Central District Conference

06/25/2026

Hi friends. If you’re coming to the annual meeting at EMU, registration is in the Campus Center, across the street from the seminary building.

06/03/2026

Connector Highlights
In case you missed it in the recent issue of the Connector, CDC Conference Minister Doug Luginbill and Michael Pahl, Executive Minister of Mennonite Church Manitoba wrote a joint article about the companion congregations project between the two conferences.

Companions Across the Border
In April 2025, Michael Pahl, Executive Minister of Mennonite Church Manitoba (MCM), contacted Doug Luginbill, Conference Minister for Central District Conference (CDC), about an idea to develop relationships across our national borders. Doug quickly embraced the idea and Companion Congregations were created. So far, two congregations each from CDC and MCM have started getting to know one another, sharing information about each other, having online meetings between leaders, and planning for future connections and collaborations.

Michael and Doug met via video conference on March 26 to get to know each other’s regional church/area conference better. Here are some impressions from that conversation.

Mennonite Church Manitoba is made up of 40 congregations, just over a third in Winnipeg and the rest scattered around the province. Most have their roots in Russian Mennonite migrations from the 1870s to the 1940s, though these congregations are becoming more diverse and other congregations have joined in recent years, adding to the diversity. Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg is an important institution of higher learning for MCM and beyond. Camps with Meaning (Camp Assiniboia and Camp Koinonia) are deeply valued for their faith formation, engagement with God’s creation, and relationship building. Michael is grateful for pastors and congregations that are connected by a common vision and strive towards unity, collegiality, and faithfulness to Anabaptist values and mission.
Central District Conference includes nearly 50 full and provisional member congregations in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Maine, North Carolina, and Virginia. The conference was formed in 1957 with the merger of two previous conferences, Middle District and Central Conference. These two conferences were drawn together by their common support of Bluffton College (now Bluffton University), Camp Friedenswald, and overseas mission work. Doug is grateful for a community of congregations characterized by hospitality, generosity, collaboration, and a strong commitment to higher education. Knowing Christ’s love…Answering God’s call, summarizes their mission.

Fun fact: both Camps with Meaning and Camp Friedenswald recently celebrated their 75th anniversaries, having both begun in 1949!

We would love to see other congregations participate in this cross-border Companion Congregations program. To find out more, contact your regional church/area conference office. As relationships between our governments have deteriorated, we hope that relationships between our congregations can grow stronger. God’s kingdom knows no earthly boundaries!

05/28/2026

Josh Richardson was ordained in his role as pastor at St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship (Missouri) this past Sunday, May 24. Congratulations, Josh!
Photo credit: Paula Luginbill

05/22/2026

Phil Yoder, lead pastor of First Mennonite Church in Bluffton, Ohio published an article in the forthcoming June issue of Anabaptist World on how their congregation is thoughtfully observing the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country.
We encourage you to read it here:

“Why are we doing anything related to the United States’ 250th year of independence?” a member of our church asked after looking at the brochure of our yearlong worship series, “USA at 250.” “Shouldn’t we just ignore it?”

05/19/2026

Connector Highlights
In case you missed it in the recent Connector, the CDC leadership council recently attended a training on power.

CDC Leadership Council Learns about Power
by Sarah Werner

In late April the CDC leadership council met for their biannual meeting with the addition of a few special guests to attend a training on power and boundaries. The leadership council consists of the conference board, the ministerial committee, the missional church committee, and conference staff. We were joined that weekend by the gifts discernment committee and the resolutions committee along with the board of Camp Friedenswald. The training was led by justice educators Alicia T. Crosby and AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez to help the conference leadership become more attuned to the complexities of power dynamics in our decision-making and governance structure.
Participants shared experiences of power imbalances, particularly in religious and community contexts, highlighting the importance of addressing invisible and unnamed power. The discussion emphasized the need for restorative practices, integrity, community alignment, convergence, and expansive justice. Key points included the impact of power on marginalized communities, the role of institutional knowledge, and the necessity of continuous, interconnected justice work.
During the workshops we had a chance to discuss within our committees how power and authority are wielded, and how we can take collective responsibility for addressing potential power imbalances in our work. We also had the opportunity to discuss scenarios of injustice in local congregations that involved immigrant families, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals, single people, and disabled and neurodivergent parishioners. Our groups assessed the situation and made a plan for how to address the problem and right the situation.
The training emphasized the interconnectedness of inner, relational, and structural work in promoting equity and justice and gave CDC leadership some important tools to continue working for equity and inclusion in the conference.

05/18/2026

Ben Kreider was ordained as pastor of Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship (NC) yesterday. He is pictured here with Conference Minister Doug Luginbill. Photos by Xaris Martinez. Congratulations, Ben!

05/14/2026

Central District Conference Weekly Announcements -

This month we are gearing up for CDC's Annual Meeting (June 25-27) with a preview issue filled with all the details of worship, youth programming, seminars, and more! There are also stories about our conference's relationship with Mennonite Church Manitoba and a recent training on power dynamics wit...

05/14/2026

Central District Conference and Mennonite Church Manitoba are developing a relationship through "Companion Congregations" and through conversations between Michael Pahl (MC Manitoba Executive Minister) and CDC Conference Minister, Doug Luginbill. Doug found this article to provide excellent wisdom for healthy congregations.

https://www.commonword.ca/Browse/8205This is the ninth in a series of reflection...

05/07/2026

Central District Conference Weekly Announcements -

The Lunch and Learn on Dementia and Congregational Care was this past Wednesday. If you missed it and would like to view a recording, please email Sarah Werner at [email protected]

05/06/2026

Noah Raines was licensed for specific ministry as a church planter at New Life in Fellowship in Wooster, OH on Sunday, May 3. Congratulations, Noah!
Photos: Paula Luginbill