Members of traditional Mennonite churches are notable for their lifestyle. They typically lead quiet lives, uninvolved with secular society, and consider themselves a “called out” fellowship of believers—that is, called out from involvement with the secular world. Their interest is in godly living. Members of some contemporary Mennonite churches are more integrated with mainstream society, but they continue to maintain the historic Mennonite tendency toward nonviolence.
The Mennonites originated in Switzerland and the Netherlands during the time of the Protestant Reformation. They emerged out of the Radical Reformer movement of the 1520s, which involved a number of individuals who went far beyond the teachings of Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531).
These radical reformers—including the likes of Konrad Grebel of Zurich, Hans Denck of Bavaria, and Balthasar Hubmaier of Germany—disagreed with Zwingli on a number of issues, not the least of which was the issue of infant baptism. Zwingli allowed infant baptism, but the Radical Reformers argued staunchly for believer’s baptism. They felt that if a person was baptized as an infant in the Roman Catholic Church, he or she needed to be rebaptized with a valid baptism. Moreover, they disagreed with Zwingli’s openness to a union of church and state.
Because of the emphasis on rebaptism, these individuals came to be known as Anabaptists, from the Greek word anabaptizein, meaning “to rebaptize.” The first Anabaptist congregation was organized at Zurich, Switzerland—Zwingli’s home turf.
Despite the doctrinal sincerity of the Anabaptists, they soon found themselves on the receiving end of criticism and persecution. Because they were not Roman Catholics, the Roman Catholic Church was against them. Because they took a stand against Zwingli, the Protestants were against them. Because they advocated a separation of church and state, the state was against them. After being accused of heresy and sedition, many Anabaptists were persecuted and even martyred. History records more than 1500 Anabaptists being martyred during these tumultuous years.
Enter Menno Simons (1496–1561), an influential Dutch leader of the Radical Reformation. Simons was born in 1496 in Witmarsum in the Netherlands. He was educated for the Roman Catholic priesthood and ordained in 1524, but he converted to the Anabaptist movement in 1536. The previous year, in 1535, his brother—an Anabaptist—was martyred for his beliefs.
As Simons studied Scripture, he came to believe that some of his previous convictions were wrong. He felt that Scripture everywhere speaks of believer’s baptism but nowhere speaks of infant baptism. He saw that the bread and wine used in communion were not the real body and blood of Christ, as Roman Catholicism taught. He also came to believe that biblical Christians were supposed to share their resources with each other, live in simplicity, care for the poor and widows, and refuse violence in all circumstances. Because Simons planted so many Anabaptist congregations, and because he was so active in promoting Anabaptist doctrine, the movement came to be associated with his first name, Menno. Hence, Anabaptists soon came to be known as Mennonites. Their basic theological beliefs are based on the Dordrecht Confession of Faith, composed in 1632 in the Netherlands.
Because persecution and harassment continued against the Anabaptists, or Mennonites, many fled to America—more specifically, to Pennsylvania. Quaker William Penn (1644–1718) offered them a safe haven, and the Mennonites were among the first to settle in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1683. Thousands of Mennonites from various countries—including Germany and Switzerland—eventually immigrated to America. They settled not only in Pennsylvania but also spread out to Ohio, Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and the western United States.
Distinctive among the Mennonites were the followers of a Swiss Mennonite bishop named Jakob Amman (1656–1730), after whom the Amish are named. Amman’s strictness on the issue of excommunication and shunning led him and his followers to split off from mainstream Mennonites, even though they share a common heritage and some common beliefs. Amman’s teachings include these:
• Men ought to wear untrimmed beards and plain clothing, including broad-brimmed hats.
• Women also ought to wear modest attire, including bonnets and aprons.
• Discipline against a sinner should include the practice of shunning. Shunning prohibits one from engaging in conventional social relationships with the sinning brother or sister. One should not eat at the same table with this person. One should not buy or sell from this person. A person who is married to such a person must not engage in marital relations with him or her. By such treatment, the person will be brought to repentance.
In the latter 1800s, many Amish met at a formal conference to address some of the differences they had with each other. Not finding full agreement, a schism developed. One group, the Old Order Amish, held on to the old ways. The other group—New Order Amish—were open to a more progressive lifestyle, accepting social change and technological innovation.
Distinctive Ideas in Mennonite Churches
• Mennonites are named after Menno Simons, a Dutch leader of the Radical Reformation.
