2016/06/10

Mennonite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mennonite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Mennonite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mennonite
Total population
2,100,000[1]
Founder
Peaceful Anabaptists
Regions with significant populations
Africa35%
North America32%
Asia and Pacific20%
Latin America and Caribbean10%
Europe3%
Religions
Anabaptist
Scriptures
The Bible
The Mennonites are Christian groups belonging to the church communities ofAnabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland in what is now the Netherlands. Through his writings, Simons articulated and formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders. The early teachings of the Mennonites were founded on the belief in both the mission and ministry of Jesus, which the original Anabaptist followers held to with great conviction despite persecution by the various Roman Catholic andProtestant states. Rather than fight, the majority of these followers survived by fleeing to neighboring states where ruling families were tolerant of their radical belief in believer's baptism. Over the years, Mennonites have become known as one of the historic peace churches because of their commitment to pacifism.[2]
In contemporary 21st-century society, Mennonites either are described only as a religious denomination with members of different ethnic origins[3][4] or as both an ethnic group and a religious denomination. There is controversy among Mennonites about this issue, with some insisting that they are simply a religious group while others argue that they form a distinct ethnic group.[5] Some historians and sociologists treat Mennonites as an ethno-religious group,[6] while other historians challenge that perception.[7] There is also a discussion about the term "ethnic Mennonite". Conservative Mennonite groups, who speak Pennsylvania German,Plautdietsch (Low German), or Bernese German fit well into the definition of an ethnic group, while more liberal groups and converts in developing countries do not.
There are about 2.1 million Anabaptists worldwide as of 2015 (including Mennonites, Amish, Mennonite Brethren, and many other Anabaptist groups formally part of the Mennonite World Conference).[1] Mennonite congregations worldwide embody the full scope of Mennonite practice from "plain people" to those who are indistinguishable in dress and appearance from the general population. The largest populations of Mennonites are in India, Ethiopia,[8] Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United States. Mennonites can also be found in tight-knit communities in at least 87 countries on six continents or scattered amongst the populace of those countries. There are German Mennonite colonies in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia,[9] Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay,[10] and Paraguay,[11] who are mostly descendants of Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites who formed as a German ethnic group in what is today Ukraine. A small Mennonite congregation continues in the Netherlands where Simons was born.
The Mennonite Disaster Service,[12] based in North America, provides both immediate and long-term responses to hurricanes, floods, and other disasters. Mennonite Central Committee provides disaster relief around the world alongside their long-term international development programs. Other programs offer a variety of relief efforts and services throughout the world.
Since the latter part of the 20th century, some Mennonite groups have become more actively involved with peace and social justice issues, helping to found Christian Peacemaker Teams and Mennonite Conciliation Service.[13]

Radical Reformation

Spread of the early Anabaptists, 1525–1550
The early history of the Mennonites starts with theAnabaptists in the German and Dutch-speaking parts of central Europe. The German term is "Täufer" or "Wiedertäufer" ("Again-Baptists" or "Anabaptists" using the Greek ana ["another"]). Though some Mennonite historians would propound the "ana" coming from the Greek, which would mean "again", this is definitively and linguistically incorrect as a prefix that is transliterated rather than independently translated. The Greek word palin is the single most used term translated as "again" throughout the Greek MSS translated into the English KJV Bible (see Hebrews 1:5, 6/ 2:13/ 4:5). When the Greek prepositional prefix ana(or its derivative antiani) is used, it is always translated separately, and not transliterated. The English transliteration (letter for letter rendering) of anbaptizmo demands a transliterated rendering as "an-other baptism", hence "ANA baptism", rather than a definitive translation of the Greek preposition. These forerunners of modern Mennonites were part of the Protestant Reformation, a broad reaction against the practices and theology of the Roman Catholic Church. Its most distinguishing feature is the rejection of infant baptism, an act that had both religious and political meaning since almost every infant born in western Europe was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church. Other significant theological views of the Mennonites developed in opposition to Roman Catholic views or to the views of other Protestant reformers such as Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli.
Some of the followers of Zwingli's Reformed church thought that requiring church membership beginning at birth was inconsistent with the New Testament example. They believed that the church should be completely removed from government (the proto–free church tradition), and that individuals should join only when willing to publicly acknowledge belief in Jesus and the desire to live in accordance with his teachings. At a small meeting in Zurich on January 21, 1525, Conrad GrebelFelix Manz, and George Blaurock, along with twelve others, baptized each other.[14] This meeting marks the beginning of the Anabaptist movement. In the spirit of the times, many groups followed, preaching about reducing hierarchy, relations with the state,eschatology, and sexual license, running from utter abandon to extreme chastity. These movements are together referred to as the "Radical Reformation".
Many government and religious leaders, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, considered voluntary church membership to be dangerous—the concern of some deepened by reports of the Münster Rebellion, led by a violent sect of Anabaptists. They joined forces to fight the movement, using methods such as banishment, torture, burning, drowning or beheading.[15]:142
Despite strong repressive efforts of the state churches, the movement spread slowly around western Europe, primarily along the Rhine. Officials killed many of the earliest Anabaptist leaders in an attempt to purge Europe of the new sect.[15]:142 By 1530, most of the founding leaders had been killed for refusing to renounce their beliefs. Many believed that God did not condone killing or the use of force for any reason and were therefore unwilling to fight for their lives. The pacifist branches often survived by seeking refuge in neutral cities or nations, such as Strasbourg. Their safety was often tenuous, as a shift in alliances or an invasion could mean resumed persecution. Other groups of Anabaptists, such as the Batenburgers, were eventually destroyed by their willingness to fight. This played a large part in the evolution of Anabaptist theology.
Menno Simons
In the early days of the Anabaptist movement, Menno Simons, a Catholic priest in the Low Countries, heard of the movement and started to rethink his Catholic faith. He questioned the doctrine of transubstantiation, but was reluctant to leave the Roman Catholic Church. His brother, a member of an Anabaptist group, was killed when he and his companions were attacked and refused to defend themselves. In 1536, at the age of 40, Simons left the Roman Catholic Church. He soon became a leader within the Anabaptist movement, and was wanted by authorities for the rest of his life. His name became associated with scattered groups of nonviolent Anabaptists whom he helped to organize and consolidate.

