Home » About » Global Impact » Latin America » Uruguay
German-speaking Mennonites migrated to Uruguay from Danzing and West Prussia in the 1940s and formed the Konferenz der Mennonitengemeinden. Currently there are three Germanic Mennonite settlements that are primarily agricultural, and an increasing number of members who live in the city of Montevideo. Their presence was a factor in the sending of mission workers from both predecessor agencies, Commission on Overseas Mission and Mennonite Board of Missions. From 1956 to 1974, Seminario Evangélico Menonita Teológico (Mennonite Evangelical Theological Seminary, SEMT) operated in Uruguay and served the region.
Mission workers also supported the formation of Spanish-speaking churches. In 1972, these churches organized into a conference known as Convención de las Iglesias Menonitas en Uruguay, which includes 16 congregations. Mennonite Mission Network supported the Centro de Estudios organized by the Convención to develop church leaders and strengthen the churches’ Anabaptist identity for many years.
Misión Cristiana Mennonita, a Spanish-speaking conference with roots in the Konferenz, was formed in 2016 and includes four congregations.