Paul G. Landis

Pennsylvania Mennonite bishop and missions leader suspended, removed

In 1993, Paul Landis (1932–2019) was found by “solid consensus” of a nine-member church committee to have committed sexual misconduct against women. Landis had been serving as a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference Board of Bishops and president of the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions (EMBM) when reports arose of his “unprofessional and inappropriate” behavior.

In June 1993, the Board of Bishops announced in the Gospel Herald that Landis’s credentials were suspended, and EMBM announced that his presidency had ended. The announcement included a statement from Landis, in which he refers to his misconduct as “inappropriate relationships,” and attributes them to “an ongoing personal need.” Landis also served as an early leader of Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Voluntary Service.

Landis died in 2019.