My church journey in and out of Mennonite and Pentecostal traditions begins before I was born. Because of a thoughtless and frankly embarrassing comment from the pulpit toward her at age 15, my mother left the Mennonite church at the age of 18.
She and my father raised their children in evangelical churches until emotional healing finally came from a church plant in New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA. Interestingly enough, though classed as non-denominational, this congregation was planted by Mennonites and was marked by the gifts of the Holy Spirit which sprang from the Pentecostal movement.
After leaving for Bible school, my own church journey took me through a spectrum of movements that some might find uncomfortable at the very least and others name as cult-like at worst. I finally found stability when I based my faith not on a movement or denomination but rather my relationship with God and in the study of God’s Word.
Anabaptist research opens questions
Also interestingly, it’s precisely because of research I did on Anabaptist history, a movement which emphasized the principles of truth from the Word, pacifism and social justice, that I began to question some things. Why did both Pentecostal and Mennonite movements back-burner things that were hallmarks of the other’s movement when good things clearly sprang out of them?
For example, why did it seem charismatic churches sent their children to Mennonite and Calvinist camps to memorize Scripture and learn more Bible stories?
On the other hand, why does it seem Mennonite preachers often relegate teaching on the Holy Spirit to a brushed off sermon once or twice a year?
Although there are secondary doctrinal issues that define us differently as Pentecostals and Mennonites, eventually I realized it doesn’t have to be an “either/ or” mentality but a “both/and.”
Pentecostal zeal enlivens faith
This realization came when I researched the history of the Anabaptist movement and I saw the zeal that fired up so many in the early days of the movement to give up their lives for the truth that they believed. It changed my thinking because I realized that their fire was as much- if not morezeal for the Lord then I experienced in any Pentecostal or charismatic church.
In my own history, more than one ancestor lost entire families for not backing down on their Protestant beliefs in France, or fled Germany with other persecuted Anabaptists.
Just as my own mother’s journey came full-circle to receive emotional and spiritual healing through a Mennonite church plant, so my family’s healing continues through the places God is leading me. Now I serve on the leadership team of a multi-cultural international church in Halle, Germany, planted through cooperation between Verband Deutsche Mennoniten, Eastern Mennonite Mission and Deutsches Mennonitisches Missionskomitee.
Balance guides multi-cultural welcome
The balance I’ve learned of acknowledging the Holy Spirit as much as loving the Father in Jesus Christ as a living and active part of the God I worship has served me well.
At Soli Deo Church, we offer services in multiple languages at almost every gathering including Sunday services, so we’ve learned we need a similar balance. We have to be patient and be open with people from all sorts of different backgrounds as much as they have to be patient with us.
There is a balance between holding onto our beliefs that may be based on Western church culture and recognizing that other cultures have an expression of Jesus inside of them that is based on their backgrounds as they come to the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit. We may look different, but we are one as we look toward Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Learning to listen to each other in love is so important. Some who have joined us are not comfortable with overt expressions of the Holy Spirit that came out of the Pentecostal movement while others find it essential to their belief practice. And yet both groups have found a home with us. They all want to worship together, so we find a way where some would say there is no way.
It is precisely the appreciation of Anabaptist principles of following Jesus held in balance with the spontaneity of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit that equips me to help lead an international church.
That kind of love and appreciation of differences is the very message of the gospel and is what keeps us fellowshipping together despite our multi-cultural backgrounds. And I believe learning this balance will thrust us into the next big movement of God on this earth.
—Kellie Swope is a member of the leadership team of Soli Deo Church, a Mennonite church in Halle, Germany.
An Executive Committee is elected from the General Council and meets annually. Two members from each continental region are elected from the General Council; a president and vice-president are also elected by the General Council. A president-elect begins a term three years before the handover of responsibilities. The treasurer and general secretary are also members of the Executive Committee.
See the October 2021 issue of Courier to meet the officers.
Africa representatives
Samson Omondi
Congregation: Majiwa Mennonite Church, Kisumu, Kenya
“It is an honour to serve the global Church through MWC because it provides an excellent opportunity to share experiences and ideas from varied cultures all over the world.”
Asia/Pacific representatives
Paul Phinehas
Congregation: Gilgal Mission Trust Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India
“I am grateful to be part of MWC because we can do more together than we can as individual flock, and we gather together to worship God in the ways he has exposed in the Bible.”
MZ Ichsanudin
Congregation: GITJ Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia|
“It is an honour to be involved in the ministry of the church globally through Mennonite World Conference (MWC) because organizationally, MWC is the only forum for churches that specifically promote peace, not only on a small scale, but on a world level; between faiths, between tribes and nations. How to achieve peace without going to war using weapons and politics is a big challenge for MWC. We do not only think for ourselves but for all human beings on this earth.”
Europe representatives
Alexander Neufeld
Congregation: Evangelischmennonitische Freikirche Dresden, Germany
“I am grateful to be part of MWC because it boosts my sense of belonging to a wonderful family of faith and provides me with an opportunity to meet and to interact with so many loving and interesting people. My prayer for the global AnabaptistMennonite church is that we may glorify Christ and make known the Gospel of Jesus and his way of relating and living.”
