Prayers of gratitude and intercession

Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions 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.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

In the mid-1960s, there was a movement throughout Ethiopia among the youth in high schools and campuses. Believers who were committed to prayer, based on the Scripture, started witnessing in schools, offices and on the road.

The major prayer request was the thirst for the filling by the Holy Spirit – the promise given by God the Father, as written in the Bible. These young people also had a strong passion for lost souls. Our faithful God answered these prayers and poured his Spirit on many of the believers.

Meserete Christos Church (MKC), one of the largest Mennonite churches, had a membership of a little more than 5,000 when it went underground during the time of persecution in the Marxist military government. And it is during this time of persecution that the church flourished and started experiencing dramatic growth.

Believers transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit were bold enough to witness Jesus Christ, share their faith and live a life of holiness that condemns sin and calls on sinners to repent.

Though the Marxist government put many restrictions on Christians, the gospel of Jesus Christ could not be stopped. Many believers, including MKC church leaders, were imprisoned. The MKC statistics, after 17 years of persecution, showed a tenfold growth.

As in the time of Israelites oppressed by Pharaoh, the more the Christians were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. Local churches were planted by young believers who were committed and ignited by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Many home cells were formed for Bible study and prayer meetings. That growth has continued. Today, by the grace of God, MKC is growing with more than 20,000 believers added to the church by baptism every year.

The disciples of Jesus Christ, in the book of Acts, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, “turned the world upside down with their teachings.” Being transformed by the Holy Spirit, they spread the gospel boldly and many were converted to Christianity. The Holy Spirit transformed these people and also made them witnesses.

The word witness in Greek is “martyrs”- which where we get the English word. Though it is used today as a designation of those who have suffered death in consequence of confessing Christ, “martyr” originally meant being a witness.

When we think of being transformed by the Holy Spirit, it is a life that is transformed for the cause of the gospel – to be an instrument for the work of God’s kingdom. A martyr lives for the master, not for himself or herself or even for a group interest.

We are transformed by the Holy Spirit to serve God by proclaiming the work of God, the good news of Jesus Christ for his glory.

“But you are a chosen people, royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belong to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). 

—A Mennonite World Conference release by Tewodros Beyene (Ethiopia), a member of the Faith and Life Commission.

Third meeting of the Catholic, Lutheran and Mennonite Trilateral Dialogue Commission on baptism

Elspeet, Netherlands – Representatives of the Catholic Church (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), the Lutheran World Federation, and Mennonite World Conference met in Elspeet, the Netherlands, 9–13 February 2015, for the third meeting of the Trilateral Dialogue Commission on Baptism.

The Commission developed the general topic of the dialogue “Baptism and Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church” through papers on “Baptism: Communicating Grace and Faith.” Professors John Rempel and Fernando Enns (Mennonite), Rev Prof. William Henn (Catholic), and Bishop Emeritus Dr Musawenkosi Biyela (Lutheran) made major presentations.

The Commission continued also to study baptismal practices of the three Christian traditions, with special attention this year to Mennonites in a paper by Prof. Rempel and Dr Jonathan Seiling.

Each day began and ended in common prayer; morning prayers included joint reflection on biblical texts relating to baptism.

Hosted by the Mennonite World Conference, the meeting took place at Mennorode Conference Centre (Elspeet).

One evening, commission members met with leaders of the national Mennonite community to learn about the life of the Dutch Mennonite church today, including their practice of baptism in a highly secularized society. The final day, participants visited historic Mennonite sites in Amsterdam and Friesland where Menno Simons was born and first ministered.

—Mennonite World Conference release courtesy of Lutheran World Federation

Participants:

• Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga, IMC (co-chair, Colombia);
• Revd. Prof. William Henn, OFM Cap (USA/Italy);
• Revd. Prof. Luis Melo, SM (Canada);
• Sister Prof. Dr. Marie-Hélène Robert, NDA (France);

• Prof. Dr. Friederike Nüssel (co-chair, Germany);
• Bishop Emeritus Dr. Musawenkosi Biyela (South Africa);
• Prof. Dr. Theodor Dieter (France);
• Revd Dr KS Peter Li (Hong Kong, China);
• Revd. Dr. Kaisamari Hintikka (co-secretary, Finland/Switzerland).

• Prof. Dr. Alfred Neufeld (co-chair, Paraguay);
• Prof. Dr. Fernando Enns (Germany);
• Revd. Rebecca Osiro (Mennonite)
• Prof. Dr. John Rempel (Canada);
• Revd. Dr. Larry Miller (co-secretary, France);
• Dr Jonathan Seiling(Canada/Germany) as a guest researcher.

