Who and What are MENNONITES?

[ShetlandRose]

I live several miles north of a very small town (so small you wouldn't believe it) in a low population area. There are a few churches in the nearest "real" town that I have attended, but I find them too liberal for my taste. I have noticed that the Mennonites have a literature rack (tracts) in the tiny "general store" in town -- Amazingly, it is located directly next to the rack with the naughty men's magazines for sale. Good plan, eh? Anyway, I am not familiar with Mennonites, but I am accustomed to Amish, having lived by a Michigan Amish community once. I didn't realize that the Mennonites are evangelical, meaning open to new people. The closest Mennonite church would be a 50+ mile round trip for me.

I am intrigued because I took that "what denomination should you be" quiz related to in another forum topic, and Mennonite Brethren came up as one of the top three (the others were Southern Baptist and Free Will Baptist). I will do some online seeking for information, but I wondered if there are any Mennonites on this forum that would like to talk about their denomination. Is Mennonite Brethren different from Mennonite?

ShetlandRose

 

[Svt4Him]

Mennonite Brethren is Mennonite, and yes, I think it's a good idea to have the tracts next to the men's mags.

There is a wide variety of Mennonite's here, from very traditional to fairly modern.
http://www.anabaptists.org/history/cof-1963.html

 

[JVAC]

Lets see if I can use some of my mennonite education,

There are seven big points recorded in the Schleitheim Confession:

• Baptism of Adults only
• The Lord's Supper is Symbolic
• Pastors must be an example
• The Ban will happen after you are warned three times
• Pacifism is key, No memorial/veterans day even
• Don't make any Oaths
• Seperation; Don't assosiate with evil people

The Mennonites still hold firm to these seven principles.




The Liturgy of a Mennonite Service:

Traditional:
Someone gets up and reas announcements:
You sing hymns with a couple intermittent prayers (30 min)
The Pastor man stands up and talks for 45 (min)
You go home

Contemporary:
Sing Contemporary songs for (30 min)
The Pastor man stands up and talks for 45 min

Traditionally the Lord's Supper is only celebrated once a month or longer. The primary focus of the church is the pulpit, with no permanent Altar. baptismal fonts are usually visible because they believe it is only valid in immersion.

That is the gest of it.

-James


(Oh yeah, and thier mostly Russian German by decent, persecution etc)

 

[Flipper]

http://www.mennoniteusa.org/mennos/index.html

Hope that helps.

 

[Oblio]

That reminds me, I need to make a trip to their local restaraunt here in Montezuma Ga., while I don't care for their theology, they make great food and bread

 

[JVAC]

Zwiebach?????

 

[Crazy Liz]

I grew up Mennonite Brethren. The MB are the most evangelical of the Mennonite denominations. They do not hold to plain dress. They allow, but do not encourage military service (i.e. they maintain a doctrinal statement that allows them to support members who want to be conscientious objectors, but do not discipline members who enter the military as non-combatants). They no longer practice the Ban.

WRT baptism, "adult" means sufficiently mature to know what you are doing and choose it voluntarily. The key is that church membership is inseparable from baptism, so along with baptism comes the obligation to give and receive counsel from other church members. Baptism in the early teens is typical, but may occasionally be seen before age 12.

In general, you will not find much difference between a Mennonite Brethren church and a Baptist or Evangelical Free church on a typical Sunday morning. You will see the difference at the church potluck if the church is rural and/or ethnic (My husband says it taked Mennonites 5 minutes to get acquainted and 2 minutes to get related!) and you will see differences in how seriously church membership is taken. Mennonite Brethren are still much less independent and individualistic than Baptists and most other denominations, both as ccongregatons and their members.

 

[Crazy Liz]

Zwiebach?????

Yes, please!

 

[A. believer]

The Ban will happen after you are warned three times

Aren't you confusing Mennonites with Christian Forums?

 

[James Sez]

I went to an Mennonite Urban studies program in Chicago many years ago. They were serious about social action. We were running off to protests all the time-mostly having to do with Reagan's pro-rich policies.
They also put us into a somewhat dangerous area of chicago and made us stay out and beg for food and a place to sleep for 3 freezing winter days-humiliating. I and a few others made it. Buncha wimps. The whole semester was a good experience and I have a lot of respect for this group. These must have been more religiously liberal Mennonites because they didn't talk about religion much. When they did it was along a mystical line of thought.

 

[Yitzchak]

I was saved in a mennonite church and was a member there for a few years. The church is called mennonites becuase of menno simmons who was the founder of the movement in germany in the 1500's. the amish and the mennonites have a common beginning but seperated in the 1700's if my emmory is correct about the date. Kurt Ammon (not sure of the spelling) was a mennonite who felt that the mennonites were becoming too liberal. His followers eventually seperated from the mennonites and formed what is now known as Amish.
Mennonite churches are divided into districts and conferences and some are more strict and others more liberal. Usually all the churches in a specific district will be similar in their lifestyle if they are fellowshiping with eachother.
Mennonites are known as anabaptists which is actually the main issue that menno simmons left the catholic church over. menno simmons was a catholic priest and he believed that the baptism of infants in the catholic church was not valid and was therefore baptised a second time (anabaptist means twice baptized). Mennonites believe in being born again before you can be baptized. They also emphasize seperation from the world.
My favorite things about being mennonite were as follows. One, they based everything they did and believed upon the bible. Two, they were humble . three, they were seperated from the world in how they handled money. It was refreshing to not be caught up in greed and the rat race as many christian churches are. Fourth, they had a sense of community. Fifth, they were not hypocrites, they really lived 24/7 what they preached.
My least favorite things about the Mennonite church. one, sometimes they could get quite legalistic about certain issues of dress and entertainment. Two, they were totally against tongues and the gifts of the Spirit. Three, they didn't have choruses and lively worship.
Overall they were a very good experience for me.

 

[Bulldog]

I thought Mennonites were founded by John Menno?