• English

Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • A teaching resource from the Faith & Life commission

    Mennonite World Conference embarked on the first formal dialogue process with the Baptist World Alliance in 1989. Since then, MWC has entered into conversations with Lutheran World Federation, Seventh Day Adventists, Catholics, and, most recently, a five-year trilateral dialogue with Lutherans and Catholics. Seeing the value of these dialogues, the Faith and Life Commission developed this document to give MWC national churches and local congregations a better understanding of the theological basis for ecumenical hospitality and why we think such conversations are consistent with Anabaptist values.

    The document was approved as an MWC teaching resource by the General Council in Limuru, Kenya, April 2018.

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    Faith & Life Commission

  • Global Anabaptist Peace Network -GAPN

    Facilitated by the Peace Commission

    Mennonite World Conference

    Terms of Reference

    Vision and Purpose of the GAPN

    As Christians and members from the Anabaptist-Mennonite Family, we recognize that peace is at the very center of the Gospel, and that by witnessing to justice and peace (Just-Peace) we anticipate and participate in the already-inaugurated but yet-to-be-fulfilled Kingdom of God. As we seek to walk in the ways of peace, we need companions, fellow sojourners, to support us on the road, and we them. In doing so we can walk and journey together in witnessing to God’s Just-Peace.

    Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is a global communion comprised of 107-member churches from 57 countries around the world. These church bodies, which comprise approximately 10,000 local congregations, have produced much fruit – many peace-related organizations, programs, schools, training programs, research projects, activist-focused initiatives, activists, and scholars. 

    As an envisioned Global Anabaptist Peace Network (GAPN), we want to support and connect organizations and agencies that have emerged from and serve our church communion. Our hope is to foster an alternative consciousness – a consciousness of peace – as a witness to the realities and mechanisms of death and violence in the world. As such, we want to nurture an imagination built on the kingdom of God and it’s all encompassing and all-embracing vision of shalom.

    In light of this, the GAPN seeks to becomes a space in which it is possible to: 

    • Walk in solidarity with and support one another as we pursue, promote, and build peace in the world;
    • Have the fruit of our churches –i.e. the organizations, programs, schools, training programs, research projects, think-tanks, activist-focused initiatives, activists, and scholars – connected and to explore ways in which to walk with one another in mutually supportive, transformational, and interdependent ways; 
    • Strengthen the church and communities of peace and justice in our world and for the world;
    • Create opportunities to explore the meaning (theological and philosophical) and impact (ethical and practical) of peace (i.e. shalom) as we seek to be a Peace Church in the world, which includes exploring and addressing the root causes of conflict, violence, injustice, and oppression; 
    • Strengthen our Anabaptist-Mennonite Christian identity and our peace consciousness.

    Relation with Mennonite World Conference and the Peace Commission

    The GAPN has grown in close relation with MWC, more specifically with the Peace Commission (PC). One key decision over time has been to translate this relationship into the structure: the GAPN is hosted and will be organized within the MWC’s coverture. In this framework, we see the PC as the entity/space representing and connecting the MWC members churches while the GAPN as a network oriented towards the different organizations that have emerged as result of the ministry of the churches, which in some cases are not members themselves of MWC or one of its existing networks. While the primary addresses of the PC and the GAPN are different, by rooting the GAPN in the PC (and more widely in MWC) we envision a way to sustain and/or re-connect the fruits of the Mennonite/Anabaptist “tree” to the “tree” itself (i.e., the church).

    Structurally, this means that the PC will host the GAPN and seek to make the connections between the network, the other parts of MWC and, ultimately, the fellowship of churches. The fact that the GAPN is hosted by the Peace Commission and MWC does not mean limiting the action of the GAPN – especially if, as described, the goals of the network involve working with agencies and organization in multiple directions and levels – but rather grounding it.

    Another way in which the MWC/Peace Commission and GAPN relation is translated into practice is by being able to use the opportunities offered by the MWC meetings (such as the Assembly, Commissions Meetings, and the MWC’s Networks meetings) to facilitate and promote face-to-face meetings of the GAPN. 