Wieteke van der Molen
Congregation: Doopsgezind Gemeente Schoorl, Netherlands
“The most beautiful thing in MWC is that we try: try to reach out, to truly listen (to each other, ourselves, God), to see Christ looking at us through the eyes of a brother or sister. We fail utterly and completely and constantly. In understanding, in communicating, in truly helping each other, in creating a safe space for all of our brothers and sisters to join in that one story about God and humankind. And still we try. It is this trying and failing and trying again, that builds the kingdom of God.”
North America representatives
Lisa Carr Pries
Congregation: Nith Valley Mennonite Church, New Hamburg, Canada
“As a volunteer, I desire to engage people in the vision of Mennonite World Conference by holding out Jesus’ hope and Christ’s light so that they are transformed, known deeply as God’s beloved children and can notice God’s activity.”
Caribbean, Central and South America representatives
Carlos Martínez García
Congregation: Fraternidad Cristiana/Vida Nueva (CIEAMM), Mexico
“It is a great privilege and blessing to get to know the challenges and opportunities that our global family faces. It is enriching to share our experiences and projects related to being Christ followers in an increasingly diverse world.”
Juan Silverio Verón Aquino
Congregation: Iglesia Maranata de los Hermanos Menonitas (Mennonite Brethren), Asunción, Paraguay
“My prayer for the global Anabaptist church is that it continues to carry Christ’s peace to every corner of the Earth.”
Vacant **
Africa
*Steven Mang’ana Watson died 4 March 2021
North America
*Bill Braun’s term came to an end in December 2021 when his local congregation Willow Avenue Mennonite was suspended from membership in the US Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
There are two expressions of Anabaptism in Vietnam: H·ªôi Thánh Mennonite Vi·ªát Nam (Vietnam Mennonite Church – VMC) was founded in 1964 by the Vietnam Mennonite Mission, a ministry of Eastern Mennonite Missions begun in 1957. After a time of inactivity following the change in government in 1975, it reconvened in the 1980s and was recognized officially by the current government in 2007. The Vietnam Evangelical Mennonite Church (unregistered) had its beginnings in 1998 and organized formally in 2004, combining several indigenous expressions encouraged by Vietnamese Mennonites from Canada.
Jesus at the centre
In Vietnam, what it is to be an AnabaptistMennonite is presented as simply living out the gospel as received. Jesus is the centre of our faith, community is the centre of our life and reconciliation is the centre of our work. This approach taught by North American pastor and teacher Palmer Becker resonates well with Vietnamese people.
Mennonite pastors and leaders share this message their preaching. It is easy to understand and attractive. People inside and outside the church find this resonates in their hearts.
Peace and gentleness from the nonviolent teachings of Anabaptism are also part of the transformative message that reaches Vietnamese Mennonites and shapes how they deal with one another. “It affects all areas of life,” say the Mennonite pastors. “Following Jesus in peace brings reconciliation to every body.”
For non-believers, it is freeing to talk about sin and to learn how Jesus brings liberation from sin. Traditional evangelical church members find this approach is liberating.
This message is also attractive to indigenous house church groups who are not part of any network of churches. As a result of hearing this articulation of faith, some ask about joining the Mennonite denomination.
“To demonstrate our beliefs, we live out those beliefs in Christ daily,” say Vietnamese Mennonite pastors. “Christian faith is a ‘lived-out’ faith, not just a system of beliefs.”
A Mennonite church service in Hai Phong, Vietnam. Photos courtesy of EMM
Lived out faith
In the Northern part of Vietnam, some Mennonite churches are very hot in evangelism, testifying to their faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. The women evangelize daily while shopping in the market. Some are vendors who share the gospel with their customers. They see healings as they share the gospel. When people come to believe in Jesus, church member evangelists bring them to the pastor for teaching.
In the Central and Southern parts of the country, there are nine organized mission teams of Mennonite church members who go out on mission every month.
There is a team on the border of Cambodia, one in the most westerly part (Kien Giang).
Pastor Hoang Bich leads a team in Da-nang reaching out to the Ka-tu ethnic group. They are also working with a university student group.
One team in Quang Ngai (Central Region) is very active.
Additionally, there is an Eastern region team, a Daklak team, two teams in Soc Trang, and a Ca Mau team.
The teams do house-to-house outreach. They reach out to people they know, family members, and people in the designated provinces. Once they have a group who has shown interest, they start a Bible study for preparation for baptism.
In the most southern province (Ca Mau), Pastor Quyen leads a team. He dedicated his life to serve Jesus after his daughter took ill and had been pronounced dead by the doctor, but came back to life as his wife continued to pray.
He is very active and has gathered a group of people for Bible study. The study group is very disciplined, almost like medieval monastery
In the era of COVID-19, Pastor Quyen preaches every other day on the internet (via Zoom). His virtual congregation is so large – nearly 1 000 people listening in at one time – it pushes the platform limit.
Among those who are encountering Christ through the ministry of Pastor Quyen, there are demonstrations of the Holy Spirit and miracles. Some people choose to move to be near his church. He also contacts other local churches to meet face-to-face with people who have connected via his Zoom ministry.
In the Quang Ngai, Soc Trang, Thu Duc, and Binh Thanh areas of Vietnam, the members are reaching out to the poor
Although the churches are not large in size, they are large in impact.
Crossing barriers
Mennonite churches take root in the countryside and the city. The primary minority ethnic groups the VMC is reaching out to are S’tieng, Kor, Bahnar, H’mong, Ka-tu, Ede, De, Khmer, Cham. Today, about 50 percent of the memberships are from at least 10 different ethnic minority groups. The other half are Vietnamese.