Fifth meeting of the Catholic, Lutheran and Mennonite Trilateral Dialogue Commission on baptism

Augsburg, Germany – Representatives of the Catholic Church (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), the Lutheran World Federation, and the Mennonite World Conference met in Augsburg, Germany, 9–14 February 2017, for the fifth meeting of the Trilateral Dialogue Commission on Baptism. The meeting in Augsburg concluded a five-year dialogue process.

The commission discussed and developed its final report, entitled “Baptism and Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church,” drafted by professors Theo Dieter (Lutheran, France), William Henn (Catholic, US/Vatican) and John Rempel (Mennonite, Canada). The trilateral commission agreed on a further process to finalize the report, which summarizes the rich discussions that have taken place over the last five years on three fundamental themes: 1) the relation of baptism to sin and salvation, 2) the celebration of baptism and its relation to faith and to membership in the Christian community, 3) the living of baptism in Christian discipleship. The report will be published in early 2018.

The meeting was hosted by the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and took place in the Haus Sankt Ulrich, the conference centre of the Catholic Diocese of Augsburg. The trilateral group met at the same time and place as the Executive Committee and the four commissions of MWC. During the meeting, the trilateral commission gathered in morning devotions and Bible studies. Evenings, they joined the MWC for prayers. One afternoon, members of the trilateral commission participated in a tour led by Augsburg Mennonite Wolfgang Krauss, introducing the Anabaptist and Mennonite history of the city.

—Mennonite World Conference release courtesy of Lutheran World Federation

Reflections from a Mennonite participant in the dialogue:

During the five years in which we have reflected on our theology and practice of baptism under the eyes of our partners, we have learned to respect, trust and challenge one another.

From the Lutherans, I have seen more clearly that their concern about justification by grace through faith is not that discipleship is a secondary matter. Their concern is that following Christ be a lifestyle of gratitude for God’s grace and not good works to earn God’s favour.

From the Catholics, I have learned that the sacrament of baptism does not have an “automatic” role in salvation. If someone persistently lives life against the Spirit of Christ, baptism will not save them.

What did I realize about Mennonites from the observations of our dialogue partners? One insight is that our concern for the human response to God’s grace in conversion and baptism is so central that we neglect to give God’s initiative toward us its due.

— Prof. Dr. John Rempel (Canada)

Participants

Roman Catholic

• Sister Prof. Dr. Marie-Hélène Robert, NDA (France);
• Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga, IMC (co-chair, Colombia);
• Revd. Prof. William Henn, OFM Cap (USA/Italy);
• Revd. Prof. Luis Melo, SM (Canada);
• Revd. Avelino Gonzalez (co-secretary, USA/Vatican).

Lutheran

• Revd. Dr. Kaisamari Hintikka (co-secretary, Finland/Switzerland);
• Prof. Dr. Friederike Nüssel (co-chair, Germany);
• Bishop Emeritus Dr. Musawenkosi Biyela (South Africa);
• Prof. Dr. Theodor Dieter (France).

Mennonite

• Revd. Rebecca Adongo Osiro (Mennonite);
• Prof. Dr. Alfred Neufeld (co-chair, Paraguay);
• Prof. Dr. Fernando Enns (Germany/The Netherlands);
• Prof. Dr. John Rempel (Canada);
• Revd. Dr. Larry Miller (co-secretary, France);
• Prof. Dr. Alfred Neufeld (co-chair, Paraguay).

Regrets

•  Revd. Dr. KS Peter Li (Lutheran, Hong Kong, China).

Trilateral dialogue between Mennonites, Catholics and Lutherans

• Dialogues on baptism close with learning and prayer (March 2017)
• Incorporation into the body of Christ (April 2016)
• Catholic, Lutheran, Mennonite, Trilateral Dialogue Commission on Baptism (February 2015)
• Mennonites, Catholics and Lutherans hold second round of dialogue on baptism (March 2014)
• Baptism the focus of trilateral dialogue by Mennonites, Catholics and Lutherans (January 2013)
• report (2020)

Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions 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.

Renewal 2027 is a 10-year series of events launched by Mennonite World Conference (MWC) to mark the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement.

“Transformed by the Word: Reading Scripture in Anabaptist Perspectives” (the inaugural event in Augsburg, Germany, 12 February 2017) fits well within the mandate of the MWC Faith and Life Commission to help member churches “understand and describe Anabaptist-Mennonite faith and practice.”