    Membership and Structure of the GAPN

    1. Facilitate the sharing of information and resources:
      Share with one another urgent prayer and advocacy requests, news, stories, resources, perspectives, studies, expertise, and experiences of network members. This exchange may also include member related or driven opportunities for learning exchanges, internships, bursaries, funding, learning tours, and so forth, that may exist or arise.[2]Sharing in such a way would enable:
    2. Membership Directory:
      In order to promote the exchange between the different agencies and organizations, one key step is to develop a membership directory which responds to the needs of the GAPN. This means going beyond simply submitting or sharing “contact details” about different Anabaptist-Mennonite organizations. It would seek to explore the context and the kind of work in which organizations are involved. This will enable the members of the GAPN to explore and consider more concrete forms of exchange with other members.
    3. Creating spaces:
      In order to create interdependent relationships, we want to enable the creation of spaces whereby such connections, synergies, and friendships can emerge.

    Guidelines for the GAPN

    Given its vision, we have identified certain ways in which the GAPN should operate:

    1. The GAPN will focus on providing the infrastructure that supports and nourishes its members. This does not exclude encouraging urgent actions, campaigns and prayer requests, among others, that can be motivated from the network. Yet, at the center of the GAPN is the idea that the member organizations (and not the network) are at the center of the process. This can be done in different forms:
    2. The GAPN will seek to establish multidirectional engagement:
      • Toward each other (other GAPN members).
      • Toward MWC and MWC related churches.
      • Toward other agencies outside of the Anabaptist-Mennonite family of faith.
    3. The GAPN will seek to foster spaces for interdependent relationship, building from the local to the global level. In this sense, the GAPN will seek to promote different levels of engagement:
      • at a micro level (e.g., encouraging local/regional involvement and/or action, such as local gatherings, conferences, advocacy involvement, etc.).
      • at a macro level (e.g., international relations; responding to political, economic, systemic realities; global gatherings, etc.).
    4. Every voice matters in the life of the GAPN: we want to make sure that the different voices are heard, acknowledged, and respected in the actions and processes of the GAPN. This implies that:

    [1] This disposition that the GAPN will initially search for agency/organization as potential members does not mean that in the future some changes of could be possible, considering specifically the potential interest and involvement of persons/individuals. However, it was thought that initially working on the base of agencies and organizations as members would help the start and consolidation of the network. In the meantime, what could be considered is different forms of relationship, endorsement or support from individual or agencies, organization or churches (non-members) and the GAPN.

    [2] Note that GAPN is not a funding organization. Our desire is to create opportunities for members themselves to share information about such funding opportunities as they exist, which is not granted by the GAPN itself. 

  • As presented to the Mennonite World Conference General Council, Limuru, Kenya, 24 April 2018

    Part I “All things gathered in Christ”

    • God is a gatherer
    • The Old Testament
    • The New Testament
    • Ephesians 1:10 – The Secret is Out! God is gathering all things in Christ!
    • Ephesians 2:11-22 – For He is “our” Peace
    • The near and the far
    • Conclusion – Anabaptists and the “gathering of all things”
       

    Part II “Unity of the Spirit – the creation of body and temple”

    • Spirit (ruach/pneuma) – energy, breath, wind
    • The unity of the Spirit
      • 1. Spirit as energy or power
      • 2. Spirit as breath
      • 3. Spirit as wind
    • The body of Christ, the womb in which the new human is being formed
    • The temple of God – a home from recycled material
    • Unity and diversity
    • Anabaptists and Spirit

    Part III “Maintaining the Unity of the Spirit – when walking together is hard”

    • We do not walk alone
    • How do we walk together?
    • Humility, patience, suffering each other
    • Forgiveness
    • Speaking truth WITH the neighbour
    • Seeing the face of God in each other
    • Does the bond ever tear? Does the chain break?

