Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Ecuatoriana

The IEME was constituted 18 years ago when missionaries began working with children. The activity expanded as the church grew and was able to buy its own land. National workers have now taken over what was begun by the missionaries and continue to work among the ten congregations that form the IEME. The growth of the conference has been slow but steady. IEME is a member of MWC. There are 1200 memebers and 10 congregations.

History

The Conservative Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities (also known as Rosedale Mennonite Missions), Irwin, Ohio, first sent workers to Ecuador in November 1980. The arrival of Elam and Doris Stauffer in Guayaquil, the country's largest city, represented the first efforts of a Mennonite mission agency in that country. The first believers were baptized in 1982 and a congregation was organized in 1983. A second missionary family, Robert and Myreya Miller, began work in the coastal city of Manta in 1983. In response to widespread flooding, the Millers directed a major housing project that provided shelter for 340 families. In 1984 a church was organized and a chapel was built.
An expanded missionary team has since developed additional ministries in health, rehabilitation counseling and youth ministry. Membership in 1987 was 80. In 2003 there were seven congregations with 800 members. The Misión Evangélica Menonita en Ecuador became the Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Ecuatoriana as a result of a reorganization in 1986. The current name is Iglesia Evangélica Menonita del Ecuador.