In the midst of the many Reformation commemoration celebrations, especially in Europe, it’s important to remember that the Anabaptists also emerged within the context of the Reformation and were decisively shaped by its rediscovery of the Bible as an authority for Christian faith and life.

Shortly before the first adult baptisms in January 1525, a member of the Bible study group that formed the core of the emerging Anabaptist movement illustrated this clearly:

“However, after we too had taken up the Bible and studied all the possible points, we have been better informed.”

The letter went on to describe how they came to a deeper understanding of Scripture.

Five central themes – visible in the quote above – distinguished their shift from walking alongside the Reformers to a posture of opposition:

• Scripture is the key point of departure for the renewal brought about by the Reformation.
• It is crucial to learn not only second-hand, but to read Scripture for yourself.
• The Bible study group read with an expectant attitude. They “studied all the possible points,” posed questions about the text and received answers.
• They reoriented themselves around these new insights. In this way, they were “better informed” in regard to the teachings of the Catholic church, but also in regards to Zwingli and the other Reformers.

To be “better informed.” At first glance, that statement sounds very positive. But it also carries some pain. It suggests that one has indeed been mistaken; it includes a readiness to let go of older, cherished understandings. This is often not easy.

The key question at stake here is: do we allow the biblical word (and the God who desires to speak to us) to scrutinize our convictions so that we allow ourselves “to be better informed”? Or does the admonition to “test all things and hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) only apply to other people?

Up to this point, all the themes could be regarded as Protestant principles. But the fifth point is the most distinct Anabaptist principle:    

• The “we” in the quote is crucial: not only does Bible study happen in community; but new understandings of Scripture are also reached collectively.

No one is forced to be part of an Anabaptist congregation – faith and membership are always voluntary. No single person has all the understanding or all of the gifts; but everyone has something. Therefore, it is crucial that we create frameworks for Bible study in which everyone can contribute to a better understanding of the biblical text: old and young, men and women, academics and labourers. Precisely for this reason the “we” in our text is so important!

But several dangers are already evident in this same quote.

To allow ourselves to be “better informed” sounds nice, but who can protect us from endless efforts to prove the superiority of one understanding or from the notorious church divisions that have occurred so frequently in Anabaptist history? How can we ensure that space remains for the recognition that all of our knowledge is partial and in need of additional insights? And how do we ensure that the “struggle for the truth” does not come at the cost of a “struggle for unity”?

If “renewal of faith and life” and “transformation through the Word” are going to happen within the context of Mennonite World Conference, then it will be essential for it to happen in the form of members from north and south, east and west, walking together alongside each other as “we.”

Hanspeter Jecker is a member of the MWC Faith & Life Commission and a professor of historical theology and ethics at Theological Seminary Bienenberg in Switzerland.

Report on Bearing Fruit, the Lutheran World Federation Task Force to follow up the “Mennonite Action” at the LWF Eleventh Assembly in 2010.

Bogotá, Colombia – The reconciliation process between the Lutheran World Federation and Mennonite World Conference has created fertile ground for collaboration. A report summarizing the LWF-MWC action of reconciling with Mennonites over the condemnations in the Augsburg Confession aims to help LWF churches, pastors, seminaries and congregations to “implement the LWF commitment to teach differently about Anabaptists, especially to how they are described in the Augsburg Confession.”

“The seeds of reconciliation sown more than 30 years ago, which flowered at the service of reconciliation in Stuttgart in 2010, are now truly bearing fruit,” says John D. Roth, MWC representative on the LWF Task Force and contributor to the document. “Mennonite and Lutheran pastors and church leaders will find lots of ideas for how they might engage each other at the local level.”

The process is rooted in the dialogues started to celebrate the Augsburg’s Confession’s 450th anniversary. Recognizing that “ongoing theological differences could not be constructively examined until the wounds of the past were directly confronted,” LWF began a formal reconciliation process in 2003. The principal work of the study commission was to “write a common history of the painful relations during the sixteenth century.” This process was “itself an ecumenical act and thus already a contribution to reconciliation.”

Both communions recognized “the need for communities as well as individuals to recognize when they are in need of genuine repentance and forgiveness.”

“The work of this Task Force has been to respond to the commitments [on teaching Lutheran confessions, exploring unresolved issues, deepening relationship through common prayer and study and work for peace]….in the conviction that this work of the Spirit has not finished with our churches,” the report says.