    At time of writing, Thomas R Yoder Neufeld is chair of the Faith and Life Commission. He is retired as professor of religious studies (New Testament) and peace and conflict studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

    English

    Gathering into one, Part 1Download
    Gathered into one, Part 2Download
    Gathered into One, Part 3Download

    Español

    Gathered into One, Part 1Download
    Gathered into one, Part 2Download
    Gathered into one, Part 3Download

    Français

    Gathered into one, Part 1Download
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  • Part 1: MWC & Communion

    Mennonite World Conference is called to be a communion (Koinonia) of Anabaptist-related churches linked to one another in a worldwide community of faith for fellowship, worship, service, and witness.

    Let’s keep in mind that, according to Paul, God’s unity plan is immeasurably bigger than the plan we might have in mind.

    Presenter: Larry Miller

    Read text
    Part 1

    Part 2: Leadership & Communion

    “Leadership that Facilitates Unity” or “Leadership that Builds Communion”

    • What characteristics are important for leaders of national churches in order to build communion?
    • What are leadership weaknesses that effect negatively meetings and even relationships among church leaders?

    In short, the question is what kind of leaders do we need in order to have healthy meetings and especially, beyond meetings, healthy global communion?

    read text

    Presenter: Larry Miller

    Presented to: General Council, December 2022 (Zoom)

    Part 2

  • Biblical Foundations

    1. Throughout the whole Bible, we see God working in history to create a faithful people, a people comprising members “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” (Genesis 15:5; 17:4-7; Revelation 7:9)
    2. When Jesus met with his disciples near the end of his earthly life, Jesus prayed that those who would follow him “might be one.” (John 17:20-23)
    3. In his ministry, the Apostle Paul worked ceaselessly for unit y, even in situations of serious division and among those whose doctrines he saw as misguided and wrong.
      (1 Corinthians 1:12-13; Romans 12:1-15; 13; Philippians 2)
    4. We see Christian unity, therefore, not as an option we might choose or as an outcome we could create, but as an urgent imperative to be obeyed.

    Our Situation

    1. As Mennonites and Brethren in Christ, we give thanks to God for brothers and sisters of other traditions around the globe who accept the claims of Scripture and seek to live as followers of our Lord.
    2. We confess that we have not done all we could have to follow God’s call to relate in love and mutual counsel with other brothers and sisters who confess the name of Jesus Christ as Lord and who seek to follow him.
    3. We have seen peacemaking and reconciliation as callings of all Christian disciples, but we confess that we have not done all we could have to overcome divisions within our circles and to work toward unit y with other brothers and sisters.
    4. We recognize that we find our identity and mission, not in isolation, but in interaction with others with whom God has placed us as fellow inhabitants of God’ s world in this time and place.
    5. As members of the Mennonite World Conference family, we recognize that God has given us some unique faith experiences and insights we can contribute to other Christians.
    6. We recognize that there is much we can learn from Christians of other traditions.
    7. We recognize that our relationships with others will be strengthened as we become more secure and more firmly grounded in our faith.
    8. Confessions of faith have been prepared by many of our conferences; we appreciate the opportunities they provide for sharing our understandings with one another and strengthening each other in our Christian faithfulness.

    Cooperative Efforts

    1. We should not refuse to witness and serve in some ways with others just because we cannot do everything with them. In such cooperative efforts, we should not go beyond the extent of the unity we have found and thereby depreciate the meaning of truth and unity.

    Present and Future Relationships

    1. We give thanks for the relationships many of our members and congregations have with Christian brothers and sisters in their local communities.
    2. We are grateful for the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ groups who actively participate in global, national, and local inter-confessional church fellowships and councils; we encourage consideration of such relationships where it is discerned that these can further unity and common witness.
    3. We seek to be sensitive to the ways our relationships with others are affected by the different contexts in which we find ourselves around the world, with differing memories of past experiences, experiences of present persecution, situations with respect to the relative sizes of conversation partners, power balance factors, etc.
    4. The Mennonite World Conference and national conference groups can help our churches by providing written materials and leadership to guide existing and new conversations and relationships with other traditions and movements, and to deepen our understanding of the faith we confess.
    5. Biblical studies and fresh accounts of our common history of Anabaptists who took the initiative in seeking to relate to others would help ground us for the initiatives we need to take today.