Fragmentation and variation

During the 16th century, the Mennonites and other Anabaptists were relentlesslypersecuted. This period of persecution has had a significant impact on Mennonite identity. Martyrs Mirror, published in 1660, documents much of the persecution of Anabaptists and their predecessors. Today, the book is still the most important book besides the Bible for many Mennonites and Amish, in particular for the Swiss–South German branch of the Mennonites. Persecution was still going on until 1710 in various parts of Switzerland.[16]
Disagreements within the church over the years led to other splits; sometimes the reasons were theological, sometimes practical, sometimes geographical. For instance, near the beginning of the 20th century, some members in the Amish church wanted to begin having Sunday Schools and participate in progressive Protestant-style para-church evangelism. Unable to persuade the rest of the Amish, they separated and formed a number of separate groups including the Conservative Mennonite Conference. Mennonites in Canada and other countries typically have independent denominations because of the practical considerations of distance and, in some cases, language. Many times these divisions took place along family lines, with each extended family supporting their own branch.
The first recorded account of this group is in a written order by Countess Anne, who ruled a small province in central Europe. The presence of some small groups of violent Anabaptists was causing political and religious turmoil in her state, so she decreed that all Anabaptists were to be driven out. The order made an exception for the non-violent branch known at that time as the Menists.
Political rulers often admitted the Menists or Mennonites into their states because they were honest, hardworking and peaceful. When their practices upset the powerful state churches, princes would renege on exemptions for military service, or a new monarch would take power, and the Mennonites would be forced to flee again, usually leaving everything but their families behind. Often, another monarch in another state would grant them welcome, at least for a while.
Mennonite churches blended into city architecture to avoid offending the religious sensibilities of the majority. Doopsgezinde Gemeente, Amsterdam.
While Mennonites in Colonial America were enjoying considerable religious freedom, their counterparts in Europe continued to struggle with persecution and temporary refuge under certain ruling monarchs. They were sometimes invited to settle in areas of poor soil that no one else could farm. By contrast, in The Netherlands the Mennonites (nlDoopsgezinden) enjoyed a relatively high degree of tolerance. The Mennonites often farmed and reclaimed land in exchange for exemption from mandatory military service. However, once the land was arable again, this arrangement would often change, and the persecution would begin again. Because the land still needed to be tended, the ruler would not drive out the Mennonites but would pass laws to force them to stay, while at the same time severely limiting their freedom. Mennonites had to build their churches facing onto back streets or alleys, and they were forbidden from announcing the beginning of services with the sound of a bell.
In addition, high taxes were enacted in exchange for both continuing the military service exemption, and to keep the states' best farmers from leaving. In some cases, the entire congregation would give up their belongings to pay the tax to be allowed to leave. If a member or family could not afford the tax, it was often paid by others in the group.
A strong emphasis on "community" was developed under these circumstances. It continues to be typical of Mennonite churches. As a result of frequently being required to give up possessions in order to retain individual freedoms, Mennonites learned to live very simply. This was reflected both in the home and at church, where their dress and their buildings were plain. The music at church, usually simple German chorales, was performed a cappella. This style of music serves as a reminder to many Mennonites of their simple lives, as well as their history as a persecuted people. Some branches of Mennonites have retained this "plain" lifestyle into modern times.

