Church leaders explore past, present and future of Anabaptism on 500th anniversary of faith tradition
Published: February 26, 2025
By John Longhurst for 香蕉影视
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) 鈥� Anabaptism may be 500 years old this year, but it still has much to offer the world 鈥� as people remember the past and apply it today, preach the gospel in their various contexts and study the Bible together.
That was the message at , held Feb. 17鈥�20 at (香蕉影视) in Elkhart, Indiana.
The conference, whose theme was 鈥淎nabaptism at 500: Looking Back, Living Forward,鈥� drew a capacity crowd of 200 in-person participants, as well as 24 online participants.
Looking back: Anabaptist origins
For keynote speaker John D. Roth, PhD, MennoMedia Project Director of 鈥淎nabaptism at 500鈥� and General Editor of the Anabaptist Community Bible, 鈥渕emory is essential to the Christian faith.鈥�
In his presentation during the opening worship service, titled 鈥淟ooking Back: Restoration or Renewal? The Gift (and Burden) of Memory in the Anabaptist-Mennonite Tradition,鈥� he said it was important to remember the origins and contributions of the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition.
But, he said, there is a temptation to remember the Anabaptist origin story as 鈥渦nique or exceptional … sometimes we have told our story as if we are the only group that has been courageous enough to actually live out the teachings of Jesus and the early church.鈥�
Noting that other 16th-century reformers said many of the same things as the early Anabaptists, Roth cautioned against remembering the past in ways that can lead to 鈥渁 sense of Anabaptist superiority and exceptionalism.鈥�
Such an emphasis can only divide the church more, he said, noting that Anabaptists today should 鈥渟eek allies wherever we can, and be attentive to the voices of renewal that call us to re-examine our assumptions in light of new ways of seeing God at work in the world.鈥�
He proposed thinking about the Anabaptist movement as 鈥渞enewal 鈥� recognizing that we have always been part of the tapestry of a larger ongoing Christian tradition.鈥� Traditions that have shaped Anabaptism include late medieval mysticism and monasticism, among others.
Roth also encouraged Anabaptists today to remember and apply distinctives such as community to reach out to people who are lonely and isolated; to counter rising Christian nationalism by upholding the Anabaptist principle of religious voluntarism; and to counter anti-immigrant ideas by promoting the Anabaptist commitment of 鈥渓ove and compassion for all people 鈥� including the foreigner, the stranger and even the enemy.鈥�
Looking around: Anabaptism in Ethiopia
In his presentation on the second day of the conference, titled 鈥淟ooking Around: Radical Faith and Resilient Witness in Ethiopia,鈥� keynote speaker Kelbessa Muleta Demena, MDiv, Vice President of Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) in Ethiopia 鈥� the largest member church in Mennonite World Conference, spoke about how Anabaptism had grown from a few members to more than 500,000 people in Ethiopia over the past 75 years.
Demena attributed the increase to the posture of the original Mennonite missionaries to Ethiopia, who didn鈥檛 come with a 鈥渃olonial-era鈥� mindset to impose Western leadership styles on the young church. Instead, they transferred leadership to local believers and enabled the church to develop its own identity 鈥� including adopting its own name.
鈥淯nlike some mission-planted churches that remain dependent on foreign finance and influence, MKC prioritizes the training of local leaders and encourages each congregation to move toward self-support and self-governance,鈥� he said.
This Indigenous church-planting approach demonstrates 鈥渁 deep understanding of the unique cultural and contextual realities鈥� and 鈥渇osters a model of ministry that is both sustainable and deeply rooted in the local community,鈥� he added.
It enables the MKC church to contextualize Anabaptist teachings on discipleship, peace, nonviolence and community living, 鈥渕aking them relevant to Ethiopian society,鈥� he said.
Demena also highlighted 鈥減reaching of the gospel鈥� and the role of the Holy Spirit in the growth of the MKC, adding that the church 鈥渆mbodies a commitment to love, mercy and humanity over ethnic divisions, actively working to restore fractured relationships.鈥�
Members of the church 鈥渃ontinue to stand firm in their faith, proving that the radical way of Jesus is not about power, force or rebellion,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥淚t is about a love and conviction so strong that no amount of persecution can extinguish it.鈥�
Looking forward: Re-centering Scripture
For keynote speaker Lesley Francisco McClendon, DMin, Senior Pastor of C3 Hampton, a Mennonite Church USA congregation in Hampton, Virginia, the future of Anabaptism lies in seeing the Bible not as a 鈥渟tagnant text bound by time and culture, but a living word that can revolutionize our hearts, our congregations and our world when we read it together, when we wrestle with it honestly and when we allow the Spirit to shape us through it.鈥�
In her presentation on the third day of the event, titled 鈥淟ooking Forward: Re-Centering Scripture for a Peaceful Vision of the Next 500 Years,鈥� McClendon said it is important to study the Bible in the context of intercultural, intergenerational communities.
鈥淭he worldwide Anabaptist family reminds us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves,鈥� she said. 鈥淐onnecting with Anabaptist networks in other countries and cultures can expand our vision, remind us of our shared calling and even rekindle our passion.鈥�
This intercultural perspective, which is facilitated by technology that enables people to engage each other around the world, 鈥渙ffers us rich opportunities for dialogue,鈥� she shared.
鈥淎s we look forward, let us not forget how our siblings in Africa, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere are reading Scripture,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir insights, shaped by their local realities, can breathe new life into our own understanding.鈥�
If we read the Bible in isolation, 鈥渋t can become too easy to impose our personal biases and prejudices onto the text,鈥� McClendon said. 鈥淏ut when we read the Bible in the presence of others 鈥� especially others who are culturally, generationally or socio-economically different from us 鈥� we are more likely to encounter the living Word in ways that stretch us and challenge our assumptions. 鈥� Anabaptists have historically believed that discernment is best done together.鈥�
Delving into Bible study and worship
In addition to the teaching sessions, the conference included daily times of worship, Bible study, prayer and movement. Participants could reflect on their experiences together in small groups and choose from 28 workshop options on topics connected with the theme.
During the opening worship session, Mary Schertz, PhD, 香蕉影视 Professor Emerita of New Testament, introduced Confessional Bible Study 鈥� a way of studying the Bible developed at 香蕉影视 that helps people of all ages build a meaningful relationship with Scripture through study and engagement, artful response and worship.
Quoting biblical scholar Ellen Davis, she described Confessional Bible Study as a way of reading Scripture 鈥渁s if our lives depended on it鈥� 鈥� integrating personal and congregational life in ways that show an 鈥渙penness to the other鈥� in an increasingly diverse church. The remaining Bible study sessions, which focused on Habakkuk 3, were led by Naomi Wenger, MAR, MA, Administrator of the Orienting With the Word program of 香蕉影视鈥檚 Faith Formation Collaborative.
In addition to Schertz and Wenger, worship leaders included Rashard Allen, DWS, Director of Music and Worship at Neffsville Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Rebecca Slough, PhD, 香蕉影视 Academic Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita of Worship and the Arts; with members of the 香蕉影视 learning community and conference participants.
Pastors & Leaders 2026 will be held Feb. 23-26. The annual conference is hosted by 香蕉影视鈥檚 .
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world.
John Longhurst is a freelance writer in Winnipeg.
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