One “fruit” of this work is the dialogues on baptism; invited to participate by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), MWC suggested LWF join as well.

Bearing Fruit explores another point of on-going difference – civil authority and Christian participation in war – through an honest, respectful dialogue between Mennonite and Lutheran representatives.

“Hard, even painful, work of re-evaluating the past has opened the way for new relationships,” the report declares. “Trees of hope have been planted. Now is the time to take care that the fruits continue to be nurtured and harvested.”

Five hundred years ago, Anabaptists and Lutherans dealt differently with pressure from governing political powers and condemnations rose against each other, says Alfred Neufeld, Faith and Life Commission chair. “But that all is history. Today, the global church of Christ (Mennonites as well as Lutherans) realizes that the church is called to speak truth to the powers. That new global and transnational awareness frees us to stick closer together.”

Addressing the process at an LWF event in Indiana, USA, MWC president Nelson Kraybill said: “Now it falls on us – pastors like you and me, leaders in all levels of our churches and regional bodies – to resolve that we will love and respect each other and find ways to collaborate for peacemaking and proclamation of the gospel.”

Click here to see the entire Bearing Fruit report by LWF

—Mennonite World Conference release

Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions 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.

When a red blood cell first met a nerve cell, it exclaimed, “Ah, an alien!” “No,” replied the nerve cell, “I am your brother.”

Participating in the Menno Simons 500th anniversary seminar in the Netherlands in the spring of 1997 was my first time partaking in an international Mennonite gathering. My emotional reaction was to an extent the same as that of the red blood cell: Are these people all Mennonites? Why does their way of thinking differ so much from mine? At the Pennsylvania 2015 MWC Assembly, I experienced this sense even more powerfully!

Whether it be 2000-year-old Christianity or the 500-year-old Anabaptist church, we were born from the same theological tradition. Due to the passing of time and differences in cultural backgrounds and social environments, we grew to take on different faces. In the face of the numerous delicate issues of today, we also have different views and stances.

This makes me think of Paul’s metaphor of the body: we really are like a body with parts that have different shapes and functions. The church must be divergent and diverse – this is the DNA placed into the church when God first created her.

The church must accept differences, because this is the church’s vital lifeline. Through my brothers and sisters from Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America, my horizons and perspectives are broadened. I see a different picture of faith. Yet these cultural “others” come from the same theological DNA; these spiritual blood relations have become an indispensable part of the “me” or “us” of faith. The sisters and brothers from the global family comprise our co-humanity in Christ.

At the same time, however, this differentiation at the “cellular” level is for a greater unity at a higher level: there is only one body. We as members were integrated into the divine body. What we share in common is that we all commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, to radically following him. We also have the Shared Convictions in common. Therefore, we are made one in our diversity, while remaining diverse in unity.

The church is full of light and order at times, and disarray at other times. Nevertheless, from this mosaic of the church emerges a face of the transcendent one: Jesus Christ. He reveals himself through the church’s overall life. The church is the holy image of Christ; its mission is to faithfully demonstrate Christ, so that the world can see the face of the one who transcends.

The image of the face depends on how we connect together. Each of us – as a cell of the ear, eye or nose – will bring beauty to the face if we connect properly. Therefore, we must make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is an excellent reminder of this. Each time we remember the cross of Jesus together, we “re-member” the body of Christ. May God’s will be done.

—Paulus Chiou-Lang Pan, Mennonite World Conference Faith and Life Commission member

 From this mosaic of the body of Christ emerges a face of the transcendent One: Jesus. Photo by Faith Lin courtesy of Paulus Chiou-Lang Pan.

 Click on the photo to see the high resolution version.

Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions 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.

When a red blood cell first met a nerve cell, it exclaimed, “Ah, an alien!” “No,” replied the nerve cell, “I am your brother.”

Participating in the Menno Simons 500th anniversary seminar in the Netherlands in the spring of 1997 was my first time partaking in an international Mennonite gathering. My emotional reaction was to an extent the same as that of the red blood cell: Are these people all Mennonites? Why does their way of thinking differ so much from mine? At the Pennsylvania 2015 MWC Assembly, I experienced this sense even more powerfully!

Whether it be 2000-year-old Christianity or the 500-year-old Anabaptist church, we were born from the same theological tradition. Due to the passing of time and differences in cultural backgrounds and social environments, we grew to take on different faces. In the face of the numerous delicate issues of today, we also have different views and stances.