Russian Mennonites

The "Russian Mennonites" (German: "Russlandmennoniten")[17] today are of German language, tradition and ethnicity. They are descended from Dutch Anabaptists, who came from the Netherland and started around 1530 to settle around Danzig and inWest Prussia, where they lived for about 250 years. During that time they mixed with German Mennonites from different regions. Starting 1791 they established colonies in the south west of the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine). Their ethno-language isPlautdietsch, a German dialect of the East Low German group, with some Dutchadmixture. Today the majority of traditional "Russian" Mennonites uses Standard German in church and for reading and writing. The term "Russian Mennonite" is considered by some to be a misnomer because their original ethnic ancestry and present day culture is not from Russia.
In 1768 Catherine the Great of Russia acquired a great deal of land north of the Black Sea (in present-day Ukraine) following a war with the Ottoman Empire and the takeover of their vassal, the Crimean Khanate. Russian government officials invited Mennonites living in Prussia to farm the Ukrainian steppes depopulated by Tatar raidsin exchange for religious freedom and military exemption. Over the years the Mennonite farmers were very successful.
Between 1874 and 1880 some 16,000 Mennonites of approximately 45,000 left Russia. About nine thousand departed for the United States (mainly Kansas and Nebraska) and seven thousand for Canada (mainly Manitoba). In the 1920s Russian Mennonites from Canada started to migrate to Latin America (Mexico and Paraguay), soon followed by Mennonite refugees from the Soviet Union. Further migrations of these Mennonites led to settlements in Brazil, Uruguay, Belize, Bolivia and Argentina.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the Mennonites in Russia owned large agricultural estates and some had become successful as industrial entrepreneurs in the cities, employing wage labor. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Civil War (1917–1921), all of these farms (whose owners were called Kulaks) and enterprises were expropriated by local peasants or the Soviet government. Beyondexpropriation, Mennonites suffered severe persecution during the course of the Civil War, at the hands of workers, the Bolsheviks and, particularly, the communist-anarchists of Nestor Makhno, who considered the Mennonites to be privileged foreigners of the upper class and targeted them. During expropriation, hundreds of Mennonite men, women and children were murdered in these attacks.[18] After theUkrainian–Soviet War and the takeover of Ukraine by the Russian Bolsheviks, people who openly practiced religion were in many cases imprisoned by the Soviet government. This led to a wave of Mennonite emigration to the Americas (U.S., Canada and Paraguay).
When the German army invaded the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941 during World War II, many in the Mennonite community perceived them as liberators from the communist regime under which they had suffered. When the tide of war turned, many of the Mennonites fled with the German army back to Germany where they were accepted as Volksdeutsche. The Soviet government believed that the Mennonites had "collectively collaborated" with the Germans. After the war, many of the Mennonites in the Soviet Union were forcibly relocated to Siberia and Kazakhstan, and many were sent to gulags, as part of the Soviet program of mass internal deportations of various ethnic groups whose loyalty was seen as questionable. Many German-Russian Mennonites who lived to the east (not in Ukraine) were deported to Siberia before the German army's invasion, and were also often placed in labor camps. In the decades that followed, as the Soviet regime became less brutal, a number of Mennonites returned to Ukraine and Western Russia where they had formerly lived. In the 1990s the governments of Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine gave these people the opportunity to emigrate, and the vast majority emigrated to Germany. The Russian Mennonite immigrants in Germany from the 1990s outnumber the pre-1989 community of Mennonites by three to one.
By 2015 the majority of Russian Mennonites live in Latin America, while ten thousands live in Germany and Canada.
The world's most conservative Mennonites (in terms of culture and technology) are the Mennonites affiliated with the Lower and Upper Barton Creek Colonies in Belize. Lower Barton is inhabited by Plautdietsch speaking Russian Mennonites, whereas Upper Barton Creek is mainly inhabited by Pennsylvania German speaking Mennonites from North America. Both groups do not use motors, paint, or compressed air.[19]

Jakob Ammann and the Amish schisms

In 1693 Jakob Ammann led an effort to reform the Mennonite church in Switzerland and South Germany to include shunning, to hold communion more often, and other differences. When the discussions fell through, Ammann and his followers split from the other Mennonite congregations. Ammann's followers became known as the AmishMennonites or just Amish. In later years, other schisms among Amish resulted in such groups as the Old Order AmishNew Order Amish, Kaufman Amish Mennonites,Conservative Mennonite Conference and Biblical Mennonite Alliance.