The urban groups reach out to rural ethnic persons who move to the city for work, education and opportunities.
The church members follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. “We are free and open to embrace all the gifts of the Spirit, according to Bible teachings,” say the Vietnamese pastors. This is in contrast to the traditional evangelical churches who tend to discourage or not recognize some of the gifts of the Spirit.
Although it is not formalized, Vietnamese Mennonite churches also follow Jesus across barriers by recognizing women to serve as pastors and in leadership.
Challenges and opportunities
A Mennonite evangelist prays with a community member in Quang Ninh, Vietnam. Photos courtesy of EMM
Like many fast-growing churches, their strength presents a difficulty: the church is growing fast, so they need a way to train leaders quickly. COVID-19 hampers some of the financial activities of the church as members livelihoods are affected by the slowed down economy.
Many people – even in the rural areas – have been able to get vaccinated. “This brings hope,” the pastors say.
VMC does not have an office and training centre. When COVID-19 shutdowns are in the past, the need for a centre will be more pressing. The church’s faithful outreach among those who are poor is growing the church, but its financial capacity remains small.
With support from Vietnamese Mennonites in the USA, the churches were able to reach out to their neighbours with medical, social help and food during the worst of pandemic infections. “It demonstrates the heart of loving of Anabaptists for the people in Vietnam,” say the Mennonite pastors.
Although COVID-19 curtailed some possibilities, it also created new opportunities for online study, training and fellowship. Bible studies and other training have been occurring via Zoom, which brings together people from a distance – including East and West – with minimal time and financial cost.
This is also an opportunity for youth. “We envision involving younger folks from other countries who have a heart for mission to relate to the youth leaders in Vietnam,” say the Mennonite pastors. “Could teenagers in the Mennonite World Conference community regularly connect with youth in Vietnam?”
The youth of Vietnam, many of whom know how to speak English, are ready to maximize on the internet connected world, in fellowship, learning and reaching out. “This has potential to turn missions upside-down. This is an opportunity for youth around the globe,” say the Mennonite pastors.
The global family
VMC remembers with fondness the MWC fraternal delegation visit from five continents in 2008 on the occasion of their legal recognition by the Vietnam government authorities. This was very meaningful as the MWC delegation spent three days with church leaders and visited congregations, demonstrating foot washing, among other things.
VMC was happy to become a member church of MWC in 2009 in Paraguay. “We appreciate the opportunities for fellowship with believers around the globe on the occasions of General Council and General Assembly meetings. May these relationships increase and deepen,” say the Mennonite pastors.
They are eager to connect with other Mennonites close by within Asia, and to develop more connections with Eastern Mennonite Missions in the USA.
Young people have participated with the International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), which first made its presence known in Vietnam in 1954. “Several of our youth have benefited significantly through this program,” they say.
A growing church
The Mennonite church is Vietnam is a testimony that God is working. “The Vietnam Mennonite Church (VMC) senses God’s favour at this time,” say the pastors. COVID-19 does not hamer the simple message: we are all sinners and need Jesus. With Jesus, people enjoy newfound freedom, peace and protection.
During this pandemic, many people suffer mental problems due to uncertainties. Standing on the rock of Christ Jesus, Vietnamese Mennonites find comfort and reassurance that they bring to others. “There is no need to worry; God cares for you!”
-Article contributors: Vietnamese pastors Huynh Dinh Nghia, president, VMC; Huynh Minh Dang, general secretary, VMC; and Tuyen Nguyen, bishop, LMC – a fellowship of Anabaptist churches responded to questions from Gerry H. Keener, international worker with Eastern Mennonite Mission.
Assembly is a life changing experience. This event every six years was the “conference” in Mennonite World Conference for several decades. It remains a highlight for members around the world – both those who are working daily to foster connections within the AnabaptistMennonite family, and those who mainly attend the big events.
It is a time when Anabaptist-Mennonites from around the world encounter each other in our differing worship styles – especially the more Pentecostal influenced styles that often characterize the Global South.
“Once you’ve been to one, you can’t stop because a global fellowship like this is rare,” says Elina Ciptadi, who first went to Assembly in Zimbabwe in 2003.
“My favorite memory is the exuberance and joy of making music together with songs from all around the world,” says Mark Wenger, a pastor from Pennsylvania who sang in the 2015 international choir.
These memories drive excitement for the extra-long-awaited Assembly 17 in Indonesia. It was postponed one year due to the pandemic.
The long tail of the pandemic touches Assembly as well; attendance is restricted to 700 participants – far below the expected thousands. But we hope to gather nevertheless, as we have learned these past two years, connecting as tiny faces on screens and tenuous internet links.
“[Assembly is] where we find co-conspirators on the journey of building the kingdom of God. Here we meet other Jesus followers who are passionate about justice, peace and community. Other kindred spirits,” says Rianna Isaak-Krauß, who met her husband at the Pennsylvania Assembly in 2015. “That connection is really powerful.”
The Holy Spirit is part of what makes that connection between diverse peoples happen and in such a powerful way in the body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit has played a stronger role in moments of the Anabaptist movement and has been relegated to the background of our thinking and speaking as churches in others. In the last decades, Pentecostal movements have brought individual and corporate spirituality that emphasize openness to the Holy Spirit. These movements have both invigorated and threatened our churches.
