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Growing in faithfulness: Living out our baptism
Guide for study and reflection on Baptism and Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church: The Report of the Trilateral Conversations between Lutherans, Mennonites and Catholics 2012-2017 by Thomas R Yoder Neufeld, on behalf of the Faith and Life Commission This study guide is an aid for member churches of the Mennonite World Conference to receive and process…
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A heart with four chambers
A theological foundation for the work of MWC’s four commissions A teaching resource from the Faith and Life Commission The “Anabaptist tradition” is a historical movement, rooted in the sixteenth century Radical Reformation, of contextualizing the Bible’s apostolic and prophetic legacy as lived out by the early church. Tradition is a historic witness of moments…
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The Bible still speaks, say Renewal 2027 speakers
Augsburg, Germany – Regional Anabaptists and leaders from around the world gathered 12 February 2017 for “Transformed by the Word: Reading Scripture in Anabaptist Perspectives,” the first in a 10-year series of events called “Renewal 2027” organized by Mennonite World Conference (MWC) to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition with appreciation and critical…
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Renewal decade commemorates 500th anniversary
Bogotá, Colombia – On 12–19 February 2017, Anabaptist-Mennonites from around the world will gather in Augsburg, Germany, to celebrate the opening event of Renewal 2027 in conjunction with meetings of the Mennonite World Conference Executive Committee. Renewal 2027 will be a 10-year series of events (culminating in 2027) to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the…
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A Glimpse of the Universal Church
Global Communion and Why It Matters: Exploring our shared commitment to being a worldwide family As Mennonite World Conference, we share a commitment to being a worldwide communion (koinonia) of faith and life. Together, we seek to be a fellowship that transcends boundaries of nationality, race, class, gender and language. Yet because of our diversity,…
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Being a Peace Church: How are we doing?
We estimate that there are 9,500 congregations throughout the world that are part of the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) family. These congregations are found in every continent and in every imaginable context. This means that there are, potentially, thousands of active communities of the peace of Christ functioning in many contexts in need of reconciliation.…
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The ‘Anabaptist Tradition’ – Reclaiming its gifts, heeding its weaknesses
A teaching resource from the Faith and Life Commission What does it mean for member churches of Mennonite World Conference to share anAnabaptist identity? What is the value of Anabaptist “tradition” – and what does that wordmean in a global context? What are our Anabaptist understandings of mission andfellowship? In 2009, the newly appointed Faith…
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Koinonia – The Gift We Hold Together
A teaching resource from the Faith and Life Commission The word koinonia has rightly become a central term and concept for Mennonite World Conference. In addresses, publications and programmatic efforts, leaders have been nudging the global Anabaptist community to a deeper relationship with each other. Even when we don’t use the word koinonia itself, much…
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An Anabaptist Theology of Service
A teaching resource from the Faith & Life commission Some weeks ago, I received a request from Bert Lobe to consider describing and reflecting on how the sixteenth century Anabaptists understood diaconal service, and how that understanding and practice developed historically. The idea was that this kind of study might provide a basis for discussion…
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Universally appealing core values
Meet Hiro Katano of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan Member of the Faith & Life Commission. How do you serve MWC? I have been a General Council member, representing Nihon Menonaito Kirisuto Kyokai Kyogikai (Japan Mennonite Christian Church Conference), since 2016. I serve MWC by connecting it with my church conference through correspondence, information, translation and…
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The gift of the Holy Spirit in the 16th century and today
Many written testimonies of the early Anabaptist movement point toward the work of the Holy Spirit as the central driving force. The Holy Spirit goes to people who are awaiting. It was the case in Pentecost (Acts 2) while the disciples were praying; it was the case in Reformation times; and it is the case…
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Joy in the Spirit
Songs, testimonies and biblical reflection celebrate the Holy Spirit at Renewal 2027 As a local band played “You are the most high God,” international guests from the global Anabaptist family swayed and sang at this year’s Renewal 2027 “The Holy Spirit transforming us” event at Nyamasaria Primary School’s auditorium in Kisumu, Kenya, and headquarters of…