North America

Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse, built 1770
Ten Thousand Villages Store in New Hamburg, Ontario
Persecution and the search for employment forced Mennonites out of the Netherlands eastward to Germany in the 17th century. As Quaker Evangelists moved into Germany they received a sympathetic audience among the larger of these German-Mennonite congregations around Krefeld, Altona-Hamburg, Gronau and Emden.[20] It was among this group of Quakers and Mennonites, living under ongoing discrimination, that William Penn solicited settlers for his new colony. The first permanent settlement of Mennonites in the American colonies consisted of one Mennonite family and twelve Mennonite-Quaker[21] families of German extraction who arrived from Krefeld, Germany, in 1683 and settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Among these early settlers was William Rittenhouse, a lay minister and owner of the first American paper mill. Jacob Gottschalk was the first bishop of this Germantown congregation. This early group of Mennonites and Mennonite-Quakers wrote the first formal protest against slavery in the United States. The treatise was addressed to slave-holding Quakers in an effort to persuade them to change their ways.[22]
In the early 18th century, 100,000 Germans from thePalatinate emigrated to Pennsylvania, where they became known collectively as the Pennsylvania Dutch (from the Anglicization ofDeutsch or German.) The area had been repeatedly overrun by the French in religious wars, and Queen Anne had invited the Germans to go to the British colonies. Of these immigrants, around 2,500 were Mennonites and 500 were Amish.[23] This group settled farther west than the first group, choosing less expensive land in the Lancasterarea. The oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in the United States is the Hans Herr Housein West Lampeter Township.[24] A member of this second group, Christopher Dock, authored Pedagogy, the first American monograph on education. Today, Mennonites also reside in Kishacoquillas Valley (also known as Big Valley), a valley in Huntingdonand Mifflin counties in Pennsylvania.
During the Colonial period, Mennonites were distinguished from other Pennsylvania Germans in three ways:[25] their opposition to the American Revolutionary War, which other German settlers participated in on both sides; resistance to public education; and disapproval of religious revivalism. Contributions of Mennonites during this period include the idea of separation of church and state, and opposition to slavery.
From 1812 to 1860, another wave of Mennonite immigrants settled farther west inOhioIndianaIllinois and Missouri. These Swiss-German speaking Mennonites, along with Amish, came from Switzerland and the Alsace-Lorraine area. These immigrants, along with the Amish of northern New York State, formed the nucleus of the Apostolic Christian Church in the United States.
There were also Mennonite settlements in Canada, who emigrated there chiefly from the United States (Upstate New York and Pennsylvania):

"Old" Mennonite Church (MC)

Mennonite Church logo
The Swiss-German Mennonites who emigrated to North America in the 18th and 19th centuries and settled first in Pennsylvania, then across the midwestern states (initially Ohio, Indiana, and Kansas), are the root of the former Mennonite Church denomination (MC), colloquially called the "Old Mennonite Church". This denomination had offices inElkhart, Indiana, and was the most populous progressive Mennonite denomination before merging with the General Conference Mennonite Church (GCMC) in 2002.

Moderate to progressive Mennonites

Mennonite Church USA

Mennonite Church USA logo
The Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA) and the Mennonite Church Canada are the resulting denominations of the 2002 merger of the (General Assembly) Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Total membership in Mennonite Church USA denominations decreased from about 133,000, before the merger in 1998, to a total membership of 120,381 in the Mennonite Church USA in 2001.[26] In 2013 membership had fallen to 97,737 members in 839 congregations. [27] In 2016 it had fallen to 79,150 adult members[28]
Pennsylvania remains the hub of the denomination but there are also large numbers of members in Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, and Illinois.[29]
In 1983 the General Assembly of the Mennonite Church met jointly with the General Conference Mennonite Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in celebration of 300 years of Mennonite witness in the Americas. Beginning in 1989, a series of consultations, discussions, proposals, and sessions (and a vote in 1995 in favor of merger) led to the unification of these two major North American Mennonite bodies into one denomination organized on two fronts - the Mennonite Church USA and the Mennonite Church Canada. The merger was "finalized" at a joint session in St. Louis, Missouri in 1999, and the Canadian branch moved quickly ahead. The United States branch did not complete their organization until the meeting in Nashville, Tennessee in 2001, which became effective February 1, 2002.
The merger of 1999-2002 at least partially fulfilled the desire of the founders of the General Conference Mennonite Church to create an organization under which all Mennonites could unite. Yet not all Mennonites favored the merger. The Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations represents one expression of the disappointment with the merger and the events that led up to it.

Mennonite Church Canada

Mennonite Church Canada logo
Mennonite Church Canada is a conference of Mennonites in Canada, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Currently (2003) the body has about 35,000 members in 235 churches. Beginning in 1989, a series of consultations, discussions, proposals, and sessions led to the unification of two North American bodies (the Mennonite Church &General Conference Mennonite Church) and the related Canadian Conference of Mennonites in Canada into the Mennonite Church USAand the Mennonite Church Canada in 2000.
The organizational structure is divided into five regional conferences. Denominational work is administered through a board elected by the delegates to the annual assembly. The MCC participates in the Canadian Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Mennonite World Conference.

Conservative Mennonites

Conservative Mennonites include numerous groups that identify with the more conservative or traditional element among Mennonite or Anabaptist groups but not necessarily Old Order groups. Those identifying with this group drive automobiles, have telephones, and use electricity, and some may have personal computers. They also have Sunday school, hold revival meetings, and operate their own Christian schools/parochial schools.

