Greetings from the Faith and Life Commission in the name of Christ.  

We are nearing the 500-year mark of the first adult believers’ baptisms in 1525, in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. We look forward to commemorating that anniversary together on May 29 of next year.  

This was a defining moment of our history, but also the beginning of a deep and painful division between Anabaptists and both Catholics and the churches of the Reformation. That is why it is so encouraging to note that recently, Mennonites, Lutherans and Roman Catholics took the important step of meeting for formal ecumenical conversations on baptism. These meetings that took place from 2012 to 2017 were the first formal ecumenical conversations with each other at a global level for the first time. And these conversations focused on baptism 

The fruit of these conversations and the upcoming anniversary offer us a timely opportunity as Anabaptists to deepen our understanding and practice of baptism, especially as it relates to discipleship, that is, to following Jesus and becoming a member of Christ’s body. It is also, importantly, an opportunity to grow in our understanding of and relationship with brothers and sisters in other Christian traditions.  

On the MWC website you will find the full Report on the three-way conversations, as well as a study guide the Faith and Life Commission has prepared called “Growing in Faithfulness: Living out our baptism.” It includes questions throughout to help you engage the content. A good helpful place to start will be the 3-page “Brief Overview and Highlights of the Report.” It asks five questions you can use to organize your response: 

• What did you learn that can help deepen your understanding of baptism and living it out in discipleship? 
• Was your understanding of baptism represented well by the Mennonite delegates? 
• What can we learn from Catholics and Lutherans about baptism? 
• What can they learn from us? 
• Would you consider accepting into membership—without rebaptism—such persons who were baptized as infants and who show a faith and commitment to discipleship? Why, or why not? 

Some of you have already responded. Thank you! For those of you who have not, we are very eager to hear what perspectives and experiences you bring. You can respond as individuals, as congregations (perhaps through Bible study groups, discussion groups, etc.), and as national church bodies. Please get your responses to us by November 1. Send them to baptism@mwc-cmm.org. The Faith and Life Commission will compile the responses in a report to the MWC General Council in May, 2025.  

God bless you as we discern together!  

Tom Yoder Neufeld, Chair 
Anicka Fast, Secretary 
Faith and Life Commission