Stories

The church must be about holistic mission

Since the Bangkok World Missionary Conference which took place at the turn of the years 1972/1973, in Thailand, there has been a feeling of uneasiness regarding “mission” within the churches in the Western World. At Bangkok, representatives of the... Lees meer

The United States: Diversity, dynamism and paradox

A context for Anabaptist witness The United States was formed, in 1776, as the first modern republic. Its founders believed they were engaging in a pioneering political experiment and granted relatively generous freedom of conscience to diverse... Lees meer

More united than ever before

Alfred Neufeld, chair of MWC’s Faith and Life Commission, reflects on the state of the global Mennonite faith community Alfred Neufeld, theologian, historian and generally insightful philosopher, reads on two tracks these days: “Proceedings” from... Lees meer

“Nothing that I am doing am I doing by myself”

Rebecca Osiro of Nairobi, Kenya, steps into her new role as vice president of Mennonite World Conference (MWC), with a life of experiences that has tested her faith and taught her wisdom. Rebecca was the first woman to be ordained in the Kenya... Lees meer

PA 2015 by the numbers

Bogotá, Colombia – Mennonite World Conference’s (MWC) 16th Assembly in Pennsylvania, USA, connected Anabaptists from around the world, in person and electronically. A new statistics poster released by MWC illustrates the final numbers from PA 2015... Lees meer

MWC Assembly balances books

Bogota, Colombia – Assembly PA 2015, the once-every-six-years gathering of Mennonite World Conference, closed financially at break-even, that is, without a deficit. The MWC operations team continuously made adjustments, maintaining priorities of... Lees meer

A Vision for Reconciliation

How did you become interested in the life of the church? Kraybill: Growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, my family was deeply involved in the mission of the church at the local level. Both of my parents gave tirelessly to the congregation,... Lees meer

Walking in Autonomy and Community

How to be independent together In the beginning, man was alone. Even though God created all animals and brought them to man to be named, man was alone. And it didn’t suit him at all. God could see that, and so he whispered a deep, deep sleep unto... Lees meer

Why do we need a global communion?

“Walking with God” is the theme of our next global Assembly, to be held 21-26 July 2015. But how can we walk together if we do not believe exactly the same? That was the question that a leader raised some months ago while I was visiting his... Lees meer

A New Pattern of Leadership

“Colombian people do not fight for money. You fight for power.” These were the words of a North American missionary after several decades of ministry in Colombia. She was speaking about the ongoing reality of broken relationships among church... Lees meer

It Takes a (Global) Village: Being the people God wants us to be

When someone asks you to use a few words to describe yourself, what words do you use? Would you change those words to describe yourself when you are with your family? At work? Travelling to some distant place? I discovered that the words I use to... Lees meer

Jesus with Skin On

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... Lees meer

A Mission Modeled on Christ

Economic Inequality: Exploring our shared commitment to pursuing shalom As a global communion of Anabaptist-related churches, we share a common commitment to pursuing shalom. In this pursuit, we believe in seeking justice and sharing our resources,... Lees meer

Called to be a Global Communion

Some years ago a woman with a foreign accent – a friend of mine – knocked on the door of one of our churches in Bogotá. That church’s pastor – another friend of mine – opened the door. The woman was evangelizing that neighborhood and started to talk... Lees meer

Integrating All Areas of Life

Exploring our shared commitment to worship As a global communion of Anabaptist-related churches, we share a common commitment to gathering regularly for worship. Yet our tremendous diversity means that we carry out this commitment in very different... Lees meer

Indonesia: Struggling, learning, serving

The Mennonite community in Indonesia is diverse and dynamic! Discussing its origins and development may bring to mind many questions, especially for those in the Global North: How did Mennonitism take root in Indonesia? How did Indonesia become the... Lees meer

MWC and trees − 2010

MWC continued a tradition of planting a tree at some location in the country hosting an MWC event; but on Sunday, August 1, it planted 38 trees at the Misrak Meserete Kristos Church, the largest MKC congregation in Ethiopia. Pictured, MKC chair... Lees meer

A tale of two cities

What began in this very place nearly five centuries ago—with one group of people gathered around one Bible listening to one man (Zwingli) preaching daily from the Gospel of Matthew—has resulted in at least two communities, two identities, and two... Lees meer

MWC and trees − 2004

Trees have been important symbols in Anabaptist history. That tradition continued when the Executive Committee met in Strasbourg, France, July 29-August 4, 2004. Top: During an excursion to Anabaptist historical sites, MWC Executive Committee... Lees meer

Enhancing koinonia in the MWC family

The move of Mennonite World Conference toward being an expression of koinonia is a noble one. To make it happen, however, we need mutual sharing of resources and mutual accountability. As a global community, we value fellowship. Members bound... Lees meer