Who Are Mennonites?
This is a Mennonite.
Mention the word “Mennonite” and most people visualize horse drawn buggies, men with beards raising barns, and women in cape dresses. While these images are representative of Old Order Amish and Mennonite groups, a twenty-first century Mennonite is more likely to be a city dwelling person of color than a rural Swiss German farmer; in fact, one of the countries with the largest Mennonite populations is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Who are Mennonites and what do they believe?
So are these people from College Hill Mennonite Church, in Tampa, Florida.
Mennonites are the religious and intellectual descendents of the 16th century Anabaptists. The term Anabaptist means “re-baptize.” This refers to the Anabaptist practice of reserving baptism for older children or adults who consciously chose a Christian life and rebaptizing individuals who received this sacrament as an infant. In pre-modern Europe, baptism was not just a religious ritual, but also the means by which a child became a legally recognized member of the secular state. Thus, persons who denied this ritual to children were considered to be dangerous subversives. Furthermore, Anabaptists refused to serve in the armed forces, carry weapons, or use force to compel other to become Christians, because they believed that doing so would violate Christ's command to love one's enemies and turn the other cheek. This stance put the Anabaptist at odds with both the Roman Catholic Church and the Magisterial Reformers (e.g., Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli) who believed in state-run churches and the use of secular power to further their theological agendas.
Because Anabaptists refused to conform to the religious status quo presented by the Catholic and Protestant state churches, they were persecuted throughout Europe. Consequently, many Anabaptists fled continental Europe so they could practice their religion in peace. Because many of the ideas believed by the 16th century Anabaptists are widely accepted (e.g., freedom of conscious, refusal to spread religion by violence, rejecting state churches), they can be seen as forerunners of modern religious tolerance.
For a more in-depth history of the Anabaptist movement and Mennonites (especially their Reformation roots), click here.
For a look at the multi-cultural face of twenty-first century Anabaptism, click here (note: site is available in English, Spanish, and German).
To learn the specifics of what the Mennonite Church USA believes click here.