Mosaic Mennonite Conference has deep historic roots, originating from European Mennonites who settled in colonial Philadelphia. Over time, the Conference has been shaped by reconciliation, migration, and mission.
Mosaic was formed by the reconciliation of Eastern District Conference and Franconia Mennonite Conference in 2019. At Pentecost of 2020, amid social unrest and a pandemic, we acknowledged our changing reality by announcing our new name: Mosaic.
The new conference included congregations in California that transferred in 2017 from Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference. Numerous congregations in Florida that were formerly part of Southeast Mennonite Conference also joined. Since 2020, more congregations have joined Mosaic, and several in Colombia and Mexico have expressed interest.
In these last years we have begun to outline our commitments to life and work together. In 2021, we affirmed our new vision and mission statements.
In May 2022, Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) held a special delegate session which repealed the denomination’s membership guidelines and passed a Repentance and Transformation resolution. Emotions were running high for many within the Conference and in response, a Listening Taskforce was created from a diverse, representative group of Mosaic leaders to hear and process feedback.
Their recommendations led to the creation of the Pathways Strategic Planning Process, which included an evaluation of our relationship with MC USA. In Dec. 2022, the Mosaic Conference Moderators sent an Open Letter to the MC USA Executive Board, highlighting concerns and sharing about the Pathways process.
In March 2023 the Pathways Steering Team was launched, and invited all to engage in prayer and fasting for their planning and discernment work. The Team was charged with a two-year process of guiding a listening tour, reflecting on feedback and aligning it with existing priorities, creating a three-year strategic plan, and a recommendation on the question of Mosaic Conference’s affiliation with Mennonite Church USA (MC USA). Representing the diversity of gifts and perspectives of the Conference, they learned to submit to God and one another.
In August 2024, the Conference Board affirmed the Pathway Steering Team’s recommendation to seek partnership, rather than membership, with MC USA. Based on feedback from the delegate preparation meetings, open-ended questions about partnership for which there were not clear answers, and an indication at the time that MC USA was willing to work together in good faith, the board’s resolution for the Fall 2024 Assembly extended the work toward partnership for one more year, bringing bylaw changes to the 2025 assembly.
That resolution received 71% affirmation in Nov. 2024, with responses reflecting the diversity of perspectives in the conference.
In 2025, the board has been tasked with carrying out this recommendation with MC USA. In February, the Mosaic board proposed that Mosaic Conference become a program entity of MC USA (a designation already in MC USA’s bylaws) to facilitate ministry partnership. At MC USA’s request, the Mosaic board responded to four questions in writing in April, which directly name the challenges that Mosaic Conference has faced with MC USA.
In May 2025, MC USA’s executive board unanimously voted to deny Mosaic’s proposal to become a program entity of MC USA, and later that month, the Mosaic board declined the board-to-board mediation process offered by MC USA at that time. In July, the board invited delegate feedback about the way forward and received a wide variety of responses.
In part in response to this feedback, Mosaic’s Moderator reached out to MC USA’s executive committee requesting further conversation in late July and was informed that the committee was not available.
With no indication of MC USA’s willingness to move forward, the board is left owing our delegates a recommendation without what feels like good faith negotiation or clarity from MC USA. On Sept. 15, the Mosaic board recommended that the Conference discontinue its existing membership with MC USA.
This recommendation will be brought to delegates for discernment and a vote at the 2025 Mosaic Delegate Assembly. Eight delegate preparation sessions are being held prior to the November 1, 2025, Delegate Assembly.
In September, the board also affirmed a Centering Document to help articulate the Conference’s identity, and relational posture as “centered set,” with Jesus as our center.
