“It was necessary to take courage: it’s another world, another vocabulary, another way of thinking. How was I to bring my own questions and be respectfully present as a guest while being fully Mennonite?” Anne-Cathy Graber asked these questions as she received an invitation to attend the Vatican’s Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod in October 2024.
Having taken the role of MWC Secretary for Ecumenical Relations for MWC in 2023, Anne-Cathy Graber represented Mennonite World Conference at the month-long event, which had 16 “fraternal delegates” representing other Christian churches and communities, 8 Protestant and 8 Orthodox.
Anne-Cathy Graber is an itinerant Mennonite pastor and theologian and co-director of the Chair of Ecumenical Theology at the Faculties Loyola Paris. She serves on MWC’s Faith & Life Commission. Additionally, she has represented Anabaptists at the Global Christian Forum Committee, in the Faith & Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (2014-2022), in the bilateral dialogue between MWC and the Reformed Church. She is also a consecrated sister in Chemin Neuf, a Catholic community with an ecumenical vocation.
The subject was “synodality” which is not the word we use in anabaptist churches, Anne-Cathy Graber says, “but the reality is really inside our churches.” MWC often uses another not-so-accessible theological word, koinonia.
Equality and dignity
“I was astonished that MWC was invited,” she says, because MWC is such a small church in the scope of other communions. “It says something about the place of minorities.”
“In Christ, we are the same body, we are equal.”
The welcome extended to the fraternal delegates was a sign of trust, says Anne-Cathy Graber, because the fraternal delegates “listened to each word; sometimes we were witnesses to differences between bishops.”
In a further sign of equality and dignity, fraternal delegates had the same opportunity to speak as a cardinal or bishop. “It was possible – in fact, they expected – that I could ask my own questions, voice my hesitations and share my own surprises.”
Mutual listening and testimony sharing were key throughout the process.” We could listen to the difficulty of the others,” she says. Particularly as the leaders from the Middle East spoke, “we share their suffering. I am very far from their liturgy, but we were very close in Christ.”
The process was demanding and it took a lot of time, but it allowed for many steps for these conversations in the Spirit, she says.
Conversion is needed
Participants wrestled with a question that MWC also struggles with: “How can we avoid a unity that is uniformity, but instead live out a unity that integrates difference?”
An answer that was received and repeated is that “it isn’t possible to live synodality without conversion,” says Anne-Cathy Graber. “Our logic, our ways of doing, and our ways of reflecting must undergo a conversion.”
The synod was prefaced by two days of silent retreat. In this period of penitential prayer, “We begged for forgiveness for sins against women, against creation, against migrants. It set the tone of a church that hears the calls of the world and admits its own failings.”
At the end of the month of gathering, the synod produced a magisterial text about synodality. In yet another courageous move, the fraternal delegates were invited to propose amendments.
It will take time for the document to be received in practice around the world. “It is necessary,” says Anne-Cathy Graber. “When something is important, very fundamental, it takes time.”
The experience renewed her commitment to ecumenicity: “it was like a parable: to really be the church, we need each other.”
Even in this highly structured, formal process, “I saw how the Holy Spirit can work in the institutional matters. We cannot stop the work of the Spirit.”
Part B: Origin of Anabaptists/Mennonites in your own country
Part C: WCRC and MWC Common Statement of Confession, Gratitude and Commitment
Part D: A Responsive reading of gratefulness, based on Psalm 136
This content is provided to give context for Anabaptism@500 years – back then, and today. Please use as much of this content as is relevant for your own context. Please be sure to add in the history of Anabaptism within your own country and how your church came to be today.
Part A: Origin of Anabaptism in 1525
The Anabaptist movement began as part of a renewal movement within the Catholic Church in Europe in the early 16th century. Some of its inspiration comes from the Catholic tradition: the strong sense of discipline and community found in monasticism, for example, the attentiveness to the Holy Spirit that could be found in Catholic mysticism, or the emphasis on following Jesus in daily life in The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis. Anabaptism also owes a debt to Martin Luther and the early Reformation movement, particularly Luther’s emphasis on the authority of Scripture and his emphasis on the freedom of the Christian conscience. The movement was shaped by deep social and economic unrest of their time that exploded in the Peasants’ War of 1524-1525.
The Anabaptists themselves, however, would have said that they were simply trying to be faithful followers of the teachings of Jesus and the example of the Early Church.
A moment in 1525 serves as the symbolic beginning of the Anabaptist movement: a small group of Christian reformers gathered for a secret worship service in Zurich, Switzerland. The group was frustrated by the hesitance of their leader, Ulrich Zwingli, to enact the changes to Catholic rituals that they agreed Scripture demanded. In their reading of Scripture, true Christian baptism assumed a conscious commitment to follow Jesus – something no infant could do. So on 21 January 1525, this small group agreed to baptize each other as adults.
Although it would be some time before the full meaning of baptism came into focus, the early Anabaptists understood this act to symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit in the gift of God’s grace, a commitment to a life of daily discipleship and membership in a new community of God’s people.
