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The Native Ministries was the new name proposed in 1972 for CMC's Mennonite Pioneer Mission (MPM), the mission begun by the Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Manitoba in 1948, that had come under the jurisdiction of the CMC Board of Missions during the 1960s. Before 1971 MPM shared an executive secretary with the Board of Missions, but after the restructuring of the Conference, it became an autonomous board with its own executive secretary. In 1974 MPM changed its name to Native Ministries.
The Conference, by the late 1980s and 1990s was increasingly involved in cross-cultural ministries, so that in 1994 it created the Ministries Commission, reflecting a broader scope of ministry, both with in Canada (including Native Ministies) and internationally, specifically in Europe. The inaugural meeting of the Ministries Commission was held on 30 September 1994.
After the Conference restructured, combining the Conference of Mennonites in Canada with the Mennonite Church, Native Ministries became a program of Mennonite Church Canada Witness Ministries.
Executive secretaries of Native Ministries were Menno Wiebe (1964-1973), Issac Froese (1974-1978), Malcolm Wenger (1979-1981), John and Vera Funk (1982-1989) and Walter Franz (1990-1999). Walter Franz also served as the first Executive Secretary of the Ministries Commission from 1994 till September 1, 1999 when CMC General Board appointed Walter as Native Ministries Program Director and Associate Executive Secretary of Ministries Commission and Robert J. (Jack) Suderman as the Executive Secretary for the Ministries Commission.

The Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference was formed on July 1, 1959 from the Rudnerweider Mennonite Church, which had been organized in 1937 as a result of division from the Sommerfeld Mennonite church over its desire for renewal. The Rudnerweider Mennonite Church was led by four ministers, William H. Falk (1892-1976), Peter S. Zacharias (1893-1957), Gerhard J. Froese (1901-1947), and Isaac A. Hoeppner (1884-1955). These four had been inspired by the revival meetings held by Isaac P. Friesen in Reinfeld, Manitoba in 1934.

In total 1100 adult members left the Sommerfeld Mennonite church to become a part of the Rudnerweider Mennonite Church. William Falk was elected as Bishop on January 8, 1937. Between February and May of 1937 seven ministers were elected. They included: Cornelius G. Stoesz from Rudnerweide, Peter D. Berg from Schoenthal, Jacob H. Friesen from Neubergthal, Isaac P. F. Friesen from Rosenbach, Isaac J. Fehr from Waldheim, Jacob E. Nickel from Reinland, and Jacob P. Bergen from Kronsweide.

The church spread to western Manitoba, to the Interlake region of Manitoba, to Saskatchewan, Ontario, Texas, Belize, Bolivia, and Mexico.
A shift to more decentralized leadership and more local congregational autonomy led to the formation of the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (EMMC) in 1959 with annual conventions and various boards which would continue to tie the various local congregations together. This was led by the new bishop J.H. Friesen who was ordained in 1955.

The church / conference kept its members informed through publications such as the Jugendtag, Der Leitstern, and the EMMC Recorder. The church also supported schools in Manitoba such as Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI) in Gretna, Elim Bible School in Altona and Steinbach Bible Institute (SBI). The Aylmer Bible School in Ontario was established in 1976 by the church. In 1957 a radio ministry was begun and later the conference also ran a summer daily vacation Bible School (DVBS) for its youth. Missions to Northern Manitoba and Latin America were undertaken by the conference in addition to sending its people to serve under other Mennonite agencies.

The Rudnerweider church was concerned with the secular influence of radio broadcasts and therefore was an early supporter of Radio CFAM which was founded in Altona, Manitoba in 1957. It was seen as an alternative radio station that promoted wholesome values. The radio station offered air time to the church. I.P.F. Friesen, Edwin Klippenstein, and G.H. Penner served as the radio committee and on March 1957, the High German program Die Evangelishe Botshaft was aired with Bishop Wilhelm H. Falk as speaker. In 2008 the program was still on the air in the Low German language.

In 1990 the adult church membership was 3,470 in 24 independent congregations and nine mission stations. The denominational offices are in Winnipeg.

The conference pastors that have given leadership were Henry Dueck (1986-), Jack Heppner and Allen Kehler.

First Mennonite Church (Winnipeg) traces its beginning to the founding of the Schönwieser Mennoniten Gemeinde in Manitoba in 1926.

As early as 1907 Ältester Benjamin Ewert of Altona had provided spiritual services to Mennonites living in Winnipeg. He eventually moved to Winnipeg in 1921. With the increase of Mennonites in Winnipeg due to the 1920s migration from Russia, the Canadian conference asked Ältester Johann Klassen, one of these immigrants who lived in Starbuck, to minister to them as well. Soon these immigrants were the majority in this group and they organized in 1926 as the Schönwieser Mennoniten Gemeinde. The name Schönwieser came from the name of the congregation Ältester Klassen had led in the Chortitza Colony, South Russia. In 1929 Ältester Klassen moved to Winnipeg. During the early years this congregation met in rented facilities. A centre of activity was the Mädchenheim (girl's home). Then they met and later purchased the Zion Reformed Church building on Alexander Avenue. They built their own church building on Notre Dame and Alverston in 1950. This building was expanded in 1958 and 1983.