Articles from Mosaic Mennonite Conference about the affiliation question:
- Mosaic Board Recommends Discontinuing Membership with MC USA, Affirms New Centering Document and Financial Strength (Sept 18, 2025)
- Centering Document (Sept 18, 2025)
- Finding our way through an impasse (Stephen Kriss, Sept. 18, 2025)
- Summer Board and Delegate Conversations Shape Mosaic’s Future with MC USA (July 17, 2025)
- Mosaic Conference Board Responds to MC USA’s Denial of Ministry Partnership Proposal (May 29, 2025)
- MC USA Executive Board rejects Mosaic proposal (May 13, 2025) (AW reprint)
- Responses to MC USA’s questions (April 2025)
- Mosaic Conference explores ministry partnership as Program Entity of MC USA (Feb 20, 2025)
- Reflecting on our Red, Yellow Green: How Our Discerning Looks on Paper (Stephen Kriss, Dec 5, 2024)
- Pathway Recommendation Receives 71% Affirmation at 2024 Mosaic Assembly (Nov. 7, 2024)
- 2024 Delegate Q&A Doc
- Mosaic Board Paves the Way for Annual Assembly and Beyond (Oct. 3, 2024)
- A Delegate Reflects on the Sept Preparation Meetings (Greg Law, Sept 26, 2024)
- Surrendering our Desires, Becoming Fully Mosaic (Danilo Sanchez, Sept 19, 2024)
- A congregant and her pastor dialogue about Pathways (Jeff Wright, Sept 12, 2024)
- Where do we go from here? (Stephen Kriss, Sept 5, 2024)
- A Pathway Doxology (Marta Castillo, Aug 29, 2024)
- Pathways Steering Team Affiliation Recommendation (Aug 2024)
- Pathways Steering Team recommendation approved at August Board Meeting (Aug. 22, 2024)
- Three Possible Pathways for our Future as Mosaic (Stephen Kriss, April 4, 2024)
- The Pathway Toward Shaping Our Future Together, Phase 2 (Marta Castillo, Feb 1, 2024)
- Pray and Engage the Pathway Foward (Sep 14, 2023)
- Pathways Summary Report Fall 2023
- Pathway Process Continues Work (July 27, 2023)
- Pathways Team Announced (March 2, 2023)
- A Call to Prayer (Mike Clemmer, Jan 4, 2023)
- On Fasting… (Jeff Wright, Dec. 15, 2022)
- Moderators Share Letter with MC USA Board (Dec. 7, 2022)
- Open Letter to the MC USA Board (December 2022)
- Listening Taskforce Recommendations Presented to the Board (Oct 4, 2022)
- Pathway Document (Oct. 2022)
- Listening Taskforce Members Named (Aug 18, 2022)

Articles by Anabaptist World:
- Mosaic Conference board recommends leaving MC USA (Sept. 19, 2025)
- Mosaic, MC USA Decline Each Other’s Proposals (June 6, 2025)
- MC USA Executive Board rejects Mosaic proposal (May 13, 2025)
- MC USA Board Nominates Moderator Elect, Discusses Relationships with Mosaic (Feb 14, 2025)
- Mosaic Wants to Be a Partner (Nov. 5, 2024)
- Mosaic Affiliation Resolution Updated to Add Time for Discussions (Oct 8, 2024)
- MC USA responds to Mosaic proposal with questions, disappointment (Sept. 10, 2024)
- Mosaic Conference Board Proposes Withdrawal, Partnership with MC USA (Aug. 23, 2024)
- Mosaic decides to evaluate MC USA ties (Nov 15, 2022)
- Mosaic Conference Evaluating Relationships with MC USA (Sep. 9, 2022)
Articles by MC USA:
- A letter to MC USA members from Moderator Jon Carlson re: Mosaic Mennonite Conference process (June 4, 2025)
- MC USA Executive Board Charts Path Forward, Strengthening Mission and Expanding Partnerships (Feb 12, 2025)
- MC USA’s executive director sends letter of clarification to Mosaic leadership (Sept. 18, 2024)
- In response to Mosaic’s recommendation to withdraw, MC USA says we are better together (Sept. 9, 2024)
- MC USA Executive Board meets with Mosaic Moderators (Feb 8, 2023)
- MC USA Leaders attend Mosaic Mennonite Conference assembly; Delegates vote for two-year strategic planning process (Nov. 11, 2022)
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.