Named by opponents
Members of the movement generally referred to themselves as “Brethren” (Brüder) – or later by the more descriptive term “baptism-minded” (Taufgesinnten). Their opponents labeled them Anabaptists (= re-baptizers), in part because “rebaptism” was a criminal offense in the Holy Roman Empire, punishable by death. At first, the group resisted the term “Anabaptist” since in their minds they were not rebaptizing, but rather baptizing correctly for the first time. But over time, the name persisted.
Today, Anabaptist is an accepted English term for all Reformation groups who practiced believers (rather than infant) baptism, and the denominations descended from them such as the Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterites.
Identity-forging challenges
Over time, however, a coherent movement emerged. Its identity was forged, in part at least, from the need to respond to several basic challenges.
First, in response to accusations of heresy by religious and political authorities in the first half of the 16th century, Anabaptists were quick to define themselves as faithful, Bible-believing Christians.
Second, militant voices within their number who were ready to impose social and religious change with violence forced Anabaptists to clarify their identity as peaceful, law-abiding, nonviolent Christians whose only weapon was love.
And finally, in the face of spiritualist dissenters who favoured an internal religious experience that could avoid theological disputations and go undetected by authorities, Anabaptists were compelled to defend the public and visible nature of the church.
Three streams emerge
Despite the diversity of theology and practice evident in the first generation of Anabaptists, three coherent groups had emerged by the 1540s: the Swiss Brethren in the German-speaking territories; the Hutterites in Moravia; and the Mennonites of the Netherlands and North Germany who were organized around the leadership of Menno Simons. Although these groups differed in important ways, they nonetheless recognized each other as members of the same religious tradition, so that their internal disagreements often took the form of a family quarrel.
—Excerpted from Stories: How Mennonites Came to Be, by John D. Roth, Herald Press, 2006. Adapted and used with permission.
Over the next 500 years Anabaptism spread to many different countries around the world, each with their own origin story. Mennonite World Conference began 100 years ago to bring together the many churches from different streams of Anabaptism for fellowship, worship, witness and service.
More reading: Anabaptist World: 2 March 2015, “The Birth of Anabaptism”
Part B: Origin of Anabaptists/Mennonites in your own country
Please be sure to discuss the history of your own congregation and the development of Anabaptist/Mennonite churches in your own country.
Helpful summaries are available at the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO). Search a country name to learn about Anabaptist movements in the region.
A common statement of confession, gratitude and commitment
Mennonite World Conference appointed several people to participate in an ongoing ecumenical dialogue with the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). This is one of the state churches who in the 1500s persecuted the early Anabaptists in Europe.
Together, this group of theologians from WRCR and MWC prepared a shared statement for public delivery on 29 May 2025 in Zurich, Switzerland.
The title of the statement is “Restoring Our Family to Wholeness: Seeking a Common Witness.” The statement includes sections on giving thanks and celebrating our common confession of Jesus as Lord; confession and lament; and ends with God’s call to unity and peace. The statement can be found on the MWC website:
Going forward with the WCRC, rather than on “resolving” the historical theological points of difference that have divided us, MWC emphasizes the places around the world where Mennonites and Reformed churches are collaborating in our witness.
Part D: An MWC liturgy of gratefulness
Based on Psalm 136
It is God’s faithfulness and message of salvation through Jesus Christ that we celebrate, as it has been passed down and around through the generations over 500 years, reaching us today.
Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, For his steadfast love endures forever.*
Give thanks to the God of gods, For his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For his steadfast love endures forever.
Who by his understanding created the heavens and the earth, Who built the church as Christ’s Body here on earth, Who renews the church throughout time, Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, For his steadfast love endures forever.
Who through the witness of the Holy Spirit 500 years ago, inspired the Radical Reformers with a renewed vision for following Jesus, Who brought a deepened understanding of God’s call on our lives, Grounded in Jesus, the Bible, community discernment, discipleship and love of enemies, Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, For his steadfast love endures forever.
Who through the Spirit called witnesses to spread the Good News all over the world, Who inspired new congregations to witness to God’s love for all cultures and all lands, Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, For his steadfast love endures forever.
Who is Lord over our own [name of church] in [name of country], Who nourishes and strengthens our own congregation to live out God’s call on our lives, Grounded in Jesus, the Bible, community discernment, discipleship, and love of enemies. Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, For his steadfast love endures forever.
Who works through the global family of faith we call Mennonite World Conference, Who is growing a church that transcends boundaries of race, ethnicity and language, Who calls us together as a communion (koinonia) to follow Jesus, live out unity and build peace. Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, For his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, Give thanks to the God of gods, Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For his steadfast love endures forever.
—-
*The refrain “For his steadfast love endures forever” could be replaced by “For God’s love never quits” all the way through the responsive reading.
Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday 2025
Luke 6:32 says if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
Human beings have the tendency to love those who love them. It is easy to love those who love us or who are good to us. But Jesus teaches us to love those who do not love us.
