WHO ARE MENNONITES?

Who are Mennonites?

God calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace, so that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world.

 


On any Sunday you will find Mennonites gathered for worship in about 61 countries around the world. With over one million members, the Mennonite Church has been in existence for more than 475 years, with a wide variety of practices and people: from a Midwest farmer, to an European architect; from the African chieftain, to the South American sociologist. Although they speak dozens of languages, the thousands of different congregations count themselves as one family of faith--one of many faith families in the Christian church. 


Our beliefs:

At the center of Mennonite teachings is the need to believe in Jesus Christ as the one who died and rose from the dead in order that people could live in union with God. Mennonites believe that the life and teachings of Jesus guide our daily living. We believe that the church is called to keep Christ's life and ministry alive in the world, just as though Christ was still living on earth: that's why they refer to the church as the "body of Christ". 

Mennonites believe that the church is made of people whose sins have been forgiven and who choose to follow Christ's teachings. Mennonites believe that Christians should try to relate to each other and the world in the same loving, forgiving way that Jesus practiced. This includes a commitment to nonviolence as we see each human, no matter how different from us, as created in the image of God.