The congregation was instrumental in founding the Concordia Hospital, the Mennonitische Religionschule von Winnipeg, the Bethania Personal Care Home, and Westgate Mennonite Collegiate. The Schönwieser Mennoniten Gemeinde had many meeting places during the 1920s. Eventually seven congregations emerged out of this besides the First Mennonite Church, Winnipeg. The last of these was Oak Lake in 1971.

Mennonite Fellowship is a congregation that emerged as an initiative of members of the Winnipeg Bergthaler Mennonite Church (later known as Home Street Mennonite Church) and persons moving to live in the Fort Garry area. It began services in 1966 in the Fort Garry area of Winnipeg and the group formally organized in 1967. The language of worship was English. The Fellowship met in rented facilities at Canadian Nazarene College until 1981 and then at Canadian Mennonite Bible College. In December 1984, the group moved into its newly constructed meeting place at 150 Bayridge Avenue. A lay ministry team of non-salaried congregational leaders has served this congregation from its beginning.

The congregation began services in 1890s, and formally organized in 1947. The first building was occupied in 1958.

The Bergthaler Mennonites first came to the West Reserve area from the East Reserve in 1877. These settlers formed four villages over the next decade. They first began worshiping together in 1880 in Rudnerweide. The education question caused these settlers to divide into two groups, the Sommerfelder and Bergthaler. Johann Funk was the leader of the Bergthaler and Abram Doerksen the leader of the Sommerfelder. In 1895 the Bergthaler built a new meeting house in Hochstadt. However, the centre for worship shifted in 1907 when the new Mennonite Educational Institute was built in Altona. In 1912 it was decided to build a new meeting house in Altona. In 1919 this building was expanded and again in 1944. With the Bible School expanding in Altona it was decided to build a new building to accommodate the large gatherings in connection with the Bible School. A larger building was completed in 1954. The language transition occurred over the next two decades. The congregation has been affiliated with the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba, the Conference of Mennonites in Canada and the General Conference Mennonite Church since 1968. The language of worship was originally German and the transition to English occurred in the 1960s.

The congregation began services in 1900, and formally organized in 1914. The first building was occupied in 1928. In 1947 this building was expanded. In 1964 a new larger meeting house was completed.

The Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI), originally known as the Mennonitische Bildungsanstalt (Mennonite Educational Institute, MEI) was founded by the MEI School Society in 1888. Opening its doors in Gretna, Manitoba in 1889 under the direction of teacher Wilhelm Rempel, the school's primary mandate was the training of Mennonite elementary school teachers. With time, however, an increasing number of Mennonite parents came to value education beyond basic arithmetic and literacy skills, and sent their children to the institute for the more general purpose of acquiring a good education in a Christian context.
Heinrich H. Ewert was hired as the school's principal and teacher in 1891, opening the door for the provincial government's support since he had the qualifications required by Manitoba's Department of Education. Under Ewert's leadership the school experienced its incorporation in 1893, the curtailment of governmental support in 1903, and the 1904-1908 controversy regarding the location of a new school building since the MEI's facilities had become unable to meet the growing demands on the institution. When Altona was chosen above Gretna and Winkler as the site of the new school, Gretna supporters appointed Ewert as the principal of a new school of their own which they named the Mennonitische Lehranstalt (Mennonite Collegiate Institute). Both the MCI (Gretna) and the new MEI (Altona) were dedicated in 1908.

H.H. Ewert was succeeded by Gerhard H. Peters as principal of the MCI at the time of his death in 1934. Other principals include Paul J. Schaefer, 1948-1967; Gerhard Ens, 1967-1976, with Ernie Wiens as acting principal from 1971-1972 and Henry Dick as vice-principal during this time; Ken Loewen, 1976-1985; and Allan Dueck, 1985- , with vice-principal Dave Regehr.

Following its re-opening as the MCI, the school in Gretna underwent several administrative changes. In 1930 the School Society which had founded the institute transferred its control of MCI to the Mennonitische Schulkonferenz von Manitoba (Manitoba Church-School Conference). When this organization disbanded in 1936, the school fell into the jurisdiction of the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba (CMM), which soon relinquished its control to the Schulverein der Mennonitengemeinden Manitobas (Manitoa Inter-Mennonite School Society) in 1939. The school was rebuilt in 1964/65 following a fire destroyed the facility in 1963, and major renovations to the dormitory and gymnasium were made in 1976. During the 1976, MCI again began accepting government funding, signalling a movement towards the educational mainstream that was ushered in with the appointment of Ken Loewen as principal. This trend was somewhat reversed with the Think Tank which met in 1986 to provide direction and purpose for the MCI and whose recommendations reflected a renewed commitment to the values espoused by the school's founders.

