Mennonites belong to a larger Christian group called Anabaptists (or re-baptizers), and take their name after an early Anabaptist leader named Menno Simons (more history below). Mennonites emphasize following and taking Jesus seriously in how we live our daily lives: Loving God and loving our neighbours as ourselves, which includes our enemies (Luke 10:25-37, Matt 5:43-48).

Although, the Mennonite tradition is small, Mennonites can be found all over the world Mennonite World Conference. There are also many different groups of Mennonites, ranging from those that still use horse and buggies to fully modern.

 

What do Mennonites Believe?

Mennonite World Conference statement of belief:

By the grace of God, we seek to live and proclaim the good news of reconciliation in Jesus Christ. As part of the one body of Christ at all times and places, we hold the following to be central to our belief and practice:

  1. God is known to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Creator who seeks to restore fallen humanity by calling a people to be faithful in fellowship, worship, service and witness.
  2. Jesus is the Son of God. Through his life and teachings, his cross and resurrection, he showed us how to be faithful disciples, redeemed the world, and offers eternal life.
  3. As a church, we are a community of those whom God’s Spirit calls to turn from sin, acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, receive baptism upon confession of faith, and follow Christ in life.
  4. As a faith community, we accept the Bible as our authority for faith and life, interpreting it together under Holy Spirit guidance, in the light of Jesus Christ to discern God’s will for our obedience.
  5. The Spirit of Jesus empowers us to trust God in all areas of life so we become peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice, and share our possessions with those in need.
  6. We gather regularly to worship, to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and to hear the Word of God in a spirit of mutual accountability.
  7. As a world-wide community of faith and life we transcend boundaries of nationality, race, class, gender and language. We seek to live in the world without conforming to the powers of evil, witnessing to God’s grace by serving others, caring for creation, and inviting all people to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

In these convictions we draw inspiration from Anabaptist forebears of the 16th century, who modelled radical discipleship to Jesus Christ. We seek to walk in his name by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we confidently await Christ’s return and the final fulfillment of God’s kingdom.

 

Adopted by Mennonite World Conference

General Council

March 15, 2006

https://mwc-cmm.org/en/shared-convictions/

 

Additional:

A Confession of Faith from a Mennonite Perspective

 

 

Mennonite Origins: A Brief Introduction

Anabaptism emerged during the Reformation of the 1500s alongside the Lutheran and the Reformed traditions.

The Anabaptist movement began when a group of believers, who upon reading the scriptures concluded that baptism in the early church followed teaching, hearing, understanding, and accepting of the Good News of Jesus (Matt 28:19, Acts 2, 8, 10). The first recorded re-baptism occurred on January 21, 1525 in Zurich, Switzerland, when George Blaurock, Felix Manz, Conrad Grebel and others had gathered to study the Bible and for prayer. After they had finished, George Blaurock asked Conrad Grebel to baptize him and then Blaurock baptized all the others who were gathered, on the confession of their faith. This was a re-baptism, because they had all been baptized as infants. Thus, began the Anabaptist (re-baptizer) movement.

Although, this moment is often designated as the beginning of the Anabaptist movement/tradition, the Anabaptist movement is better described a polygenesis movement of many leaders travelling and interacting with others. Three major geographical areas where the Anabaptist tradition had traction were in Switzerland, southern Germany & Austria (and Moravia) and in northern Germany & Netherlands. Early Anabaptists sought out areas and cities with greater tolerance, since both the Lutheran Church and Roman Catholic Church considered the Anabaptists heretical and persecuted those who had been re-baptized and those who taught it.

Menno Simons was a Roman Catholic priest in the Netherlands, who began to read the Bible to understand the actions of the Anabaptists, who had been willing to die for their faith. Menno Simons in reading the Bible concluded that baptizing infants was not in scripture, but rather “baptism follows faith”.

In 1536, Menno left the Roman Catholic priesthood and joined (and was baptized) with peaceful Anabaptists and soon became a leader traveling, preaching and teaching the Anabaptist community spread across the northern Europe, Netherlands, Germany, into Danzig, Poland and Vistula Delta Region. Menno had remarkably long ministry, dying of old age (1496-1561), whereas many other early leaders were killed for their faith position on baptism.

 

Further Reading:

Thirdway: Simply following Jesus

Anabaptist Mennonite Network – Anabaptism: A Brief History

 

Books:

An excellent introduction to origins of the Anabaptist Faith Tradition:

Anabaptist History and Theology: An Introduction by C. Arnold Snyder

 

An easier read:

Living the Anabaptist Story by Weaver and Weaver