This makes me think of Paul’s metaphor of the body: we really are like a body with parts that have different shapes and functions. The church must be divergent and diverse – this is the DNA placed into the church when God first created her.

The church must accept differences, because this is the church’s vital lifeline. Through my brothers and sisters from Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America, my horizons and perspectives are broadened. I see a different picture of faith. Yet these cultural “others” come from the same theological DNA; these spiritual blood relations have become an indispensable part of the “me” or “us” of faith. The sisters and brothers from the global family comprise our co-humanity in Christ.

At the same time, however, this differentiation at the “cellular” level is for a greater unity at a higher level: there is only one body. We as members were integrated into the divine body. What we share in common is that we all commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, to radically following him. We also have the Shared Convictions in common. Therefore, we are made one in our diversity, while remaining diverse in unity.

The church is full of light and order at times, and disarray at other times. Nevertheless, from this mosaic of the church emerges a face of the transcendent one: Jesus Christ. He reveals himself through the church’s overall life. The church is the holy image of Christ; its mission is to faithfully demonstrate Christ, so that the world can see the face of the one who transcends.

The image of the face depends on how we connect together. Each of us – as a cell of the ear, eye or nose – will bring beauty to the face if we connect properly. Therefore, we must make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is an excellent reminder of this. Each time we remember the cross of Jesus together, we “re-member” the body of Christ. May God’s will be done.

—Paulus Chiou-Lang Pan, Mennonite World Conference Faith and Life Commission member

 From this mosaic of the body of Christ emerges a face of the transcendent One: Jesus. Photo by Faith Lin courtesy of Paulus Chiou-Lang Pan.

 Click on the photo to see the high resolution version.

In 2012, MWC partnered with the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism (ISGA) at Goshen College (Goshen, Indiana, USA) to launch a multi-year, multi-part research initiative. The goal? To develop a more nuanced picture of the MWC constituency specifically, and the global Anabaptist church generally.

The project has two components. The first, the Global Anabaptist Profile (GAP), is a survey structured around MWC’s “Shared Convictions” that aims to collect demographic data as well as information on beliefs and practices. The second component, the Bearing Witness Stories (BWS) Project, will seek to gather personal stories of discipleship and suffering, in the spirit of the Martyrs Mirror.

Recently, Courier/Correo/Courrier connected with project personnel to discuss the initiative, its impetus and its progress thus far.

What was the impetus for this research initiative on global Anabaptism?

John D. Roth (JR): The global Anabaptist church has been undergoing a dramatic transformation in the past 30 years or so, growing from approximately 600,000 members in 1980 to nearly 1.7 million today. Although MWC has worked hard to facilitate exchanges among its member groups, we are still very much in a process of learning to know each other better. The project is one step in helping to clarify a better sense of the basic demographical information, while also gathering much more detailed information about the beliefs and practices, hopes and dreams of MWC member churches.

Have there been other such efforts to study the beliefs and practices of the international Anabaptist-Mennonite community?

Conrad Kanagy (CK): Not many. Several years ago, Richard Showalter – then-president of Eastern Mennonite Missions and chair of the MWC Missions Commission – and I inaugurated the Multi- Nation Anabaptist (MNA) Profile. Ours was an effort to learn more about the beliefs and practices of the international Anabaptist community, and specifically those national churches connected to EMM. The results of that study were recently published in the book Winds of the Spirit (Herald Press, 2012).

Alfred Neufeld (AN): Winds of the Spirit is excellent proof of how a profile study can stimulate theological work and contribute to renewal of identity. We expect that the GAP will similarly help our Commission in its efforts.

CK: The GAP will be broader in scope than the MNA, and we hope it will yield even greater insights.

How do you plan to gather stories for the “Bearing Witness” project?

JR: One aspect of the project will focus on pulling together stories in a more intentional fashion from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries (i.e., from the completion of the Martyrs Mirror in 1685 to the present). But we also want to gather stories from the contemporary church, and especially from Anabaptist-Mennonite churches in the Global South.

In August 2012, some 40 people from nine countries (and representing at least six different Anabaptist groups) met at Goshen College to develop a framework for the BWS. The consultation made it clear that gathering stories is never a simple process. We hope that a combination of active personal solicitation, the Internet, public appeals and the use of existing networks (like MWC) will slowly generate interest.

What progress has been made thus far on the project?

