Who we are
An old peace church tradition for new communities
Central District Conference, part of Mennonite Church USA, connects with and supports emerging communities of faith.
Wait… Mennonites?
Yes, Mennonites.
Mennonites are Anabaptists, Christians who have followed Jesus’ way of peace for 500 years.
We’re a historic peace church. We read Scripture together, make decisions in community, and try to follow Jesus above nationalism, racism or materialism. Central District Conference is a regional family of congregations within Mennonite Church USA, known for our strong welcome of LGBTQ+ people. Many who find us are progressive Christians or exvangelicals who still want to follow Jesus. In CDC, they find a faith rooted in nonviolence, social justice, and community.
Quick answers
Questions people ask us
I’ve been hurt by church. Why would this be different?
We won’t ask you to pretend it didn’t happen. Many people in our communities carry church hurt too, and some carry religious trauma or spiritual abuse. You’ll find shared leadership instead of one all-powerful pastor, real accountability, room for your questions, and no pressure to believe or perform. Take your time.
Are Mennonites Amish? Evangelical? Protestant? Catholic? Orthodox?
None of these, exactly. We share roots with the Amish, but they parted ways in 1693, and most Mennonites live much like their neighbors. Anabaptists came out of the 16th-century Radical Reformation as our own stream of Christianity: not evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox, though we share some beliefs with each. Many post-evangelicals find here a way to follow Jesus and read the Bible without nationalism or top-down authority. (MC USA FAQ)
What did Menno Simons mean by “true evangelical faith”?
The word is older than the modern movement. It comes from the Greek euangelion, good news. In 1539, Menno Simons wrote that “true evangelical faith cannot lie dormant.” It clothes the naked, feeds the hungry, comforts the sorrowful, does good to those who harm it, and prays for those who persecute it. In that sense, we hope we are evangelical. (Voices Together 921)
Where do LGBTQ+ people fit?
They belong here. LGBTQ+ pastors are credentialed in our conference, and we love communities that are fully affirming, including in leadership. Many of ours are. It isn’t a requirement to join us, though: some of our communities are still discerning what inclusion means, and we’re glad to walk with them. We don’t treat LGBTQ+ people as problems to be fixed or excluded.
What kind of worship?
Whatever fits your people: traditional hymns, contemplative silence, contemporary worship music, a meal, or a walk in the woods.
Does our pastor need a seminary degree?
No. Many of our communities are lay-led, and CDC doesn’t require a Master of Divinity for credentialing.
Do we need to incorporate or get nonprofit status first?
No. Through fiscal sponsorship, an emerging community can operate directly under Central District Conference while CDC manages finances and legal matters, until the community is ready to become its own organization.
Who makes the decisions?
You do. Mennonites are congregational: each community discerns its own practices, leaders, and life together. The conference offers relationship, resources, and mutual accountability, not top-down control.
Is there room for my questions?
Yes, including questions about Scripture, science, suffering, and other faiths. We read Scripture and discern together, and like one of our communities, we try to hold doctrine “loosely but tenderly” rather than pretend to have every answer.
What if I’m grieving or struggling?
You don’t have to be okay to belong. Our communities try to meet grief, trauma, and mental health struggles with presence and care, not easy answers.
Can women be pastors?
Yes. Women pastor and lead at every level of our conference and of Mennonite Church USA.
Is it safe?
We take safety seriously. Credentialed pastors are accountable to the conference, CDC has a Church Safety Coordinator and safe church resources, and anyone can confidentially report ministerial misconduct.
What about kids, busy schedules, and real life?
Our communities are built for real life. Kids are welcome as they are, many gatherings include a meal, and some meet online or on flexible rhythms. Each community’s profile lists when and where they gather.
Why “Peace Church Planting”?
Strictly speaking, we don’t plant churches. God does that, often through people in their own neighborhoods, and Central District Conference connects with and supports these emerging communities of faith. We use “church planting” because it’s what many people search for when they’re starting an inclusive, progressive, justice-minded, or post-evangelical church. If that’s you, you’re in the right place.
Do we have to call ourselves Mennonite, or adopt Mennonite culture?
No. Several of our communities don’t use the word. And we see contextualizing ministry as a tool of decolonization: your worship, leadership, and life together should come from your own people, place, and language, not a template imported from somewhere else, including from us.
Anabaptist roots
What shapes us
Priesthood of all believers
Every member is a minister. Leadership is shared, and everyone has a voice.
Peace
We reject violence and practice Jesus’ reconciling love, from conscientious objection to Mennonite Action.
Service
Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, and Mennonite Voluntary Service have sent generations to serve neighbors near and far.
Community
From early Anabaptists who shared possessions to intentional Christian communities today, we practice shared life.
Simplicity
Living simply, sharing generously, and caring for creation, so there’s enough for everyone.
Congregational
Each congregation discerns its own way, in relationship and mutual accountability with others.
Loving our neighbors
Faith that shows up
For us, loving our neighbors means tangible, sometimes costly action. A few examples from across our conference:
Sanctuary
Two CDC congregations have sheltered neighbors facing deportation, and Assembly Mennonite’s Safety Networks has supported 140 immigrants.
Reparations
Columbus Mennonite, Shalom Community Church, and Assembly Mennonite direct reparations to Black- and Indigenous-led work, as a debt owed rather than charity.
Undoing the Doctrine of Discovery
Congregations like Eighth Street Mennonite partner with the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition, which grew out of Mennonite Church USA.
Mutual aid
CDC’s Rise Up! Take Courage! fund helps congregations respond fast when cuts and enforcement hit: meals, furnace repairs, legal help.
Anti-racism
Conference leaders train in anti-racism, and CDC offers Anti-racism Grants to congregations.
Partnering for peace & justice
We love working alongside others. CDC folks have joined Mennonite Action vigils and marches calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship helped start Christians for Peace & Liberation (CPAL).
Our conference theme
Rise Up! Take Courage!
For 2026 and 2027, Central District Conference is gathering around the theme Rise Up! Take Courage!
It draws on people in Scripture who showed courageous faithfulness, like the midwives Shiphrah and Puah, Moses, Hannah, Esther, Paul, and Jesus. As Jesus followers, we draw our resistance and our strength from the same God. The theme also names our mutual aid fund.
Queer-inclusive
LGBTQ+ people belong here.
Queer and trans folks worship and lead in our communities, and LGBTQ+ pastors are credentialed in our conference. We got here through years of discernment, repentance, and repair, and we’re still learning. (CDC resources)
Many of our emerging communities are fully affirming, and we love that. It isn’t a requirement to join us. If your community is still on that journey, we’d be glad to accompany you. What we won’t do is treat LGBTQ+ people as problems to be fixed or shut out.
Our wider family
Central District Conference & Mennonite Church USA
Central District Conference includes congregations in thirteen states plus communities online. Our vision, shared with Mennonite Church USA, is to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace, “so that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world”.
The Central District Conference sign and lamp.
Our people
Who you’ll be talking with
Matt Pritchard
Associate Conference Minister for Emerging Communities of Faith
Matt is passionate about fostering flourishing peace communities. CDC created his role in 2023 through the Tending Transformation Campaign, made possible by more than 100 donors. Whether you’re seeking advice, resources, or a partner in your journey, Matt is your go-to person.
Doug Luginbill
Conference Minister
“Central District leaders don’t plant churches. God coaxes, nudges, and inspires people in their local communities… We want to partner with God and those whom God calls.” (CDC Connector)
Sound like home?
We’d love to hear your story.