Old Order Mennonites

While the liberal Mennonite churches like Mennonite Church USA and the Mennonite Church Canada are losing members at a large pace, most Old Order Mennonite groups are growing quickly. The Old Order Mennonite are living a life style similar or bit more liberal than the Old Order Amish. There were more than 27,000 adult, baptized members of Old Order Mennonites in North America and Belize in 2008/9. The total population of Old Order Mennonites groups including children and adults not yet baptized normally is two to three times larger than the number of baptized, adult members, which indicates that the population of Old Order Mennonites was roughly between 60,00 to 80,000 in 2008/9.

Alternative service

Mennonites in Canada were automatically exempt from any type of military service during World War I by provisions of the Order in Council of 1873, yet initially many were imprisoned for their beliefs until this was affirmed by the government of the time.
During World War II, Mennonite conscientious objectors were given the options of noncombatant military service, serving in the medical or dental corps under military control, or working in parks and on roads under civilian supervision. Over 95% chose the latter and were placed in Alternative Service camps.[30] Initially the men worked on road building, forestry and firefighting projects. After May 1943, as a labour shortage developed within the nation, men were shifted into agriculture, education and industry. The 10,700 Canadian objectors were mostly Mennonites (63%) andDoukhobors (20%).[31]
Mennonite conscientious objector Harry Lantz distributes rat poison fortyphus control in Gulfport, Mississippi (1946).
In the United States, Civilian Public Service (CPS) provided an alternative to military service during World War II. From 1941 to 1947, 4,665 Mennonites, Amish and Brethren in Christ[32] were among nearly 12,000 conscientious objectors who performed work of national importance in 152 CPS camps throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The draftees worked in areas such as soil conservation, forestry, fire fighting, agriculture, social services and mental health.
The CPS men served without wages and with minimal support from the federal government. The cost of maintaining the CPS camps and providing for the needs of the men was the responsibility of their congregations and families. Mennonite Central Committee coordinated the operation of the Mennonite camps. CPS men served longer than regular draftees, not being released until well past the end of the war. Initially skeptical of the program, government agencies learned to appreciate the men's service and requested more workers from the program. CPS made significant contributions to forest fire prevention, erosion and flood control, medical science and reform of the mental health system.

Schisms

Prior to emigration to America, Anabaptists in Europe were divided between those of Dutch/North German and Swiss/South German background. First the Dutch/North German group took their name from Menno Simons, who led them in their early years. Later the Swiss/South German group also adopted the name "Mennonites". A third group of early Anabaptists, mainly from south east Germany and Austria were organized by Jakob Hutter and became the Hutterites. The vast majority of Anabaptists of Swiss/South German ancestry today lives in the US and Canada, while the largest group of Dutch/North German Anabaptists are the Russian Mennonites, who live today mostly in Latin America.
A trickle of North German Mennonites began the migration to America in 1683, followed by a much larger migration of Swiss/South German Mennonites beginning in 1707.[33] The Amish are an early split from the Swiss/South German, that occurred in 1693. Over the centuries many Amish individuals and whole churches left the Amish and became Mennonites again.
After immigration to America, many of the early Mennonites split from the main body of North American Mennonites and formed their own separate and distinct churches. The first schism in America occurred in 1778 when Bishop Christian Funk's support of the American Revolution led to his excommunication and the formation of a separate Mennonite group known as Funkites. In 1785 the Orthodox Reformed Mennonite Church was formed, and other schisms occurred into the 21st century. Many of these churches were formed as a response to deep disagreements about theology, doctrine, and church discipline as evolution both inside and outside the Mennonite faith occurred. Many of the modern churches are descended from those groups that abandoned traditional Mennonite practices.
Larger groups of Dutch/North German Mennonites came to North America from theRussian Empire after 1873, especially to Kansas and Manitoba. While the more progressive element of these Mennonites assimilated into mainstream society, the more conservative element emigrated to Latin America. Since then there has been a steady flow of Mennonite remigrants from Latin America to North America.
These historical schisms have had an influence on creating the distinct Mennonite denominations, sometimes using mild or severe shunning to show its disapproval of other Mennonite groups.
Some expelled congregations were affiliated both with the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. The latter did not expel the same congregations. When these two Mennonite denominations formally completed their merger in 2002 to become the new Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada denominations, it was still not clear, whether the congregations that were expelled from one denomination, yet included in the other, are considered to be "inside" or "outside" of the new merged denomination. Some Mennonite conferences have chosen to maintain such "disciplined" congregations as "associate" or "affiliate" congregations in the conferences, rather than to expel such congregations. In virtually every case, a dialogue continues between the disciplined congregations and the denomination, as well as their current or former conferences.[34]

Schools

Several Mennonite groups have their own private or parochial schools. Conservative groups, like the Holdeman, have not only their own schools, but their own curriculum and teaching staff (usually, but not exclusively, young unmarried women).