JR: Following nearly a year of conversations with MWC leadership, mission agency executives, representatives from Mennonite Central Committee and a host of interested individuals, the ISGA received preliminary approval for the project by the MWC Executive Committee at its May 2011 meeting, with final approval confirmed at the meeting of the General Council in May 2012.

In August 2012, a sub-group of the MWC Faith and Life Commission met to review the logistics of the GAP. Also in August, Conrad organized a consultation with several other Mennonite sociologists, each with extensive experience in crosscultural surveys, for counsel regarding methodological questions. In late October we finalized our sample, and in November the MWC office in Bogotá sent out official letters to a representative sample of 25 member-churches, inviting them to participate. Right now we are responding to questions and confirming which groups wish to take part in the project. We hope to complete the survey in 2013-2014.

It’s common these days to find North American researchers going to the Global South to conduct these kinds of studies. I’m sure that you’re sensitive to this perception with the current project. What steps have you taken to address this perception?

JR: Yes, some might have the perception that this is a purely North American academic project that is “extracting” information from the global church. That is a false impression, though I do understand the concern. Clearly, the ISGA – which is located in the USA – is a catalyst for the project, and all of the funding comes from North America. But we see this as a project owned jointly by all the member-churches in the MWC family. The survey itself is based on the MWC Shared Convictions that resulted from a long process of discernment that included input from groups around the world. Each participating group will have a chance to add to the GAP questions that are specific to its setting. And the results of each participating group’s survey will be made available in an accessible form to the leadership of each church.

Gathering information is not an end in itself; the information is clearly intended to help the church – both locally and in its global/MWC expression – to be more faithful followers of Jesus.

How do you think the data gathered in this project will help MWC in its work of linking the global Anabaptist community?

AN: In the 16th century there was a “multigenesis” of Anabaptist beginnings: the Dutch-North German group, led by Menno Simons, was quite different in culture, history, spirituality and political setting to the Swiss-South German group that began 1525 in Zurich. And both groups had considerable differences from the movement led by Hans Hut and Thomas Müntzer, and from the later “Heavenly Kingdom” at the city of Münster.

Today, young Anabaptist churches – those within an Islamic context in Indonesia or Nigeria, within a Spanish Conquistarooted Catholic context in Latin America, or within the “underground church” movement in China – have quite different spiritual lives and day-to-day struggles than our Mennonite church members in Holland or Switzerland, in the USA or Canada. But we need each other and we need to understand each other.

CK: In the Book of Revelation, Jesus Christ has a message or word for the seven churches of Asia. I like to imagine that the work of MWC in this project will be one more way of hearing – partially, of course – Christ’s word to us in these early years of the 21st century.

Fourth meeting of the Catholic, Lutheran and Mennonite Trilateral Dialogue Commission on baptism 

Bogotá, Colombia – Representatives of the Catholic Church (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), The Lutheran World Federation, and Mennonite World Conference met in Bogotá, Colombia, 29 February–4 March 2016, for the fourth meeting of the International Trilateral Dialogue Commission.

The Commission developed the general topic of the dialogue “Baptism and Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church” through papers on “Living out our Baptism,” the theme of the fourth meeting.

Marie-Hélène Robert (Catholic), Alfred Neufeld (Mennonite) and Raj Patta (Lutheran), made major presentations reflecting on discipleship, participation in Christ and public witness. In anticipation of the conclusion of the trilateral dialogue, members reviewed the work of the previous years and further developed the document prepared by the drafting group. Each day began and ended in common prayer with morning prayers including joint reflections on biblical texts relating to baptism.

The meeting, hosted jointly by the Lutheran, Mennonite and Catholic churches in Colombia took place at the premises of the Catholic Bishops Conference (CEC) of Colombia where the members of the commission enjoyed the warm hospitability of the staff of the CEC. One evening commission members met with Alberto Franco CSsR, representative of the Interchurch Dialogue for Peace – DiPaz and heard about the ways the local churches participate in and promote the peace and reconciliation process in Colombia. The participants visited also the Cathedral of Bogotá and the Basílica del Señor de Monserrate.

