They hold two Christian ordinances, baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, as outward signs, not a means of salvation.

[4] The Missionary Church has diverse roots, especially in Anabaptism (directly through the Mennonites), German Pietism, the holiness movement, and American evangelicalism, (and to a smaller degree fundamentalism and Pentecostalism).

The preamble to their Constitution references this by stating: In the late 19th century, several Mennonite preachers embraced pietism and revivalism, and were excluded from their conferences.

Among the leaders were Solomon Eby (1834–1929) of Ontario, William Gehman (1827–1917) of Pennsylvania, Daniel Brenneman (1834–1919) of Indiana, and Joseph E. Ramseyer (1869–1944).

[7] The Mennonite Brethren in Christ Pennsylvania Conference disliked the name change and received permission to maintain their existing name.

The first two divisions occurred because of doctrinal differences, while the third was a friendly separation in response to legal issues pertaining to the church existing in two nations, the United States and Canada.

"The archives of the Missionary Church, as the memory center for records of historical significance, is a collection of the official papers of the denomination as well as materials relating to its origin and development.