The Mennonite Quarterly Review: historical study in service of the church

The Mennonite Quarterly Review began under that title in January 1927 at Goshen College. It grew from the Mennonite Historical Society’s work and Harold S. Bender’s desire to encourage sustained research. Three review supplements to the Goshen College Record had appeared in 1926, so the chart’s 1927 milestone marks the named journal rather than the first appearance of its predecessor.

The opening editorial explained that the journal sought to serve truth and the historic faith and ideals of the Mennonite Church. It did not present itself as a campaign to reshape the church according to an editorial program. Historical inquiry, careful examination of sources, and discussion of books could help believers understand their inheritance and consider their calling in the kingdom of Christ.

The publication developed into a scholarly forum for the Radical Reformation and the histories of Mennonites, Amish, and Hutterites. Its 2026 centennial issue returned to the original editorial and reviewed the journal’s changing questions across successive decades. These later reflections make the early issues readable as the work of particular historians in particular settings, while preserving the documents and arguments for readers to examine.