The fifth and final meeting of the Trilateral Commission is scheduled to take place 8–14 February 2017 in Germany where the commission is expected to finalize its report for submission to The Lutheran World Federation, Mennonite World Conference and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

—Mennonite World Conference release courtesy of Lutheran World Federation

Reflections from Mennonite participants in dialogue:

Meeting in the Colombian context of wide scale violence and focusing on this meeting’s topic “Living out our Baptism,” I had expected this gathering to become “a moment of glory” for our Mennonite interpretations of adult baptism. Yet, I was humbled by the rich insight of the Lutheran presentation by a Dalit theologian from India on Dietrich Bonhoeffer´s witness on costly discipleship. And I was surprised by the accentuation of the call to evangelism as a fruit of our baptism by a Roman Catholic sister from France. In most societal contexts we find ourselves in today (so different from the European setting of the 16th century, where our traditions went different ways), it seems so appropriate to acknowledge each other’s baptism as authentic commitments to witness to the peace of Christ, together.

—Fernando Enns, chair, (Peace-) Theology and Ethics, Faculty of Theology, Free University, Amsterdam

From “Baptism and Discipleship: Holding together ‘sola fide’ and ‘imitatio Christi,’” a presentation on Mennonite understanding of baptism:

It seems clear that for the three traditions that in Christian initiation the primary actor is God, his grace and his justification….

Christian life must have a beginning, it must be positively affirmed and embraced by each one living in a discipleship relation to Jesus and his body, the church. And it needs continued nurture, instruction, forgiveness and encouragement. From the self-understanding of the Mennonite tradition, this best can be achieved and comes closest to Scripture evidence through conscious believer’s baptism and discipleship within the committed community of the church.

—Alfred Neufeld, chair, MWC Faith and Life Commission

Participants

Roman Catholic

• Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga, IMC (co-chair, Colombia);
• Revd. Prof. William Henn, OFM Cap (USA/Italy);
• Revd. Prof. Luis Melo, SM (Canada);
• Sister Prof. Dr. Marie-Hélène Robert, NDA (France);
• Revd. Avelino Gonzalez (co-secretary, USA/Vatican).

Lutheran

• Prof. Dr. Friederike Nüssel (co-chair, Germany);
• Bishop Emeritus Dr. Musawenkosi Biyela (South Africa);
• Prof. Dr. Theodor Dieter (France);
• Revd. Raj Bharath Patta (India/UK);
• Revd. Dr. Kaisamari Hintikka (co-secretary, Finland/Switzerland).

Mennonite

• Prof. Dr. Alfred Neufeld (co-chair, Paraguay);
• Prof. Dr. Fernando Enns (Germany);
• Prof. Dr. John Rempel (Canada);
• Revd. Dr. Larry Miller (co-secretary, France).

Regrets

• Revd. Prof. Peter Li (Lutheran)
• Revd. Rebecca Osiro (Mennonite).

By all accounts, the 16th Mennonite World Conference Assembly 21–26 July 2015 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, was a resounding success. Memories of worshiping with more than 8,000 people from 65 countries; unexpected encounters with old and new friends; the beautiful profusion of sights and sounds of a truly global church; workshops on challenging topics and creative forms of witness; and the fragments of soul-transporting music that still linger in my memory – all this, and more, made the gathering a truly joyful experience.

Oddly enough perhaps, the highlight of the assembly for me was not anything generated by the global Mennonite and Brethren in Christ participants. Rather it was the ecumenical greetings brought to our gathering by Martin Junge, the Chilean general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation.

In his brief presentation, Junge celebrated “the gift of reconciliation and forgiveness” that took place between Mennonites and Lutherans in 2010 at the LWF assembly in Stuttgart, Germany. But then, Junge argued that reconciliation among members of the body of Christ can never be an end in itself. “Reconciliation had to unfold its full meaning,” he said, “by becoming a witness of God’s good intentions to the entire world.”

He noted a significant financial contribution Mennonites had recently made to support the needs of some 500,000 Somalians temporarily housed in a refugee camp administered by the LWF. This shared support for refugees “helped us come down from the top of the mountain, where we Mennonites and Lutherans were enjoying Christ’s presence,… to realize that the glory of Christ that shone to us needed to speak to the people in the valleys – to their struggles, to their pain, to their sufferings. Only thus does reconciliation become complete.”

“More than ever before,” Junge continued, “I have become aware that steadfastness in Christ today means to offer unity as a prophetic witness in our fragmented and wounded world.”

So why were these brief words, shared in a context of so many wonderful events, such a highlight for me?

First, in the context of a family reunion where we can easily become self-absorbed in the celebration of our distinctive gifts as an Anabaptist-Mennonite body, Junge’s words reminded us that we are also part of a much larger body of Christian believers. Although many in our circles remain deeply skeptical about “ecumenism,” the body of Christ nonetheless extends far beyond our membership in MWC. On our own, our witness to the world is incomplete; we need the gifts of every member of the Christian body.