We need to have the courage to love and accept all kinds of people around us. And this is possible only when we have Jesus in our hearts.
Here is an activity that can be done with children to think about the courage to love.
Materials required:
Different colours of craft papers, including red and white
Pencil or marker
Scissors
Glue
Steps:
Draw and cut a big heart with red coloured craft paper.
Draw and cut a cross with white coloured craft paper. The cross should fit inside the heart.
Cut small circles from other colours of paper. Draw faces on them with different expressions. (These circles represent different kinds of people we have around us: some are sad, some happy, some angry.)
Glue the cross inside the heart. (Represents the presence of Jesus in our hearts.)
Glue the different faces inside the heart.
This heart picture will help us to understand that we can love and accept different kinds of people in our lives when we have the love of Jesus within us.
—contributed by Amita Siddh, Rajnandgaon Mennonite Church, Mennonite Church of India
Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday 2025
Participate in person or join in online on 29 May 2025
On Saturday 29 May 2025, Mennonite World Conference (MWC) will welcome guests from around the world to The Courage to Love: Anabaptism@500. The day-long celebration commemorates the birth of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich, Switzerland.
Following workshops, concerts, a panel discussion and a self-guided historical walking tour, participants will gather for an ecumenical worship service at the Grossmünster church.
As an act of peacebuilding and a testimony to recent reconciliation, MWC is inviting leaders of world communions (e.g., Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed) that were once sharply at odds with the Anabaptist movement. All events are within walking distance.
The final worship gathering will be conducted in English and translated into French, Spanish and German. The service at 15:00 UTC will be livestreamed.
Celebrate together in a worship service and/or potluck using these worship resources and eating with brothers and sisters. This could be on AWFS on Sunday 19 January 2025, or on 29 May 2025, or whatever timing is convenient in your own context.
Create and share artwork and stories
Identifyaspects of the Anabaptist message that reach us today. Create your own personal testimonies, sermons, artwork. Share on social media, post in homes or church buildings, etc.
For each of these we give thanks, and at the same time we identify ways we feel called to respond through faithfully sharing and living out the message of God’s love here and now.
Evangelism rallies, energetic music and dancing all day; witnessing, altar calls with a dozen respondents. Praying is loud, through tears or joy. You can feel the enthusiasm.
I was heartily welcomed by the Mennonite Brethren church in DR Congo to celebrate their 100th anniversary in August 2024.
The multiday event was held in a big new church built across from the MWC member church’s headquarters in Kikwit, Kwilu province, an eight-hour drive over 500 kms from Kinshasa.
But the distances did not deter: people gathered.
Some 2 500 people packed the large church to celebrate the anniversary of CEFMC (Communauté des Églises de Frères Mennonites au Congo) in 5 hours of worship service.
Bishop Daniel Onashuyaka Lunge of the ecumenical Église du Christ au Congo (ECC) gave a sermon on unity – an ever-present challenge for church communions around the world.
CEFMC, an MWC member church, has its challenges but also many gifts.
The leaders of CEFMC wants to see the church become self-supporting but also to create healthy partnerships. They pray for pastors and evangelists to spread the message.
They are dealing with trauma from colonialism and a culture of mistrust resulting from systemic corruption in government systems.
The need for qualified leadership in the church is acutely felt; not only for education but also to practice countercultural servant leadership that is not tempted toward corruption, tribal divisions and ego-driven displays of power.
The vast geography of the resource-rich country creates both riches and hardships. Protracted violence, especially from armed rebels in the East, sends displaced people to all corners of the country and beyond.
I presented Antoine Kimbila and CEFMC with a plaque of commemoration on behalf of the global family. To remind them they are part of this large global family who shares their joys and struggles.
And they have a lot of gifts to share with our family.
The emotional vibrancy of their connection to Jesus is a gift. Even through an hours-long church service, their faith is palpable.
Their practice of community is a gift. Church members welcome displaced people from the East with open arms. They listen and share strategies for trauma healing. They offer food and even take refugees into their own homes.
Their faith is a gift. In the West, once we have money, we build. In DRC, when there is a vision, they begin to build, praying patiently and trusting for what is needed to continue.
Their baptisms are a gift. For some, conversion entails a significant turning away from another way of living. In their baptisms and beyond, they live out a strong sense of being saved.
When I visit churches, I always say, “I can greet you in the name of César García (our general secretary), but not in the name of MWC because then you would be greeting yourself. You are MWC.”
Then I take a picture with the gathered people waving at the camera as they greet the other 1.5 million believers who are MWC.
My being there is a sign of their part in this bigger global family. That is why these in-person visits continue to be important in a time of Zoom meetings.
As I taste the dust and the heat and feel the joyful spirit of faith and hope in Jesus alongside these believers on the other side of the world, we are both reminded that we are one. We are worth each other’s time. We are tied together in this global family of faith.
—Henk Stenvers, from the Netherlands, is the president of MWC (2022-2028).
Communauté des Églises des Frères Mennonites au Congo celebrated the 100th anniversary. Photos: Henk Stenvers