This issue looks at some of the challenges and opportunities Anabaptist-Mennonites encounter as we relate with Christians from Pentecostal movements and those within our own family who might be called “Mennoscostals.”
We will have further opportunity to learn about being connected by the Holy Spirit (and the internet) in our diversity of worship style and theological leanings as we gather by the thousands for Assembly in July. May the Spirit reach through our screens and guide us on our journeys as co-conspirators, encouraging each other to seek peace and justice as we build the kingdom of God.
—Karla Braun is editor of Courier and writer for Mennonite World Conference. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada.
Gratitude to God and the global Anabaptist church fill my heart as I complete my term as MWC president. This planet-wide church has become my home, and the assembly in Indonesia will be a reunion, a gathering of siblings. In a world fractured by war and pandemic, I long to bond with peacemaking and generous people from fifty-eight countries.
Christians are “aliens and exiles,” says the letter of 1 Peter. That brings to mind refugees and displaced persons from parts of the world where Anabaptists live today – including Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuela. Elsewhere, Anabaptists and other Christians face abuse and church buildings burn. Early Anabaptists suffered martyrdom in Europe, and today martyrdom continues.
Responding to these crises, Anabaptists in multiple countries open their homes and wallets to assist persons seeking refuge. “Living hope,” as Peter calls it, inspires such love. Compassion modelled by Anabaptist sisters and brothers around the world inspires me to help receive refugees who are arriving in my homeland.
Joy abounds in 1 Peter, because building community among suffering people brings hope. “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people,” the author rejoices. Peter wrote his letter because Christians need the strength we find in fellowship, especially in hardship. Anabaptists today need to learn from and support each other.
Come to assembly in Indonesia in person or online! Join MWC online prayer gatherings! Contribute financially!
MWC involvement has been life-giving for me, reminding me that my deepest loyalty is not with nation or tribe, but with a global communion of people who know Jesus. Our citizenship is in the New Jerusalem, with people who follow the Lamb.
Thank you, sisters and brothers, for being family to each other. As Peter writes to “exiles of the Dispersion,” may God “restore, support, strengthen and establish” you.
—J. Nelson Kraybill is president of MWC (2015–2022). He lives in Indiana, USA.
The Global Anabaptist Project* says: “Pentecostalism is the most rapidly growing expression of Christianity in the world, and Anabaptists are not foreigners to this reality.”
Anabaptists around the world experience this by practicing an expression of faith that César García, general secretary of Mennonite World Conference, calls “Mennocostal.”
Many Anabaptist-Mennonites today combine Christ-centred theology and emphasis on peacemaking with a spontaneous Spirit-led approach that is often associated with Pentecostalism and charismatic movements.
However, the vibrancy of these rapidly growing churches can also cause discomfort when their expansion seems to come at the expense of one’s own family.
What does the growth of Pentecostalism mean for Anabaptists?
“Pentecostalism is in our century the closest parallel to what Anabaptism was in the 16th century,” wrote C. Arnold Snyder in Anabaptist History and Theology
Anabaptism has been shaped and reshaped by waves of renewal. There were the passionate and risk-taking re-baptizers of the sixteenth century; Pietist revivals among Mennonites in what is now Ukraine; the influence of the East Africa Revival of the 1930s on Kanisa la Mennonite Tanzania and Kenya Mennonite Church; the birth of JKI (Jemaat Kristen Indonesia) within a youth prayer movement; the flourishing of Meserete Kristos Church in Ethiopia in the 1980s despite political persecution.
“Pentecostal movements, charismatic renewals make a similar experience as we did as AnabaptistMennonites. Fresh reading of the Bible together, being inspired, the freedom, the joy,” says Bernhard Ott, retired dean of Bienenberg, a Mennonite Bible institute in Switzerland.
But “openness to what God is doing is also linked to uncertainty and lack of control,” he says. A process of institutionalization challenges spontaneity for better or worse. The waves of Anabaptist renewal developed theology, training, critical reflection, and lost some openness in the process.
“The Anabaptist movement… started losing the enthusiasm that accompanied it at the beginning,” says Pedro Calix, a Mennonite pastor from Honduras.
What opportunities does the burgeoning Pentecostal movement hold for Anabaptists?
“It is a great opportunity to rethink the idea of returning to our charismatic roots and open ourselves to what the Holy Spirit wants to do within our faith communities while not losing our Anabaptist identity,” says Pedro Calix.
Neal Blough observes how worship in a Pentecostal style connects with those from the Majority World more than the rational forms of Swiss or Russian streams of Anabaptism. Professor emeritus of church history at Faculte Libre de theologie Evangelique in France, he worships with an urban congregation located in Europe but influenced by members from the rest of the world. “How much is it theological and how much is it cultural?” he asks. “Pentecostal and charismatic worship is more bodily, corporal, expressive, lively, joyful, and that corresponds to what I know of people from the Global South.”
For the Mennonite Brethren church in Brazil, the departure of congregations from the plateaued Anabaptist conference to rapidly growing Pentecostal movements caused leaders to realize an opportunity.
“We can see in Scriptures that the early church was led by the Holy Spirit. We value the Word of God. Yet, we didn’t know what it means to be led by Holy Spirit,” says Rodrigo Justino, a Mennonite Brethren pastor from Brazil, now studying theology in Canada. As both movements encountered each other in learning, the Mennonite Brethren in Brazil now “are not Pentecostal. But we’re not only Anabaptist. We’re a mix of both.
