As a global communion of Anabaptist-related churches, Mennonite World Conference engages in interchurch dialogue with other Christian world communions and organizations.
On-going interchurch dialogue
World Communion of Reformed Churches
After a one-year hiatus for logistical reasons, plans for dialogue between Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) have resumed. The dialogue is envisioned to have three components: praxeological, theological, and historical.
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 will be posted on the MWC website.
Previous Interchurch Dialogue
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)
Baptists
See Baptists and Mennonites in Dialogue, the report on conversations between the Baptist World Alliance and the Mennonite World Conference: 1989-1992.
Believers’ Baptism Churches
- See the full text of the report on the Consultation on Believers’ Baptism held in Kingston, Jamaica, January 2015
Catholics
See Called Together to be Peacemakers, the report of the International Dialogue between the Catholic Church and Mennonite World Conference, 1998 – 2003.
See A Mennonite and Catholic Contribution to the World Council of Churches’ Decade to Overcome Violence, the report from the Mennonite-Catholic conference 23-25 October 2007.
MWC responds to the election of Pope Francis: After the March 13 election of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis, Mennonite World Conference issued a letter of congratulations and also sent two of its leaders to March 19 and 20 inaugural services in Rome.
Mennonites and Catholics joined Lutherans in five-year trilateral dialogues on baptism. See above.
Lutherans
See Healing Memories: Reconciling in Christ, the final report of the Lutheran-Mennonite International Study Commission, 2010. The report laid the foundation for the July 2010 Lutheran World Federation reconciliation action dealing with the legacy of Lutheran persecution of Anabaptists.
See January 2014 letter from MWC to Mennonite colleges, universities, seminaries, information centers, and local/regional historical societies.
See also trilateral dialogues above
Seventh-day Adventists
Representatives of Mennonite World Conference and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists met in dialogue May 28-31 at the Bienenberg Study and Conference Center in Liestal, Switzerland. The four days of conversation were characterized by both Christian warmth and frank exchange of perspectives.
This was the second round of dialogue based on the theme, “Living the Christian Life in Today’s World.” The first series of conversation took place June 28-July 1, 2011 at the Adventist church world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.
English: Living the Christian Life in Today’s World: Adventists and Mennonites in Conversation, 2011-2012
German: Als Christ in der heutigen Welt leben: Adventisten und Mennoniten im Gespräch, 2011-2012
See book which includes all papers presented in the two rounds of dialogue, the summary and recommendations, and responses to questions that Mennonites and Seventh-day Adventists frequently ask of each other.