The beginning of this church can be traced to 1926 when they were established as an affiliate of the Schoenwieser Mennonite Church group. Niverville Mennonite Church emerged independent of the Schoenwieser group in 1944. They purchased their first building in 1944. On January 1, 2009 they merged with Elim Mennonite, also of Niverville, to form Niverville Community Fellowship.

Mennonites first settled in North Kildonan in 1928, in part to fulfil immigration requirements to be farmers and yet be close to city employment opportunities. These families initially worshipped together even though they came from distinctly different backgrounds. In 1935 the families which affliated with the Schönwieser Gemeinde, organized their own group and built a meeting house on Devon Avenue. In 1938 this building was expanded. In 1938 Anna Vogt also began the first German Kindergarten. Further expansion of this building happened in 1943. Due to immigration after the WWII, a new meeting house basement was completed on Roch Street in 1951 and the upper building in 1956. In 1964 this building was further expanded. The congregation became independant of the Schoenwieser Gemeinde (by then known as First Mennonite Church (Winnipeg) in 1957.

Rivers Mennonite Church, located in the far western region of Manitoba, Canada, traces its beginnings to 1928 when a recent group of Mennonite immigrants from the Soviet Union met to worship and were served by Bishop Johann P. Klassen of the Schoenwieser Mennonite Church group. The first permanent church building was completed on 19 November 1950. The congregation decided to close in 1983 and sell the church building. The building was sold and moved in 1984. (See GAMEO for fuller history).

The Bergthaler presence was first established here in 1903 and by 1904 there were regular worship services conducted here in rented facilities. However over the next twenty years or so these worship services were held irregularly. John D. Loeppky is considered the founding leader of the group. Only in 1928 were regular services held for the Bergthaler group. In 1942 they built their own meeting house. The relationship with the central Bergthaler leadership was strained during these years. In 1949 this building was renovated.
Due to shrinking numbers, the church closed in 2017.

The Sargent Avenue Mennonite congregation in Winnipeg began services in 1949, and formally organized in 1950. The first building was occupied in 1951.

Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba traces its beginning to the efforts of the Home Missions Committee of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada during the late 1940s to help meet the needs of recently immigrated Mennonite refugees from Russia. Minister Jacob Toews used the Bethel Mission Church for meetings and baptisms in early 1949. The first worship service was led by Minister Jacob Toews on Sept 11, 1949 in the building at 515 Wellington which housed the new Canadian Mennonite Bible College.

The congregation was first called, "Winnipeg Mennoniten Stadtmission". It was renamed Winnipeg Mennonite Mission church in 1950, and registered its legal name as Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church in 1955, during the period when they were meeting in a former Baptist church building at Sargent Avenue and Firby Street

In 1951, the Baptist church on the corner of Sargent and Furby was purchased and was home to the congregation until a new church was built on the corner of Sargent and Garfield in 1961.

Jacob Toews was elected as the Aeltester in 1952 and served as the leading minister until 1958. He was suceeded by Gerhard Lohrenz, Jake Harms, Arthur Fast, Martin Sawatzky, Bernhard Sawatzky, Isaac Block, Jacob F. Pauls, Edwin Epp, Marla Langalotz.

In 1977 the church saw a need for another minister and called Bernie Neufeld as minister of music and education. Other ministerial staff included Ken and Rhonda Warkentin, Angela Reed, Gary Schapansky, Sonja Freisen, Ruth Epp, Marla Langalotz, David Peters, Chris Lenshyn, Lee Hiebert, Mark Tiessen-Dyck, Andrea De Avila.

The church has also had a long history of strong lay leadership. Some lay leaders include: Johann Adrian, Georg K. Epp, Herman Dueck, Peter Harder, Art Fast, Ben Sawatsky, Martin Friesen, Bruno Ens, Jacob Pankratz, Arthur Heidebrecht, Hermann Rempel, Ingrid Cornies, Richard Olfert, Gerhard Ens, and Menno Wiebe.

The Selkirk Christian Fellowship in Selkirk, Manitoba began in 1966 when a group of families who had earlier had contact with the Mennonite Pioneer Mission (MPM), moved to the Town of Selkirk from their communities in Bissett, Matheson Island, Loon Straits and Pine Dock and met for fellowship. Orville Andres, a former MPM worker at Loon Straits, who was attending Canadian Mennonite Bible College, in 1966, helped provide regular services. In 1967 the Conference of Mennonites in Canada’s newly established Board of Missions confirmed Jake and Trudie Unrau’s calling and placement in Selkirk to help establish a church. At first the group met in the Odd Fellow’s Hall on Cladeboyde Avenue. Then the CMC Board of Missions helped them purchase the vacant Church of the Nazarene at 173 Main Street, where they continued to meet until they closed in 1993. The language of worship was English.

The church was known as Elim Christian Fellowship until 1984 when it formally incorporated and changed the name to Selkirk Christan Fellowship. A 20th anniversary celebration and homecoming was held in 1986. The church related to the Conference of Mennonites in Canada through its Native Ministries program, but never joined as a congregation.

The congregation held its last service on 28 February 1993.