“Pentecostals bring in pathos; it’s not only emotion in a cheap way, but it’s the affections. Pentecostals bring back a spiritual dimension [to orthopraxy]: it’s the power of God, the power of the Spirit that transforms us; we don’t just do it ourselves,” says Bernhard Ott. “We can learn much from that.”
Anabaptist-Mennonites are known for theological focus on living (orthopraxy).
Ethics can become a burden without the power of the Holy Spirit; we require “spiritual power for the Anabaptist vision,” says Bernhard Ott. Pentecostal perspectives can help remind AnabaptistMennonites of our theology of the reign of God which is “already-and-not-yet. God’s power is breaking now, not just in the future.”
To the extent that the church is a place of societal transformation and a promoter of peace and justice, it is a sign of the reign of God.
What are the challenges?
Anabaptist-Mennonite churches in Latin America have many influences from Pentecostalism.
Among the negative effects are “that the liturgy often uses Biblical texts out of context, which can be seen in some of the songs that place a lot of emphasis on spiritual warfare or the prosperity gospel,” says Pedro Calix.
Rodrigo Justino notes that in Brazil, Pentecostals “don’t focus on criteria for authority – they focus on gifts. They can’t deny the woman has pastoral gifts: a prophetess, an evangelist.” However, the “top” leadership of the churches still skews male.
Pentecostal churches often rely on the spirituality of the founder; a dynasty is built. “There can be a problem of holding on to power,” says Rodrigo Justino.
In Indonesia, JKI founder’s passion for prayerful, Spirit-directed service has permeated the movement; his Mennonite roots are less evident, says Rony Kristanto, a pastor in the “Mennocostal” JKI synod.
Rapid growth can drive this problem of theological grounding. Pentecostal movements can grow “as vast as the ocean but as shallow as a puddle,” says Rodrigo Justino. “They can become prey to other movements. We [Anabaptists] can help in terms of theology. They can help us discern voice of the Spirit, what it means to live by faith. To start something, you don’t need to have money, structure; you only need faith, courage to preach. Everything else the Lord will do among us. This is a huge lesson.”
Pentecostalism is still characterized in some ways by the first-generation experience of newness and signs and wonders.
“Every Protestant movement has had this cyclical process,” says Neal Blough. Those in new movements need to think theologically, realize they are not the first Christians, observe how others have navigated the shift to become more structured and learn from them.
Unlimited Fire youth conference, 2018. Photo: Ebenzer Mondez
What gifts might Anabaptists – now a mature movement – and the still-young and developing Pentecostal movement hold for each other?
“The gifts of service, solidarity, discipleship, and teaching,” says Pedro Calix.
“We all want to bring God’s reign to come to this world,” says Rony Kristanto.
“Pentecostals try to materialize and manifest salvation through healing and salvation and physical blessing… [something that] happens here and now.
This testimony of salvation, this good news, is not in heaven, in the future, it is now. “A problem in Indonesia is people don’t have social security, so physical healing is very important for them.”
The early members of JKI followed this example. “It started with prayer. Every time before they went to a [ministry] area they were praying for this area,” Rony Kristanto says.
“Social engagement cannot be separated from charismatic experience of Holy Spirit,” he says. Mennonites also work with the poor and oppressed, but Pentecostals minster “not only as social work but due to vision, prayer,…spiritual warfare.”
“We need to sing each other’s songs,” says Neal Blough, referencing the work of Janie Blough who studies and teaches worship. “We need to sing each other, not draw into only one stream.”
The vibrance of Pentecostal worship has lessons of vitality for Mennonites, but the Anabaptist tradition offers the insight that forming disciples is a deeper process than emotional music and a sermon
“Anabaptist-Mennonites have something to offer regarding humility and community,” says Neal Blough. Discipleship and ethics are also helpful correctives to a movement that tends to be too individualistic.
He observes increasing ecumenical engagement from Pentecostals where they are seeking other church’s experience in becoming more structured as a maturing movement.
Anabaptist Mennonites can be corrective to Pentecostals to not only look at wonder and power, but to look at ethics – how you live; the peace witness, says Bernhard Ott. “Word and works has always been with Anabaptist-Mennonite theology and practice. The Pentecostal movement brings in experiencing the power of God. This is a good challenge…. Mennonites can speak to Pentecostals if it becomes too one sided.”
Retired theology professor Claude Baecher observes an interest in Anabaptist history and theology in his region in France.
“Being close, present, even fraternal to these churches seems to me as important as our involvement in ecumenical circles. This has to be done with a strong Christcentered biblical approach.
“We should avoid too rapid (spiritual) judgment and be present with teaching tools: Anabaptist history, exegesis, ethics, practical theology, peace-centred theology, dialogue,” he says.
And with humility.
In Brazil, struggling with a potential church schism between the older, conservative Mennonite Brethren churches and new churches following a Spiritled path, church leaders found a way through by learning humility together. “We struggled with our pride, our resentment [about members leaving]. We were grasping opportunities and protecting ourselves from threats,” says Rodrigo Justino.
“It’s about what God is doing in terms of grace,” says Rodrigo Justino. Follow Jesus in humility. “When you decide to do this, you have beauty. It’s different than you and me, us and them, it starts to be us. We work together.”