Secondary schools

This list of secondary Mennonite Schools is not an exhaustive list. Most are members of the Mennonite Schools Council, endorsed by the Mennonite Education Agency.[35]
Canada
Mennonite teacher holding class in a one-room, eight-grade school house,Hinkletown, Pennsylvania, March 1942
United States

Controversy in Quebec

Quebec does not allow these parochial schools, in the sense of allowing them to have an independent curriculum. As of 2007, the Quebec government imposed a standard curriculum on all schools (public and private). While private schools may add optional material to the compulsory curriculum, they may not replace it. The Quebec curriculum is unacceptable to the parents of the only Mennonite school in the province.[36] They said they would leave Quebec after the Education Ministry threatened legal actions. The Province threatened to invoke Youth Protection services if the Mennonite children were not registered with the Education Ministry; they either had to be home-schooled using the government approved material, or attend a "sanctioned" school. The local population and its mayor supported[37] the local Mennonites. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada wrote that year to the Quebec government to express its concerns[38] about this situation. By September 2007, some Mennonite families had already left Quebec.[39]

Post-secondary schools

Canada
United States
Bethel College, North Newton Kansas

Sexuality, marriage, and family mores

The Mennonite church has no formal celibate religious order similar to monasticism, but recognizes the legitimacy of and honours both the single state and the sanctity of marriage of its members. Single persons are expected to be chaste, and marriage is held to be a lifelong, monogamous and faithful covenant between a man and a woman. In conservative groups, divorce is discouraged, and it is believed that the "hardness of the heart" of people is the ultimate cause of divorce. Some conservative churches have disciplined members who have unilaterally divorced their spouses outside of cases of sexual unfaithfulness or acute abuse. Until approximately the 1960s or 1970s, before the more widespread urbanization of the Mennonite demographic, divorce was quite rare. In recent times, divorce is more common, and also carries less stigma, particularly in cases where abuse was known.
Some Mennonite churches identify as LGBT-affirming churches. Congregations have been disciplined by or expelled from their regional conferences for taking such a stance,[40] while other congregations have been allowed to remain "at variance" with official Mennonite Church USA policy.[41] Some pastors who performed same-sex unions have had their credentials revoked by their conference,[42] and some within the Mennonite Church USA have had their credentials reviewed without any disciplinary actions taken.[43][44] Most recently, the Mountain States Mennonite Conference licensed an openly gay pastor in February 2014.[45]

Theology

Mennonite theology emphasizes the primacy of the teachings of Jesus as recorded in New Testament scripture. They hold in common the ideal of a religious community based on New Testament models and imbued with the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount. Their core beliefs deriving from Anabaptist traditions are:
  • Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
  • The authority of scripture and the Holy Spirit.
  • Believer's baptism understood as threefold: Baptism by the spirit (internal change of heart), baptism by water (public demonstration of witness), and baptism by blood (martyrdom and asceticism or the practice of strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline).
  • Discipleship understood as an outward sign of an inward change.
  • Discipline in the church, informed by New Testament teachings, particularly of Jesus (for example Matthew 18:15–18). Some Mennonite churches practicethe Meidung (shunning).
  • The Lord's Supper understood as a memorial rather than as a sacrament or Christian rite, ideally shared by baptized believers within the unity and discipline of the church.[46]
One of the earliest expressions of Mennonite faith was the Schleitheim Confession, adopted on February 24, 1527. Its seven articles covered:
  • The Ban (excommunication)
  • Breaking of bread (Communion)
  • Separation from and shunning of the abomination (the Roman Catholic Church and other "worldly" groups and practices)
  • Believer's baptism
  • Pastors in the church
  • Renunciation of the sword (Christian pacifism)
  • Renunciation of the oath (swearing as proof of truth)
The Dordrecht Confession of Faith was adopted on April 21, 1632, by Dutch Mennonites, by Alsatian Mennonites in 1660, and by North American Mennonites in 1725. There is no official creed or catechism of which acceptance is required by congregations or members. However, there are structures and traditions taught as in the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective[47] of Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA.
In 1911 the Mennonite church in the Netherlands (Doopsgezinde Kerk) was the first Dutch church to have a female pastor authorized; she was Anna Zernike.[48]

