Part A: Origin of Anabaptism in 1525   
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 favored 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”

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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. 

The Anabaptist wiki also offers articles about Anabaptists in many countries.

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Part C: WCRC and MWC: 

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. 

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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. 

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*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.

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