—Karla Braun is editor of Courier and writer for Mennonite World Conference. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada.
* Global Anabaptist Profile (GAP), an extensive three-year survey of 24 member conferences of Mennonite World Conference (MWC). Learn more: https://mwc-cmm.org/courier/stories/uniqueopportunity-greater-unity
“Mennocostal” – Pentecostal Mennonites – may be the best characterization of most Anabaptists in Mennonite World Conference today. The influence of Pentecostalism in Mennonite congregations worldwide is an overwhelming reality. In their study of Mennonite World Conference churches, Conrad Kanagy, Elizabeth Miller, and John D. Roth conclude, “One of the defining differences between MWC members in the Global North and the Global South is their experience of the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit, with Europeans and North Americans much less likely to identify with these experiences… Pentecostalism is the most rapidly growing expression of Christianity in the world, and Anabaptists are not foreigners to this reality.”1
Pentecostalism’s influence in our lives has pushed many of us towards an internal dialogue between the Anabaptist tradition and the new Pentecostal tendencies that emerge in some parts of the world. In my faith journey, that dialogue looks like the following so far:
Do I believe in miracles and the gifts of the Spirit such as prophecy and tongues?
Yes, I do. I have experienced them.
I also think, as Encanto (a recent movie about Colombia) says, people themselves are God’s miracles. People are more important than the gifts they bring to the table. In Jesus’ words, at the end of the Sermon of the Mount, you can do all sorts of supernatural things, but if you do not do what he says, you do not know him (Matthew 7:21-23).
I also believe illness and suffering are everyday human experiences that God may transform for our wellbeing and growth. God does not promise to remove those experiences from our lives. Instead, God promises to walk with us through them.
Do I believe that God wants us to prosper?
Yes, I do. Financial prosperity is one of the many things in which followers of Jesus may thrive.
However, such economic prosperity is not the result of a special prayer technic. It is not related to an individualistic consumerist desire, and it is not a reward God gives to those who provide their tithes to force God’s hand.
Financial prosperity results from a simple lifestyle, the consequence of living a life that cares for creation and is aware of our responsibility on the environmental crisis.
We communally experience financial prosperity. It happens when followers of Christ share their possessions and needs. Anabaptists understand that according to the Book of Acts, a consequence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is financial sharing in the community of the Spirit (Acts 2:44).
In addition to prophecy, miracles, and other mystical experiences, a life of generosity and sharing of wealth has to be a fruit of the Spirit. Only God’s presence can overcome the natural human tendency toward egocentrism and self-satisfaction. Only God’s presence overcomes consumerism and materialism, creating an alternative community to the society.
Do I believe that God empowers leaders with the Holy Spirit? Yes, I do.
When the Holy Spirit fills a leader, they serve others and do not look for recognition, honour or positions of power. A leader that serves in God’s Spirit solves conflicts in the way of Jesus and never takes the initiative to fragment Christ’s body. Divisions and power struggles never are a path of a leader that follows God’s Spirit.
Do I believe in peacemaking and reconciliation? Yes, I do.
Life in the Spirit is a life of peacemaking and restorative justice. It is possible to be an activist that promotes justice and peace without following Jesus. However, to be so in the way of Jesus, we need to depend on the Holy Spirit and have a solid personal relationship with the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.
Those are some of my internal, personal thoughts about my commitment to follow Jesus in the Anabaptist tradition and my experience of doing so in the context of modern Pentecostalisms in the Americas. But of course, these opinions may change because following Christ implies movement and growth. So, likewise, they may change when tested and submitted to the community of Christ’s followers, the church. As vital as they are, individual beliefs are never enough to witness a life fulfilled with the Spirit. Only a life submitted to the community of believers bears witness to God’s presence in our lives.
In this issue of Courier, internal dialogues open the way to intercultural, inter-Anabaptist conversations about the influence of Pentecostalism in our global communion and our experience of life in the Spirit according to our Anabaptist tradition.
May the Spirit of God guide us to continue discovering in practice the implications of following Jesus in the power of God’s Spirit!
—Cesar Garcia, General Secretary, Mennonite World Conference
This series of stories on the creation care survey has illuminated the importance of issues like climate change in the lives of Anabaptists around the world. We now come to the last question: what should Mennonite World Conference do in response?
The Creation Care Task Force is taking your responses as guides for crafting activities that will best help congregations engage with creation care issues.
1. The most common request was to hear more about creation care.
The most common responses expressed the same theme in different ways: the need to hear more about environmental issues. Often this was a request for help with learning about creation care, either through training or through resources. This was most common in responses from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“All human beings aspire to live in security on this planet. Therefore, we suggest that Mennonite World Conference organizes online conferences and provides written resources that talk about creation and environmental protection. That will allow our members to have knowledge of the environment and help them live sustainably in harmony with the environment.”—Cristiano Mafuta M. Ngoma, Igreja da Comunidade Menonita em Angola (Mennonite Church in Angola)
Respondents from North America and Europe expressed this theme differently. There were many requests to hear stories about creation care impacts and actions, and especially about those most impacted by climate change.
Respondents from all regions expressed a desire for the church to be more aware of creation care at the institutional level. They wanted Mennonite World Conference and member churches to internalize creation care so that it is integral to what churches do.