Worship, doctrine, and tradition

Interior of the Mennonite Church Friedelsheim, Germany
Interior of the Mennonite Church Giethoorn, Netherlands
There is a wide scope of worship, doctrine and traditions among Mennonites today. This section shows the main types of Mennonites as seen from North America. It is far from a specific study of all Mennonite classifications worldwide but it does show a somewhat representative sample of the complicated classifications within the Mennonite faith worldwide.
Mennonite farmer's wife dressmaking, Pennsylvania, 1942
Moderate Mennonites include the largest denominations, the Mennonite Brethren and the Mennonite Church. In most forms of worship and practice they differ very little from other Protestant congregations. There is no special form of dress and no restrictions on use of technology. Worship styles vary greatly between different congregations. There is no formal liturgy; services typically consist of singing, scripture reading, prayer and a sermon. Some churches prefer hymns and choirs; others make use of contemporary Christian music with electronic instruments. Mennonite congregations are self-supporting and appoint their own ministers. There is no requirement for ministers to be approved by the denomination, and sometimes ministers from other denominations will be appointed. A small sum, based on membership numbers, is paid to the denomination, which is used to support central functions such as publication of newsletters and interactions with other denominations and other countries. The distinguishing characteristics of moderate Mennonite churches tend to be ones of emphasis rather than rule. There is an emphasis on peace, community and service. However, members do not live in a separate community—they participate in the general community as "salt and light" to the world (Matt 5:13,14). The main elements of Menno Simons' doctrine are retained, but in a moderated form. Banning is rarely practiced and would in any event have much less effect than those denominations where the community is more tight-knit. Excommunication can occur, and was notably applied by the Mennonite Brethren to members who joined the military during the Second World War. Service in the military is generally not permitted, but service in the legal profession or law enforcement is acceptable. Outreach and help to the wider community at home and abroad is encouraged. The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a leader in foreign aid provision.
Traditionally, very modest dress was expected, particularly in conservative Mennonite circles. As the Mennonite population has become urbanized and more integrated into the wider culture, this visible difference has disappeared outside of conservative Mennonite groups.
The Reformed Mennonite Church, with members in the United States and Canada, represents the first division in the original North American Mennonite body. Called the "First Keepers of the Old Way" by author Stephen Scott, the Reformed Mennonite Church formed in the very early 19th century. Reformed Mennonites see themselves as true followers of Menno Simons' teachings and of the teachings of the New Testament. They have no church rules, but they rely solely on the Bible as their guide. They insist on strict separation from all other forms of worship and dress in conservative plain garb that preserves 18th century Mennonite details. However, they refrain from forcing their Mennonite faith on their children, allow their children to attend public schools, and have permitted the use of automobiles. They are notable for being the church of Milton S. Hershey's mother and famous for the long and bitter ban of Robert Bear, a Pennsylvania farmer who rebelled against what he saw as dishonesty and disunity in the leadership.
Holdeman Mennonites, officially called Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, were founded from a schism in 1859 and has about 22,000 members worldwide. They are known as Holdeman Mennonites after their founder. They emphasize Evangelical conversion and strict church discipline. They stay separate from other Mennonite groups because of their emphasis on the one-true-church doctrine and their use of avoidance toward their own excommunicated members. The Holdeman Mennonites do not believe that the use of modern technology is a sin in itself, but they discourage too intensive a use of the Internet and avoid television, cameras and radio.
Mennonite Horse and Carriage
Old Order Mennonites cover several distinct groups. Some groups use horse and buggy for transportation and speak German while others drive cars and speak English. What most Old Orders share in common is conservative doctrine, dress, and traditions, common roots in 19th century and early 20th century schisms, and a refusal to participate in politics and other so-called "sins of the world". Most Old Order groups also school their children in Mennonite-operated schools.
  • Horse and Buggy Old Order Mennonites came from the main series of Old Order schisms that began in 1872 and ended in 1901 in Ontario, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Midwest, as conservative Mennonites fought the radical changes that the influence of 19th century American Revivalism had on Mennonite worship. Most Horse and Buggy Old Order Mennonites allow the use of tractors for farming, although some groups insist on steel-wheeled tractors to prevent tractors from being used for road transportation. Like the Stauffer or Pike Mennonites (origin 1845 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania), the Groffdale Conference, and the Old Order Mennonite Conference of Ontario, they stress separation from the world, excommunicate, and wear plain clothes. Some Old Order Mennonite groups are unlike the Stauffer or Pike Mennonites in that their form of the ban is less severe because the ex-communicant is not shunned, and is therefore not excluded from the family table, shunned by their spouse, or cut off from business dealings.
  • Automobile Old Order Mennonites, also known as Weaverland Conference Mennonites (having their origins in the Weaverland District of the Lancaster Conference—also calling "Horning"), or Wisler Mennonites in the U.S. Midwest, or the Markham-Waterloo Mennonite Conference having its origins from the Old Order Mennonites of Ontario, Canada, also evolved from the main series of Old Order schisms from 1872 to 1901. They often share the same meeting houses with, and adhere to almost identical forms of Old Order worship as their Horse and Buggy Old Order brethren with whom they parted ways in the early 20th century. Although this group began using cars in 1927, the cars were required to be plain and painted black. The largest group of Automobile Old Orders are still known today as "Black Bumper" Mennonites because some members still paint their chrome bumpers black.
Stauffer Mennonites, or Pike Mennonites, represent one of the first and most conservative forms of North American Horse and Buggy Mennonites. They were founded in 1845, following conflicts about how to discipline children and spousal abuseby a few Mennonite Church members. They almost immediately began to split into separate churches themselves. Today these groups are among the most conservative of all Swiss Mennonites outside the Amish. They stress strict separation from "the world", adhere to "strict withdrawal from and shunning of apostate and separated members", forbid and limit cars and technology and wear plain clothing.
Conservative Mennonites are generally considered those Mennonites who maintain somewhat conservative dress, although carefully accepting other technology. They are not a unified group and are divided into various independent conferences and fellowships such as the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church Conference. Despite the rapid changes that precipitated the Old Order schisms in the last quarter of the 19th century, most Mennonites in the United States and Canada retained a core of traditional beliefs based on a literal interpretation of the New Testament scriptures as well as more external "plain" practices into the beginning of the 20th century. However, disagreements in the United States and Canada between conservative and progressive (i.e. less emphasis on literal interpretation of scriptures) leaders began in the first half of the 20th century and continue to some extent today. Following WWII, a conservative movement emerged from scattered separatist groups as a reaction to the Mennonite churches drifting away from their historical traditions. "Plain" became passé as open criticisms of traditional beliefs and practices broke out in the 1950s and 1960s. The first conservative withdrawals from the progressive group began in the 1950s. These withdrawals continue to the present day in what is now the growing Conservative Movement formed from Mennonite schisms and from combinations with progressive Amish groups. While moderate and progressive Mennonite congregations have dwindled in size, the Conservative Movement congregations continue to exhibit considerable growth. Other conservative Mennonite groups descended from the former Amish-Mennonite churches which split, like the Wisler Mennonites, from the Old Order Amish in the latter part of the 19th century. (The Wisler Mennonites are a grouping descended from the Old Mennonite Church.) There are also other Conservative Mennonite churches that descended from more recent groups that have left the Amish like the Beachy Amish or the Tennessee Brotherhood Churches.
Progressive Mennonite churches allow LGBT members to worship as church members and have been banned from membership in some cases in the moderate groups as result. The Germantown Mennonite Church in Germantown, Pennsylvania is one example of such a progressive Mennonite church.[49]
Some progressive Mennonite Churches place a great emphasis on the Mennonite tradition's teachings on peace and non-violence. Some progressive Mennonite Churches are part of moderate Mennonite denominations (such as the Mennonite Church USA) while others are independent congregations.

