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Membership in Mennonite, Brethren in Christ, and related churches around the world is just under 1.5 million (1,478,540) in 217 church bodies in 75 countries, according to Mennonite World Conference’s newly released 2006 directory.
- All continental regions except Europe have shown increased membership.
- Africa, with 529,703 members, continues to have the largest and fastest growing membership among the five continental regions, an increase of 17.2 percent since 2003.
- Membership in North America in 2006 has grown to just under half a million (499,664), an apparent increase of 10.7 percent. However, the increase is partly due to changes in reporting since the new number includes more independent groups. Another factor is the rapid growth among Old Order groups due to large families and a 90 percent retention rate among their youth.
- The Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) in Ethiopia is the largest national conference globally, with 130,727 members.
- Other national churches with 100,000 members or more include the Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in India (103,488) and the Comunauté Mennonite au Congo (100,000).
- The six countries with the most baptized members from all national churches are the same as in 2003, but India and Canada have switched places in the list. The six countries in order of rank are: USA (368,280); Congo (216,268); India (146,095); Canada (131,384); Ethiopia (130,731); and Indonesia (72,624).
- Second to Africa in the rate of growth among continental regions is the Caribbean, Central, and South America region at 16.8 percent. Europe showed a slight decline of 1.9 percent, with 52,222 members in 2006.
- The shifts, up in Asia and down in Europe, are partly due to a change in recording the 500 members in the independent countries of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, now listed in Asia but formerly counted with Europe.
—MWC
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