“We need calls to action that match the level of the crisis that we are in: ‘a climate emergency.’ If we don’t think bigger and bolder, it can actually lead to more despair.”—Steve Heinrichs, Hope Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
2. Some asked for suggestions of actions that are relevant to their communities
Mia Handoyo
Respondents suggested that creation care is dependent on local contexts, and that collaboration is needed. Solutions can differ depending on the location. We should acknowledge the diversity of contributions that come from a variety of communities and organizations.
“Work with global Anabaptist communities. Africa can contribute a lot to tackle climate change and work with us.”—Desalegn Abebe, president, Meserete Kristos Church, Ethiopia.
“Collaborate with churches to identify different problems and available resources and then incorporate the local community in resolving the problems.”—Delphin Kapay, Communauté des Eglises des Frères Mennonites au Congo.
“Maybe a localised Creation Care Task Force would be helpful. Guidelines to more simple and sustainable ways of life are often based on what’s happening in Western countries – not very accessible or doable in other regions.”—Mia Handoyo, GKMI Semarang, Indonesia.
Requests for specific suggestions usually focused on individual actions, such as tree planting or solar panel installation.
“We need to encourage church members to progress from taking actions from an individual level to the household level to wider communities. Just talking isn’t going to result in change.”—Durga Sunchiuri, MCC program coordinator in Nepal for seven years.
Durga Sunchiuri
“Short tips on how to ‘green’ your life / church would be the most useful. Practical things that don’t take much time or money, but when all churches / families would do this, it would actually make a difference.”—Jantine Brouwer-Huisman, Algemene Doopsgezind Societeit.
In addition to individual actions, multiple respondents asked for system-level action in society, such as engaging with government policies through advocacy. Other requests mentioned regularly included leader training, and financial assistance.
“I want my church and our denomination to take risks to ‘speak truth to power.’ I want us to be able to breathe deeper because we’ve taken meaningful, systemic action, instead of being paralyzed by guilt. I want us to align with humans of all religions and worldviews and do serious activism to support non-human creation and the next generations of humans, who are at very serious risk.”—Lisa Martens, Hope Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
3. There were fewer comments on other important engagement strategies
In a significant part of the world, the biggest hurdle to climate action is how the issue has become politicized. Multiple respondents requested Mennonite World Conference present a biblical and global basis for our discussion that bridges political divides and appeals to people from a variety of backgrounds.
“Climate change is a moral issue that should concern everyone, not a political issue meant to pit ‘environmentalists’ against those who make their living from the land.”—Sarah Werner, Columbus Mennonite Church, Ohio, USA.
Sarah Werner
Relationally connecting American congregations with Anabaptist churches in non-Western contexts impacted by climate change might get past the polarization.—Rodney Martin, Lititz Mennonite Church, Pennsylvania, USA.
Organizations that work on environmental issues have learned strategies that effectively move groups toward action. For instance, engagement through social media, empowering youth, and developing a strong consensus voice are all effective strategies to get action on climate change. Surprisingly, these were not frequently mentioned. Likewise, relatively few asked for help articulating a distinctive Anabaptist perspective on creation care.
“Help the Mennonite Church go from ‘the quiet in the “land’ to find voice to speak out and take action around climate change. This is a faith-based issue.”—Heather Wolfe, Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, Vermont, USA.
Although survey respondents infrequently mentioned strategies, this does not mean they were unimportant.
They may instead represent areas of opportunity: methods of engagement to expand our impact.
Members of Hope Mennonite gathered in front of a federal cabinet minister’s office to call for a just energy transition. Photo by Carolyn Regehr
Response
The Creation Care Task Force is grateful to the more than 350 people who expressed their stories, feelings, and ideas on how we can faithfully respond as a community to the challenge of caring for creation. Watch for more stories, events and resources as the task force responds to this collective call to change how we all think and act on climate change and other environmental issues.
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Join us at Assembly 17 in Indonesia where creation care is incorporated into a variety of sessions and activities. The Creation Care Task Force invites you to hear more stories from the survey and MWC’s plans for engaging creation care, at the following sessions:
“Creation Care and MWC: Responding as a Global Church”
How should Mennonite World Conference respond to climate and other environmental crises which are impacting communities globally? This workshop presents learnings and stories that come from the recent creation care survey. Creation Care Task Force members will lead a conversation on how MWC should respond to these creation care crises.
“Practical Steps for Creation Care from the Global Church”
A panel representing churches from around the world will share practical ways, from gardening to advocacy actions, that they are engaging in creation care. There will be time for questions and sharing between participants and workshop audience. This panel is part of a series of workshops from the Creation Care Task Force.
Welcome to a series on environmental problems and the global church.
These stories illuminate
a) how Anabaptist-Mennonites are affected by environmental degradation,
b) what Anabaptist-Mennonites think about environmental issues,
c) how Anabaptist-Mennonites are responding.
These words of Jesus (Mark 16:16), repeated at Pentecost by the apostle Peter (Acts 2:38) inspire Anabaptists and spur us to action. “Baptism” is in our very name – and our practice is a key marker in our formation as a group of Christ followers.
But what is our practice? Sprinkling, pouring or immersion?
When is a person old enough to make their own decision to follow their faith?
What are the consequences of baptism? Is it a personal declaration of faith or a rite of membership to become an official part of a local family of faith?
These are questions that challenge Anabaptist-Mennonite churches around the globe, and there are different answers influenced by our contextual factors.
