The Fellowship of Evangelical Churches (FEC) is an evangelical body of Christians with a Mennonite heritage. Conference offices are located in Fort Wayne, IN.
Founded in 1865–66 as the "Defenseless Mennonite Church", the new group was often referred to as the "Egly Amish" during its early years. In 1949 the name of the conference was changed to the "Evangelical Mennonite Church" (not to be confused with the Evangelical Mennonite Conference). At the 2003 Annual Convention, delegates voted to change the Conference name from the "Evangelical Mennonite Church" to the "Fellowship of Evangelical Churches".
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Several members of the Amish Mennonite Egly family immigrated to North America in the 19th century. Among them was Henry Egly (1824-1890). Henry Egly was deeply influenced by the revivalism in America, withdrew from the main body of Amish, and founded the Defenseless Mennonite Church in Berne, Adams County, Indiana, in 1865-66. This body was often referred to as the Egly Amish, and is now the Evangelical Mennonite Church (or Evangelical Mennonite Church Conference), the name adopted in 1949. Henry's son, Christian R. Egle,[1] also became a leader in the conference.
The Defenseless Mennonite Conference published its Confession of Faith, Rules and Discipline in 1917. The confession of faith was revised in 1937, 1949, 1961, and 1980. It contains 12 articles of faith. In addition to the usual Mennonite doctrines, the Evangelical Mennonite Church holds doctrines obtained through the American revivalism and holiness movement, including divine healing, a second work of grace (or the baptism of the Holy Spirit), and premillennialism. The Lords supper is observed with open communion. Only about 20% of the congregations use Mennonite in their local church name.
The conference office is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The FEC organization is governed through a congregational form of governance. Local congregations elect delegates to a delegate body, which in turn elects the conference leadership. The conference is composed of 34 churches in the Midwest of the United States with 5278 members. Fifty-five percent of the churches are located in Illinois and Indiana. All FEC ministries are funded by voluntary donations of congregations and individuals.
These organizations have their own governing boards but are affiliated solely with the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches. These organizations exist in a mutually beneficial relationship with the denomination.