Three churches have departed from a community of Mennonite congregations.

The Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) announced earlier this spring that three churches had withdrawn from the covenanted partnership, Canadian Mennonite reports.

The withdrawn churches include Kingsfield-Clinton and Kingsfield-Zurich Mennonite Church, Living Water Christian Fellowship and Maple View Mennonite Church.

"After healthy conversation with leadership from each congregation, we mourn their leaving, and we bless and pray God’s best for each of them in their future ministry," MCEC released upon announcing the church departures.

Kingsfield congregations withdrew from the partnership in order to join another. Kingsfield-Clinton and Kingsfield-Zurich Mennonite Churches, pastored by Ryan Jantzi, are a family of churches that meet in two communities in southwest Ontario.

Jantzi says members of the churches felt they were growing "out of sync" with values and priorities of the regional church and acknowledged this as a group in June 2018. This feeling led to isolation by their church from the larger gathering, which Jantzi called "not healthy" and "not life-giving."

The church families decided instead to join the Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches to be a part of a group that shared their mission.

After several conversations and meetings, a formal two-part vote was held in January of this year that resulted in 80 per cent affirmation to end formal membership with MCEC.

The Kingsfield congregations say they had concerns "regarding the Mennonite church landscape," particularly focuses on main beliefs around salvation and mission. The church family says they want their evangelical mission to see everyone invited to follow Christ, which Jantzi says isn't a departure from the Mennonite church throughout history but is a shift in the landscape of the Mennonite Church.

Jantzi says the church's decision also came from differing perspectives on sexuality.

"We also are on a journey of learning how to care for and disciple those who experience same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria," says Jantzi. "This is a growth area for us too."

The Kingsfield congregations will continue relationships with Mennonite partner agencies and Jantzi says they are grateful for the blessings the church received while partnered with MCEC.

The second church to depart, Maple View Mennonite Church, also joined the Mennonite Brethren conference last June after a two-part vote left them with "strong affirmation" to leave the covenant.

The congregation at Maple View, says pastor Brent Kipfer, identifies as an evangelical Anabaptist congregation. Kipfer says their congregation noticed they differed in theological views with MCEC and MC Canada.

Core beliefs the church holds different views on include "understandings of biblical authority, Christology, the essence of the gospel, the nature of mission, [and] sexual ethics."

Kipfer says Maple View was searching to be part of a church community "able to offer a greater degree of support and accountability . . . in theology, mission and ethics, than what is currently possible in MC Eastern Canada and MC Canada."

Maple View penned a letter of appreciation to MCEC and MC Canada.

"We have been greatly blessed by followers of Jesus in MC Canada, continue to appreciate them, and joyfully count them our brothers and sisters in Christ," Kipfer says.

MCEC executive minister David Martin says the regional church is grateful to have these formal relationship changes with churches take place on good terms.

Martin also added that MCEC "respects the various decisions that each congregation has made in terms of how they desire to follow their call to ministry. Even though our formal affiliations are changing, we have taken the time to pray together and bless each other.

"We will continue to pray for each other and ask for God’s blessing on our respective ministries."

MCEC is one of several covenanted partnerships of Mennonite churches across Canada under MC Canada, among MC Manitoba, MC Saskatchewan, MC Alberta, and MC British Columbia.