    Prayer for Renewal

    1. With other believers around the world, we pray for the leading and renewal of the Holy Spirit as we seek to be God’s faithful people in our time:

    “Renew your church, O Lord, and make us instruments of your peace! “

    Date Adopted: 22 July 1998
    Adopted By: MWC Executive Committee and MC-GC Interchurch Relations Committee
    Location Adopted: Goshen, Indiana, USA

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  • Indonesia 2022: workshop

    This three-part series explores the document that the Mennonite World Conference General Council approved in Kenya 2018.

    Presenters:

    Andrew Suderman is MWC Peace Commission secretary and a member of St. Jacob’s Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church Canada) and of Shalom Mennonite Congregation (Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA).

    Joji Pantoja is MWC Peace Commission chair, a Mennonite Church Canada Witness worker in the Philippines and founding member of Peacebuilders Community Inc.

    Tala Bautista is a member of Peacebuilders Community Inc. in the Philippines.

    Wendy Kroeker is a member of Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and chair of GAPN.

    Katerina Friesen is a staff person at Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery (USA), a member of a Mennonite Church USA congregation, and pastor of a Wild Church. (hybrid)

    Statement of solidarity with Indigenous Peoples

    The first workshop explores the MWC Declaration of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples document. It offers a glimpse into the background of this document, including the struggle of the Wounaan People and the way in which they, through their request, served as impetus for the crafting of this document. It also highlights the development of the document and the way it has been used thus far. 

    Indonesia 2022: workshop

    The second workshop of this three-part series looks at current struggles of Indigenous Peoples and how MWC member churches and/or related organizations are walking with and standing in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and their ongoing struggles. 

  • In the world today there are still some countries that have mandatory military conscription, and there is a wide variety of policies toward conscientious objectors. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 18) states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. In addition to the Christian foundation for exemption from military service expressed in this document, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides a legal framework for protecting conscience against war. 

    Our hope and desire is for these provisions to be made accessible to all members of society who for reasons of conscience cannot take part in military service or training.

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  • Indonesia 2022: workshop

    The second workshop of this three-part series will look at current struggles of Indigenous Peoples and how MWC member churches and/or related organizations are walking with and standing in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and their ongoing struggles. 

    Presenters: Andrew Suderman is MWC Peace Commission secretary and a member of St. Jacob’s Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church Canada) and of Shalom Mennonite Congregation (Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA). Joji Pantoja is MWC Peace Commission chair, a Mennonite Church Canada Witness worker in the Philippines and founding member of Peacebuilders Community Inc. Tala Bautista is a member of Peacebuilders Community Inc. in the Philippines. Wendy Kroeker is a member of Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and chair of GAPN. Katerina Friesen is a staff person at Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery (USA), a member of a Mennonite Church USA congregation, and pastor of a Wild Church. (hybrid)

    Supporting document: Statement of solidarity with Indigenous Peoples

  • Mennonite World Conference

    Declaration of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples

    In the Christian Scriptures, we encounter God who hears the cries of the dispossessed and suffering, feels deep concern for their welfare, and moves to save. In the Gospels, Jesus Christ, the living example for the church, embodies God’s preferred presence with the neighbor who is excluded, oppressed, ignored, rejected or treated as alien. Jesus associated with people on the margins, listened to and respected their experiences, and collaboratively sought justice.

    Mennonite World Conference desires to follow Jesus’ example to respond to the cries of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. This response is not concerned only with caring for people suffering within unjust structures. It also includes efforts to disarm (Colossians2:15) the structures of oppression themselves, in order that all of God’s People and Creation might experience the Psalmist’s hope that truth and mercy will meet, and justice and peace will kiss each other (Psalm 85:10).

    Date Approved: April 2018

    Approved By: MWC General Council

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