• Members live simple and quiet lifestyles.
• Modest attire is common.
• There is a strong commitment to abstaining from all forms of worldliness.
• There is a strong commitment to nonviolence.
• Only adult believer’s baptism is valid. Those baptized as infants in other churches must be rebaptized as adults.
• Some engage in the practice of foot washing.
BEACHY AMISH MENNONITE CHURCHES
Founded: 1927
Members: More than 10,000
Congregations: 150
Beginnings
The Beachy Amish Mennonite Church split off from the Old Order Amish in 1927 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, under the leadership of Bishop Moses M. Beachy (1874–1946). The Old Order Amish churches were very strict on the issue of church discipline, including banning and shunning. Bishop Beachy, while still supporting the basic practice, believed in a kinder and gentler version. Beachy was also more open to new technology than those of the old school.
Beachy had been an Old Order Amish bishop from 1916 to 1927. Even then, he held to a more moderate view of banning and shunning. A situation developed in which some members of the Old Order Amish departed to join a Conservative Mennonite congregation in Maryland, and some of the Old Order Amish leaders wanted them to be banned and shunned. Beachy would not go along with this. Old Order loyalists promptly withdrew fellowship from Beachy, after which Beachy and his remaining supporters founded a new association—the Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches.
Today those affiliated with the Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches have a less strict view of banning and shunning. Unlike the Old Order Amish, they are allowed to use electricity, alarm clocks, motorized vehicles, telephones, mirrors, and the like. Further, they have distinct church buildings and Sunday schools, they operate a Bible school, and they support missionary work. (Old Order Amish churches meet in homes or barns, do not have Sunday school or a Bible school, and do not support missionaries.) However, their dress code is still similar to the Old Order Amish code.
Beliefs
The Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches subscribe to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632).
The Bible. The Scriptures are inspired and are God’s infallible source for all Christian beliefs and practice.
God. The one true God is eternal, Almighty, and incomprehensible. He is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. He is the Sustainer of the universe. Within the unity of the one God are three eternal persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is eternal God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. At the appointed time, He became flesh, being born of a virgin. In His own body, He yielded up a sacrifice, thereby providing redemption and salvation for humankind. He was crucified and buried, and He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. In salvation, believers experience regeneration and the “renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Sin and salvation. Adam and Eve were disobedient to the Creator, bringing sin into the world and to all human beings. All humans are thus under the wrath of God, separated and estranged from Him.
Those who repent and believe in Jesus will be saved. Human beings must go to God with an upright heart and in perfect faith believe in Jesus to obtain the forgiveness of sins, become sanctified, experience justification, and be made children of God.
The church. The visible church of God is composed of those who have truly repented and believed, are rightly baptized, are one with God in heaven, and are rightly incorporated into the communion of the saints here on earth. The church is the bride of Christ, purchased by the blood of the Redeemer.
Churches are semiautonomous. Though not controlled by an external hierarchy, the churches are committed to each other with an unspoken but very real loyalty and accountability. The “bench” (that is, the ministerial team) includes a bishop, one or two ministers, and a deacon in each congregation. Other than the office of deaconess, women are not permitted to hold offices in the church.
The sacraments. All true believers, upon confession of faith and a renewing of life, are to be baptized with water to bury their sins and be incorporated into the communion of saints. The Lord’s Supper is to be observed in remembrance of His suffering and death in providing our salvation. The elements point to the brokenness of His body and shedding of His blood in making redemption possible. Church members also engage in the practice of foot washing. Christ enjoined and practiced it as a sign of humility. The practice also serves to remind believers that they are washed through the precious blood of Jesus.
The end times. Jesus will one day come again to judge the quick and the dead. In the last day, all human beings will be resurrected and stand before God in judgment. Believers will enter into eternal life and obtain joy in heaven. The wicked will be cast into outer darkness and experience the everlasting pains of hell, having no further hope, comfort, or redemption.