Junge’s brief presentation also served as an important reminder to Mennonites that we are not imprisoned by our past – history is not destiny. To be sure, the shadow cast by the legacy of persecution in the 16th century did not simply disappear with the Lutheran-Mennonite service of reconciliation in 2010. But the story of our reconciliation is as much a historical fact today as the more familiar martyr narratives of Anneken Jans and Dirk Willems.

Our commitment to reconciliation is an announcement to the world that change is possible: former enemies can become friends; painful memories can be reframed; transformation in the direction of God’s shalom is possible.

Finally, I keep returning to the words of Martin Junge because I know that our faith and our fate as Anabaptist-Mennonites is inextricably linked to the question of unity in the body of Christ.

There are so many reasons to divide. Often, our first impulse is to assume that faithfulness to Christ is in tension with the goal of unity, as if faithfulness and unity were at opposite ends of some spiritual scale. But what if Christian faithfulness – as Jesus suggested in John 17 – were actually impossible without unity?

In her plenary presentation, Wieteke van der Molen, a Mennonite pastor from the Netherlands, invited MWC members to consider the space between us as “sacred space” – a space that could be bridged only by the living presence of the Spirit. What if we looked on our differences not as a source of fear or anxiety but as sacred spaces that only God can fill?

– John D. Roth, MWC Faith and Life Commission, secretary

A fuller version of this article appeared in The Mennonite. Originally posted at https://themennonite.org/opinion/is-christian-faithfulness-possible-without-unity/ on 27 August 2015.

Goshen, Indiana – On 20-23 July, a six-member task force appointed by Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Faith and Life Commission met at Goshen College with counterparts from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to review progress globally on the commitments that the two global communions made to each other in a service of reconciliation in Stuttgart, Germany in July 2010.

At that service, which culminated nearly five years of dialogue, representatives of the LWF asked forgiveness for the actions of their forebears against the Anabaptists in the sixteenth century and for continuing negative portrayals of Anabaptists and Mennonites. They also committed their churches and seminaries to interpret the Lutheran confessions in light of the dialogue report, Healing Memories: Reconciling in Christ, and to continue conversations with Mennonites on the topics of baptism and the Christian relation to the state.

MWC leaders, in turn, committed themselves to promote a more balanced interpretation of the Lutheran-Anabaptist story, to continue conversation on unresolved issues, and to encourage their member churches to seek greater cooperation among with Lutherans in service to the world. 

In their joint meetings at Goshen, the two task forces identified several areas of progress in their mutual commitments. They noted especially the many local services of reconciliation held by Mennonite and Lutheran congregations around the world, a study guide produced by Mennonite Church Canada, and numerous examples of cooperation in service projects. They also affirmed the trilateral conversations on baptism that are now moving forward between MWC, the LWF and the Catholic Church through its Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The Mennonite task force further affirmed a website, sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen College, that provides easy access to resources related to Lutheran-Mennonite dialogue (www.anabaptistwiki.org). The MWC task force called on the Faith and Life Commission to take a stronger role in encouraging Mennonite colleges, universities, seminaries, historical societies, information centers and tour groups to incorporate the story of MWC-LWF reconciliation. It also recommended that several MWC national conferences pursue conversations on Christian peacemaking with their Lutheran counterparts, recognizing that local contexts differ widely on this theme.

On Sunday, 21 July, local Lutherans and Mennonites engaged in a public dialogue with the joint task forces at an afternoon service hosted by Trinity Lutheran Church in Goshen. The Lutheran task force concluded its visit with a tour of Mennohof, a nearby Anabaptist-Mennonite information center, and an extended conversation with 25 Amish ministers and lay people on the topic of baptism and Christian witness.

“After five hundred years of separation, full reconciliation will not happen overnight,” said, John D. Roth, professor of history at Goshen College and secretary of the MWC Faith and Life Commission. “But we praise God for these steps toward healing within the Body of Christ.”

Members of the MWC task force include Andre Gingerich Stoner, Gayle Gerber Koontz, James Juhnke, Enrique Rodríguez, and John D. Roth, along with Kathryn Johnson, a Lutheran professor of history who played a major role in organizing the reconciliation service in 2010.

The members of the LWF “Task Force on the Mennonite Action” are:  Timothy Wengert, Musawenkosi Biyela, Kathryn Johnson, Selma Chen, Hellen Rios, Anne Burghardt, Michael Martin, Ivo Huber and John D. Roth.

MWC release