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About Mennonites
Denominations
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Dirk Willems
Graber Designs, Goshen, IN
Mennonites are a branch of the
Christian church, with roots in the radical wing of the 16th century Protestant
Reformation. Part of the group known as Anabaptists (because they rebaptized
adult believers), the Mennonites took their name from Menno Simons, a Dutch
priest who converted to the Anabaptist faith and helped lead it to prominence
in Holland by the mid-16th century. Modern day Mennonites number almost 1
million worldwide, with churches in
North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia
. Mennonites are known
for their emphasis on issues such as peace, justice, simplicity, community,
service,
and
mutual aid
.
In keeping with their
spiritual roots, Mennonites still believe in the close textual readings of the
Scriptures and a personal spiritual responsibility as the basis of their faith.
Radical from the beginning, but later considered conservative in many of their
beliefs, Mennonites have come to represent a spectrum of backgrounds and
beliefs.
Pacifism
is one of the
cornerstones of the Mennonite faith, prompting many young Mennonites to elect
service to the church rather than military service. The Mennonite church emphasizes
service to others as an important way of expressing one's faith. A
disproportionately large number of Mennonites spend part of their lives working
as missionaries or volunteers helping those in need, nationally or
internationally, through agencies such as
Mennonite Mission Network
or
Mennonite Central Committee
.
The first Mennonites
came mainly from Swiss and German roots, with many of the important martyrs of
the early church coming from the area around Zurich. To escape persecution,
many Mennonites fled western Europe for the more accommodating religious
climate of the Americas or Catherine the Great's Russia, giving these two
groups distinctly different cultura l heritages. When the Russian Mennonites
were eventually forced out of Russia in the last half of the 19th Century and
the early 20th Century, many migrated to the western states and provinces, where
today there is a large Mennonite population. Many people in the older
generation of this group continue to speak a low german dialect called
"Plautdietsch" and eat traditional foods. Swiss German Mennonites
migrated to North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, settling first in
Pennsylvania, then eventually across the Midwestern states. They too brought
with them their own traditions, including hearty foods and the German language.
Today large Mennonite populations can be found in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
and Kansas, although Mennonites live in all parts of the United States and the
world.
The Amish, who
separated from the Mennonites in the late 1600's, are widely known for their
plain dress and rejection of modern technology and conveniences. Unlike the
Mennonites, they form an exclusive and tight-knit community, with the church
dictating much of what may or may not be done: for example, each local church
district would dictate rules regarding the use of telephones, if indeed they
are permitted at all. While certain conservative branches of the Mennonite
church still dress simply and require women to wear head coverings, Mennonites
generally are not culturally separatist, choosing to embrace the larger
communities outside of their church rather than forming a separate community
around the church. Where the Amish believe in keeping themselves spiritually
focused by limiting their interaction with modern society, Mennonites believe
in practicing Jesus' teaching of service to others in a broader context.
by Prof. John D. Roth
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