Distinctives. Regarding the practice of banning, the Beachy Amish denomination holds to the Dordrecht Confession, which includes these words:
We also believe in, and confess, a ban, separation, and Christian correction in the church, for amendment, and not for destruction, in order to distinguish that which is pure from the impure: namely, when any one, after he is enlightened, has accepted the knowledge of the truth, and been incorporated into the communion of the saints, sins again unto death, either through willfulness, or through presumption against God, or through some other cause, and falls into the unfruitful works of darkness, thereby becoming separated from God, and forfeiting the kingdom of God, that such a one, after the deed is manifest and sufficiently known to the church, may not remain in the congregation of the righteous, but, as an offensive member and open sinner, shall and must be separated, put away, reproved before all, and purged out as leaven; and this for his amendment, as an example, that others may fear, and to keep the church pure, by cleansing her from such spots, lest, in default of this, the name of the Lord be blasphemed, the church dishonored, and offense given to them that are without; and finally, that the sinner may not be condemned with the world, but become convinced in his mind, and be moved to sorrow, repentance, and reformation.1
Yet the denomination also believes that discretion must be used so that shunning will not destroy an offender but rather lead him or her to repentance and restoration. If the person being shunned is needy, hungry, thirsty, sick, or in other distress, the body of believers must respond by helping him or her. The offender is not an enemy, but a brother or sister in need of correction.
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CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST, MENNONITE
Founded: 1859
Members: More than 14,000
Congregations: 150
Beginnings
In the middle of the nineteenth century, some within the Mennonite movement felt their denomination had drifted away from sound doctrine and experienced a general spiritual decline. They sought to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 3). One of these was John Holdeman (1832–1900), born in Wayne County, Ohio, to Mennonite parents. Though baptized in a Mennonite church at age 12, he reconsecrated his life to the Lord at age 21. He poured himself into the study of God’s Word and early Mennonite literature, and he developed a number of concerns about the Mennonites of his day.
• Individuals were being baptized whose personal conversions were in serious doubt. In many cases, their lives gave little evidence of true conversion.
• Children were not being trained properly.
• The church had fallen away from a strong stand on church discipline of erring members.
• Church members were not making enough effort to avoid apostates.
• Church members were participating in political elections.
• There was a lack of true spirituality in general.
Holdeman became an evangelist for the true Mennonite faith. He and some like-minded sympathizers began meeting separately from the Mennonite church in 1859. This move resulted in the eventual organization of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. They are sometimes called Holdeman Mennonites.
Members of these churches believe in simple homes, simple and modest clothing, devotional head coverings for women (symbolizing submission to man), and beards for men. Christians are not to participate in politics or hold government offices. They practice nonresistance—meaning there should be no quarrels with other people and no lawsuits. Evil should not be returned for evil, and one should not participate in civil law enforcement or the armed forces. The church and the state should be clearly separate.
Church members believe Christians are to be a separate people, not conformed to the world. This means that many things must be avoided, including fashion, pleasure and entertainment, professional sports, idolatrous art, television, radio, movies, popular music, dancing, alcohol, illicit drugs, and smoking.
The denomination has a General Conference that is composed of ministers, deacons, and other delegates. The conference meets every five years for decision making.
Beliefs
The denomination accepts the Dordrecht Confession of Faith of 1632.
The Bible. The Scriptures are inspired and are God’s infallible source for all Christian beliefs and practice.
God. The one true God is eternal, Almighty, and incomprehensible. He is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. He is the Sustainer of the universe. Within the unity of the one God are three eternal persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is eternal God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. At the appointed time, He became flesh, being born of a virgin. In His own body, He yielded up a sacrifice, thereby providing redemption and salvation for humankind. He was crucified and buried, and He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. In salvation, believers experience regeneration and the “renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Sin and salvation. Adam and Eve were disobedient to the Creator, bringing sin into the world and to all human beings. Mankind is therefore under the wrath of God, separated and estranged from Him.
Human beings are saved by God’s grace through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. The new birth involves faith in Jesus, repentance, the forsaking of sins, and service to Christ. This new birth makes the believer a child of God, saves him from the condemnation of sin, and gives him eternal life. Those who are faithfully obedient can be assured of salvation.
The church. The church is the visible representative of Christ’s spiritual kingdom on earth and is comprised of all who are regenerated and baptized into its fellowship. Christ Himself established the church, and through it has preserved His faith and doctrine through the ages.
The church’s divinely appointed mission is to proclaim the gospel to the world, nurture Christians by teaching them to obey Christ’s commands, and display a pattern of good works for the glory of God. The church is also called to regulate the observance of the ordinances, to exercise discipline when necessary (including excommunication), and to shun those who are excommunicated for the sake of the purity of the church.