Returning to the Scripture texts also show us diversity: we find both the spontaneous baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch after Philip’s teaching and a cross-generational large group baptism of Cornelius’s household. The early church continued to develop practices and symbols of baptism beyond the book of Acts.
Mennonite World Conference encourages its member congregations to remember the early baptisms that sparked our faith movement: each January, we celebrate Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday around 21 January, recalling the courageous faith of Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz and Georg Blaurock who re-baptized each other in Zurich on that date in 1525.
This issue of Courier shares the presentations from the Renewal 2021 webinars held online in June 2021. These sessions reviewed Anabaptist history and looked at how we are now learning about baptism from other traditions – even the Catholics and Lutherans from whom our ancestors in faith so sharply diverged in 1525.
Baptism for those early believers was not only an act of personal faith but also a rebellion against political powers of the day. As we seek to reflect the faith and fervour of our spiritual ancestors, how do Anabaptists today live out bold commitments?
How does our baptism teach us to set aside self-interest and pursue the good of the community out of love for the other?
How does our baptism spur us to resist the powers of greed and domination, and instead live out the alternative values of peace and reconciliation in the already-but-not-yet kin-dom of God?
Karla Braun is editor of Courier and writer for Mennonite World Conference. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada.
“The parable of the talents (Mt. 25) invites us, as Anabaptist congregations, to ask ourselves what convictions have been entrusted to us as a treasure from our history, and what things we should readily toss aside in exchange for others.”
On May 29 2025 – three years from now – members of the MWC General Council, ecumenical guests, and a host of friends from around the world will gather in Zurich, Switzerland, for a day-long commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the first baptisms that marked the beginning of the Anabaptist-Mennonite movement.
The MWC Faith and Life Commission is looking forward to that event in Switzerland. But we also know that historical celebrations are complicated.
After all, the Anabaptist world looks very different today than it did 500 years ago. The majority of Anabaptists today live far from Europe in Asia, Africa and Latin America, in cultural contexts that are vastly different from the 16th century.
A focus on history can easily shade into hero worship – a focus on earthly figures rather than on Jesus, “the founder and perfector of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Preserving historical memories can become a form of nostalgia, or a defense of the dead weight of tradition and the status quo.
Several years ago, the Faith and Life Commission asked one of our members, Hanspeter Jecker, a Swiss Mennonite historian, to reflect on the place of history for Mennonite World Conference as a global communion. That document – “The Anabaptist Tradition: Reclaiming its Gifts, Heeding its Weaknesses” – is now part of a rich collection of Teaching Resources available in the three official languages on the MWC website.
The short document begins with a brief historical overview of the Anabaptist movement and its transformation into a global church. It then identifies seven theological themes that form the core of the “Anabaptist tradition” – motifs that you could expect to find in all of our member groups, albeit with different emphases and in a colorful variety of cultural expressions.
Finally – and significantly! – the document also names several “weaknesses and deficits” of the Anabaptist tradition, recognizing that our strengths also have shadow sides that need to be recognized and confessed.
“The Anabaptist Tradition: Reclaiming its Gifts, Heeding its Weaknesses” provides a useful roadmap for MWC as we prepare to celebrate the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement in 2025. That celebration will be an opportunity to reaffirm the distinctive theological convictions that bind us together. But it will also be an occasion for confession and transformation as we share together in a tradition that is always being renewed.
—John D. Roth is secretary of the Faith and Life Commission. He lives in Goshen, Indiana, USA, and is a member of Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship.
Like the chambers of a heart, the four commissions of Mennonite World Conference serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of deacons, faith and life, peace, mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give guidance and propose resources to member churches, and facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of common interest and focus. In the following, one of the commissions shares a message from their ministry focus.
At a place where springs appear in the desert east of the Jordan River, a guide explains that this is where John baptized Jesus – at “Bethany beyond the Jordan” (John 1). Modern wooden structures stand where early Christians once built churches.
Here, John called crowds to repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Repentance meant a changed life: people with plenty of food and clothing must share, tax collectors must be honest, soldiers must not abuse their power (Luke 3).
Jesus did not need baptism to mark forgiveness of sins. But “repentance” also can mean a turn in life direction.
Empowered at baptism by the Spirit, Jesus turned from private life to fully embrace God’s call to proclaim the reign of God.
Jesus crossed the Jordan where Israelites once crossed into the land God had promised.
There, Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness, rejection at Nazareth, harassment from religious and political leaders, and eventually the cross.
Along the way, he called disciples, healed, forgave, feasted, taught, loved, and prayed.
Baptism was costly for Jesus, and it is for us. Mercifully, few of us will meet a violent end at the hands of opponents. But the life turnaround that follows baptism means we move away from ego-centered living to a discipline of following Jesus. Daily choices of obedience to God are the path to a meaningful life. Jesus, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12).
Early Anabaptists spoke of a triple baptism—water, Spirit and blood. Who do you know who paid a high price for keeping baptismal promises?
What self-centred impulses are you ready to leave behind in the waters of baptism to follow Jesus in joy and resurrection power?
J. Nelson Kraybill is president of MWC (2015–2022). He lives in Indiana, USA.
Samson Omondi
Paul Phinehas
MZ Ichsanudin
Alexander Neufeld
Wieteke van der Molen
Lisa Carr Pries
Carlos Martínez García
Juan Silverio Verón Aquino
Crossing barriers
