{"id":6564,"date":"2016-04-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/incorporation-into-the-body-of-christ\/"},"modified":"2025-04-08T21:02:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T21:02:34","slug":"incorporation-body-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/incorporation-body-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Incorporation into the body of Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"
Fourth meeting of the Catholic, Lutheran and Mennonite Trilateral Dialogue Commission on baptism <\/strong><\/h5>\n

Bogot\u00e1, Colombia \u2013 Representatives of the Catholic Church (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), The Lutheran World Federation, and Mennonite World Conference met in Bogot\u00e1, Colombia, 29 February\u20134 March 2016, for the fourth meeting of the International Trilateral Dialogue Commission.<\/p>\n

The Commission developed the general topic of the dialogue \u201cBaptism and Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church\u201d through papers on \u201cLiving out our Baptism,\u201d the theme of the fourth meeting.<\/p>\n

Marie-H\u00e9l\u00e8ne 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 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 Bogot\u00e1 and the Bas\u00edlica del Se\u00f1or de Monserrate.<\/p>\n

The fifth and final meeting of the Trilateral Commission is scheduled to take place 8\u201314 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.<\/p>\n

\u2014Mennonite World Conference release courtesy of Lutheran World Federation<\/em><\/p>\n

Reflections from Mennonite participants in dialogue:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meeting in the Colombian context of wide scale violence and focusing on this meeting\u2019s topic \u201cLiving out our Baptism,\u201d I had expected this gathering to become \u201ca moment of glory\u201d 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\u00b4s 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\u2019s baptism as authentic commitments to witness to the peace of Christ, together.<\/p>\n

\u2014Fernando Enns, chair, (Peace-) Theology and Ethics, Faculty of Theology, Free University, Amsterdam<\/em><\/p>\n

From \u201cBaptism and Discipleship: Holding together \u2018sola fide\u2019 and \u2018imitatio Christi,\u2019\u201d a presentation on Mennonite understanding of baptism:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It seems clear that for the three traditions that in Christian initiation the primary actor is God, his grace and his justification\u2026.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s baptism and discipleship within the committed community of the church.<\/p>\n

\u2014Alfred Neufeld, chair, MWC Faith and Life Commission<\/em><\/p>\n

Participants<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roman Catholic<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n