Worship and Sunday school take place on Sunday mornings in plain buildings. Musical instruments are not used—all singing is a cappella. Teaching, fellowship, and singing take place on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Ministers are chosen from within their own ranks and are not salaried. Formal training of ministers is not required. Ministers do not deliver prepared sermons but rather preach extemporaneously. Women are not ordained for the ministry.
The sacraments. Baptism is to be administered only upon a confession of faith. It is an outward sign of an inward cleansing and infilling of the Holy Spirit. It is to be observed by pouring water on the believer’s head.
Closed communion is held with unleavened bread and unfermented juice of grapes. It is observed as a memorial of Christ’s death, symbolizing the blood and body of Christ. It is to be preceded by self-examination and is observed about once a year.
Foot washing is observed, with male ministers washing the brethren’s feet and the wives of ministers or deacons washing the sisters’ feet. It symbolizes a cleansed walk of life and humility in serving one another.
The end times. Members subscribe to amillennialism. The present world will end with the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ. Jesus will judge humankind. Heaven is the final resting place of the righteous, where they will enjoy the fullness of joy with God forever. Hell is a place of everlasting punishment prepared for those who reject Christ.
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premillennialism
Following the second coming, Christ will institute a literal kingdom of perfect peace and righteousness on earth that will last for 1000 years.
amillennialism
When Christ comes, eternity will begin with no prior 1000-year (millennial) reign on earth. The 1000-year reign metaphorically refers to Christ’s present (spiritual) rule from heaven.
postmillennialism
Through the church’s progressive influence, the world will be “Christianized” before Christ returns. Immediately following this return, eternity will begin.
CONSERVATIVE MENNONITE CONFERENCE
Founded: 1910
Members: 11,500
Congregations: 115
Beginnings
The Conservative Mennonite Conference had humble beginnings. It emerged from a meeting of just five ministers at the site of the present Pigeon River Mennonite Church (Pigeon, Michigan) on November 24–25, 1910. The meeting was called by Bishop S.J. Schwartzendruber and the Reverend M.S. Zehr. They were reluctant to adopt the Old Order Amish Mennonite approach to cultural expressions (such as the forbidding of meeting houses and Sunday schools). Yet they were more conservative than the dominant Mennonite and Amish Mennonite approaches of the time. They began the Conservative Mennonite Conference as a means of attaining the balance they were seeking. At first they were called the Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference. In 1954, however, the adjective Amish was dropped from their official name.
Like other Mennonites, members of this denomination follow a policy of nonresistance and decline participation in any government function that requires the use of force (whether police or military). They prohibit fashionable attire, worldly business associations, the holding of political office, gambling, the swearing of oaths, and the use of tobacco (smoking or chewing) and intoxicating beverages.
The Minister’s Business Meeting is the highest decision-making body in the denomination. An executive board and general secretary oversee the day-to-day operations of the denomination.
The denomination subscribes to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632), the Mennonite Confession of Faith (1963), and the Conservative Mennonite Statement of Theology (1991).
The Bible. The Bible is the Word of God, verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. It is the final authority for faith and practice.
God. The one true God is eternal, perfect, infinite, holy, loving, all-wise, merciful, righteous, and powerful. He is the Creator and Preserver of all things in the universe. He is self-existent and is eternally manifest in three divine persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These persons are distinct in function but equal in power and glory.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the triune Godhead. He is the divine Son of God. Prior to the Incarnation, He was eternally with God and was God. In the fullness of time, He became a human being, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and thus was fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life on earth and revealed God perfectly. He gave His life as a substitutionary atonement on the cross, thereby paying the price of redemption. He then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to the right hand of the Father, where He now makes intercession for us.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son in the triune Godhead. He has all the attributes of Deity. He is God, present and active in the world. He convicts sinners of sin and regenerates penitents. He gives comfort, assurance, guidance, and victory to believers. He is the agent of sanctification and produces spiritual fruit in the believer’s life. He gives spiritual gifts to believers.
Sin and salvation. Human beings willfully disobeyed God, thereby causing alienation between themselves and God. As a result, all humankind is born in a state of depravity, death, and eternal lostness.
God sent Jesus into the world to attain the salvation of the world. Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace and is based on Jesus’s blood, shed on the cross. Those who receive God’s gift of salvation through repentance and faith become children of God, are justified, and become sanctified in their walk. Believers are secure in their salvation through ongoing obedience to Christ. Security is conditional rather than unconditional.
