘Ah, yes, they did a great job,’ ” said Peter Eberly, lead pastor at Eastside Church in Harrisonburg, a congregation that withdrew from Virginia Mennonite Conference in 2024 and joined LMC. “I think the name of the organization matters because our names are a reflection of who we are.”

Virginia Conference conference minister Kevin Goerzen agreed.

“I feel like each word in the new name is intentional and serves a purpose of clarifying what this organization I,” he said. “It is Anabaptist, it’s about mission and it works in partnership.”

Kauffman assured supporters in a letter that “the people, location, convictions and values all remain the same, as well as the mission to share new life in Jesus Christ with neighbors near and far.”