The church. The church is the universal body of redeemed believers, committed to Jesus as Lord. It finds expression in the local church in worship, fellowship, holiness, discipline, the teaching and preaching of God’s Word, prayer, the exercise of spiritual gifts, and the administering of the New Testament ordinances. The church is a visible representation of God on earth.
Church government is primarily congregational, with all major decisions being subject to church approval. Churches also have a board of elders comprised of clergy and laymen who are involved in running the church.
Women are permitted to be involved in a variety of ministries, but leadership, governance, teaching, and ordination are for men only.
The sacraments. Baptism is for believers only. It symbolizes cleansing through the blood of Christ in regeneration. The mode can be either pouring or immersion. Communion commemorates the body and blood Jesus sacrificed for human salvation. It also points to the spiritual unity in the body of Christ. Foot washing is also practiced.
The end times. Jesus will one day personally return again. All the dead will be resurrected—the unjust to everlasting punishment and the just to eternal glory and bliss in heaven. Then the glorious reign of the kingdom of God will be eternally fulfilled.
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCHES
Founded: 1860
Members: More than 50,000
Congregations: More than 550
Beginnings
In 1860, some Mennonites in Russia—heavily influenced by German pietism—left the established Mennonite Church and organized the Mennonite Brethren Church to pay greater attention to Bible study, a consistent biblical lifestyle, and prayer.
Fifteen years later, many of these believers (about 200 families) left Russia and found their way to Kansas, where they established a congregation. Eventually, new congregations sprang up in Nebraska, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Mississippi. In 1879, these various congregations organized themselves as a General Conference. Eventually the movement spread all the way to California. In 1960, the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren merged with the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, adding 1600 new members to the conference.
Today the denomination embraces five district conferences in the United States and six provincial conferences in Canada. The highest authoritative body is the General Conference, which meets biennially. Delegates from the United States and Canada participate.
The Bible. God has revealed Himself in both the Old and New Testaments. All Scripture is inspired by God and is the authoritative guide for faith and practice.
God. The one true God is the source of all life. He created the heavens and the earth. He is the Preserver and Ruler of the entire universe. Within the unity of the Godhead are three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord and Savior. He triumphed over sin through His obedient life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers believers with new life, indwells them, and unites them into one body. He transforms believers from the unrighteous pattern of the present age into a life of joyful obedience. He also guides people in understanding the Scriptures.
Sin and salvation. Sin has alienated human beings from the Creator and the creation. Sin is individual and corporate opposition to God’s good purposes and leads to physical and spiritual death. God offers redemption and reconciliation through Jesus, the Savior of the world. Those who trust in Jesus, He delivers from the tyranny of sin and death, and He redeems them for the eternal life that is to come.
The church. The church is a covenant community called by God through Jesus Christ to live a life of discipleship and be His witnesses as empowered by the Holy Spirit. The local church gathers to facilitate worship, fellowship, and accountability. The mission of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations, calling people to repent, baptizing them, and encouraging them to love God and neighbor.
The sacraments. Baptism is a public sign that a person has repented of sin, received forgiveness, died with Christ, and been raised to new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is also a public declaration of a believer’s inclusion in the body of Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of Christ’s atoning death. It is a celebration of the forgiveness and new life we have in Christ and points to the fellowship and unity of all believers.
The end times. Jesus will one day triumphantly return and destroy all evil powers. Those who have rejected Him will be consigned to everlasting punishment. Believers will reign with Christ forever in glory.
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Founded: 1725
Members: 110,000
Congregations: 925
Beginnings
In the late 1600s, Dutch and German immigrants found their way to Germantown, Pennsylvania, and set up their congregation—the Mennonite Church. The Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632) became their statement of faith at a conference of Pennsylvania Mennonite ministers in 1725. This represents the beginning of the denomination on American soil. A primary emphasis of the denomination is that loyalty should be to God alone and not one’s nation.
One of their distinctives is their freedom from traditional Mennonite regulations on attire. They have become known as liberal-minded Mennonites (though not liberal in theology). They continue to hold to the traditional Mennonite emphasis on nonresistance and peacemaking as a way of life.
Beliefs
The denomination holds to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632) and the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (1995).
The Bible. Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is the fully reliable and trustworthy standard for Christian faith and life. The Bible is the written Word of God. It provides us with all we need to know for salvation. It enables us to distinguish truth from error, helps us discern between good and evil, and guides us in prayer and worship.
God. The one true God is the Creator and Preserver of the universe. He is sovereign, full of mercy, and characterized by unlimited justice. He eternally exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, with each of the three persons being equally divine.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God and is fully divine. He is the Messiah, the head of the church, and the exalted Lord over all. He is the Word of God made flesh, being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He is the Savior of the world, who has delivered us from the dominion of sin and reconciled us to God.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is fully divine and is God’s presence and power active in the world. He convicts people of sin, calls them to repentance, and leads them into the way of righteousness. He indwells children of God, teaches them, reminds them of the words of Jesus, empowers them to speak the Word of God with boldness, and gives them spiritual gifts for ministry. He comforts believers in their suffering and intercedes for them in their weakness.
Sin and salvation. Beginning with Adam and Eve, humanity has continually disobeyed God and chosen to sin. All have fallen short of the Creator’s intent. The image of God, in which they were created, has become marred. Because of sin, human beings are enslaved to evil and death. We are separated from God and in need of redemption.
Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God offers salvation from sin and a new way of life to all people. One receives God’s salvation by repenting of sin and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. By His death and resurrection, Jesus has broken the power of sin and death and has opened the way to new life.
The church. The church is the assembly of those who have accepted God’s offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a household or family of God. It is a society of those committed to following Christ, accountable to one another and to God.
Each local church is part of an area conference. The highest legislative body is the General Assembly, which meets every two years. Churches formulate their own policies regarding the role of women in ministry.
The sacraments. Baptism is a sign that a person has repented, received forgiveness, renounced evil, and died to sin. It is a public pledge of the believer’s covenant with God to walk in newness of life through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is for believers only.
The Lord’s Supper is a sign by which the church remembers the new covenant Jesus established by His death on the cross. It points to Jesus, whose body was given for us and whose blood was shed to establish the new covenant. By participating, members renew their covenant with God. It is for believers only.
Many churches in the denomination practice foot washing. In this ritual, believers acknowledge their frequent need of cleansing, renew their willingness to let go of pride and a self-focused life, and recommit to humble service and sacrificial love.
The end times. Jesus will one day come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. All people will be resurrected—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. The righteous will experience eternal life with God, while the unrighteous suffer eternally in hell, separated forever from God.
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Founded: 1969
Members: More than 43,000
Congregations: 425
Beginnings
The Missionary Church emerged in 1969 as a result of a merger between the Missionary Church Association (founded at Berne, Indiana, in 1889) and the United Missionary Church (founded at Englewood, Ohio, in 1883). Both these denominations find their roots in Mennonite history. The denomination is conservative and evangelical in its theology. A central goal is to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission.
The Bible. The Bible is the Word of God given by divine inspiration. It is inerrant in the words of the original manuscripts. It remains our unchanging authority in matters of Christian faith and practice.
God. The one true God is Spirit, self-existent, infinite, personal, unchangeable, and eternal. He is perfect in holiness, love, justice, goodness, wisdom, and truth, and is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things and eternally exists in three persons, who are coequal in power and glory—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is full Deity and is eternally generated from the Father. In the Incarnation, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, thus uniting in one person the divine and human natures in their completeness. He lived a sinless life. His vicarious death made atonement for the sins of the world. He bodily rose from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and is presently the believer’s Advocate before the Father.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and is sent by the Son. He is one in substance with the Father and Son. He convicts the world of sin and regenerates penitent sinners. His ministry to believers includes enduing them with power, teaching them, guiding them, and comforting them. He gives believers spiritual gifts for ministry.
Sin and salvation. Through sin, the first couple became alienated from God and incurred upon themselves and their posterity the sentence of spiritual and physical death. The entire human race has thus become corrupt. Humans are now born with an evil disposition that leads to acts of sin, and they are therefore under just condemnation from God.
God, in His infinite love, has provided salvation in Jesus Christ. Receiving this salvation necessitates both repentance and faith. Genuine repentance involves a change of mind toward sin and a godly sorrow for it. Faith must be active throughout the life of the believer and must show itself by good works. God justifies and regenerates the sinner who meets the requirements of repentance and faith.
The church. The invisible and universal church is an organism made up of all believers in Jesus Christ who have been called out from the world, are separated from sin, and are vitally united to Christ by faith. The visible and local church is an organized body of believers in Christ who voluntarily join together at regular times for the teaching of God’s Word, fellowship of the saints, observance of the ordinances, the administration of discipline, engaging in prayer, and participation in public worship and evangelism.
Local churches handle their own affairs, but they also adhere to a hierarchical system of government involving district conferences and a General Conference. Women are not permitted to fill the roles of elder, overseer, or pastor.
The sacraments. Baptism is a symbol of one’s union by faith with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection. It is by immersion and is only for those who have been born again. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Christ’s death for the remission of our sins. It is to be observed only by Christians. It should be preceded by a time of self-examination.
The end times. Prior to the tribulation judgments, Christ will descend into the clouds, the church will be caught up to Him (raptured), and He will take the church back to heaven. Following the tribulation judgments, Christ will return with His church to judge the nations and set up His millennial kingdom, over which He will rule for 1000 years. All human beings will be judged. Believers have an ultimate destiny in heaven. Unbelievers will be consigned to the lake of fire, where they will suffer for all eternity.
Founded: 1720s
Members: More than 100,000
Congregations: Unknown
Beginnings
Amish churches emerged in the 1720s out of the teachings of the Mennonite bishop Jakob Amman (1656–1730). In the latter 1800s, many of the Amish met at a formal conference to address some of the differences they had with each other. Not finding full agreement, a schism developed. One group, the New Order Amish, was open to a more progressive lifestyle, accepting social change and technological innovation. The other group, the Old Order Amish, held on to the old ways (see “Distinctives” below).
Beliefs
The denomination subscribes to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith of 1632.
The Bible. The Scriptures are inspired and are God’s infallible source for all Christian beliefs and practice.
God. The one true God is eternal, Almighty, and incomprehensible. He is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. He is the Sustainer of the universe. Within the unity of the one God are three eternal persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is eternal God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. At the appointed time, He became flesh, being born of a virgin. In His own body at the cross, He yielded up a sacrifice, thereby providing redemption and salvation for humankind. He was buried, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. In salvation believers experience regeneration and the “renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Sin and salvation. Humanity is fallen in sin and is therefore under the wrath of God. Not willing for people to be lost forever, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to shed His blood for the remission of sins. Those who repent and believe in Jesus will be saved. There is no assurance of salvation. One becomes guilty of pride by claiming a certainty of salvation. A believer’s focus should be on living a righteous life.
The church. Religious services are held in homes or barns, not in church buildings. Sometimes the Old Order Amish are referred to as the House Amish because their worship services take place in private homes. This is in distinction to the Church Amish—the New Order Amish—who worship in meeting houses. Most forms of organized church activity are rejected. Formal missionary work and evangelistic services are rejected. Church services are every other Sunday. (On alternate Sundays, when there are no services, families stay home or visit relatives.) Services generally last three hours. The congregation is divided according to sex and marital status.
Amish settlements are divided into autonomous church districts, each having 15 to 30 families, totaling about 75 baptized members. Each district has a bishop, two to four preachers, and an elder. If a district gets too large, it is geographically divided. There is no general conference, missionary agency, or any kind of cooperative agency.
The sacraments. All true believers, upon a confession of faith and a renewing of life, are baptized with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for the burying of their sins and their incorporation into the communion of saints. The Lord’s Supper is observed twice a year in remembrance of Jesus’s suffering and death in providing our salvation. The elements point to the brokenness of His body and shedding of His blood in making redemption possible. Foot washing is often practiced in connection with the communion service.
The end times. Jesus will one day come again to judge the living and the dead. In the last day, all human beings will be resurrected and stand before God in judgment. Believers will then enter into eternal life and obtain joy in heaven. The wicked will be cast into outer darkness and experience the everlasting pains of hell, having no further hope, comfort, or redemption.
Distinctives. The Old Order Amish are the most conservative among the Amish in beliefs and practices. They cling to a seventeenth-century way of life, rejecting many modern conveniences. They dress very plainly (most clothing is self-made). Adult males wear beards (no mustaches), dark suits, suspenders, solid-colored shirts, dark socks and shoes, and broad-brimmed black hats. Coats fasten with hooks and eyes. Females wear bonnets, long dresses, shawls, black shoes, and stockings. Their hair is worn in a bun and never cut. Jewelry is not allowed. They refuse to use electricity (they run appliances with bottled gas). They refuse to use personal telephones (sometimes they use a communal phone). They refuse to use automobiles, instead using horse-drawn buggies and bicycles (though cars are permitted in emergencies). They discipline by shunning. Marriage with outsiders is condemned.
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