Membership

Children in an Old Order Mennonite community selling peanuts nearLamanai in Belize.
In 2009, there were 1,616,126 Mennonites in 82 countries. The United States had the highest number of Mennonites with 387,103 members, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 220,444 members. The third largest concentration of Mennonites was in Ethiopia with 172,306 members, while the fourth largest population was in India with 156,922 members. Europe, the birthplace of Mennonites, had 64,740 members.[1]
Africa has the highest membership growth rate by far, with an increase of 10% to 12% every year, particularly in Ethiopia due to new conversions. African Mennonite churches underwent a dramatic 228% increase in membership during the 1980s and 1990s, attracting thousands of new converts in Tanzania, Kenya, and the Congo.[50] Programs were also founded in Botswana and Swaziland during the 1960s.[51] Mennonite organizations in South Africa, initially stifled under apartheid due to the Afrikaner government's distrust of foreign pacifist churches, have expanded substantially since 1994.[51] In recognition of the dramatic increase in the proportion of African adherents, the Mennonite World Conference held its assembly in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in 2003.[50]
In Latin America growth is not a high as in Africa, but strong because of the high birth rates of traditional Mennonites of German ancestry. Growth in Mennonite membership is slow but steady in North America, the Asia/Pacific region and Caribbean region. Europe has seen a slow and accelerating decline in Mennonite membership since about 1980.

Organization worldwide

Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson, Nebraska, U.S.
Mennonite Church in Hamburg-Altona, Germany
Old Order Mennonite children from San Ignacio, Paraguay.
The most basic unit of organization among Mennonites is the church. There are hundreds or thousands of Mennonite churches and groups, many of which are separate from all others. Some churches are members of regional or area conferences. And some regional or area conferences are affiliated with larger national or international conferences. Thus, there is no single authorized organization that includes all Mennonite peoples worldwide.
For the most part, there is a host of independent Mennonite churches along with a myriad of separate conferences with no particular responsibility to any other group. Independent churches can contain as few as fifty members or as many as 20,000 members. Similar size differences occur among separate conferences. Worship, church discipline and lifestyles vary widely between progressive, moderate, conservative, Old Order and orthodox Mennonites in a vast panoply of distinct, independent, and widely dispersed classifications. For these reasons, no single group of Mennonites anywhere can credibly claim to represent, speak for, or lead all Mennonites worldwide.
The twelve largest Mennonite/Anabaptist groups are:
  1. Mennonite Brethren (300,000 members on six continents worldwide)
  2. Old Order Amish (300,000 in North America)
  3. Meserete Kristos Church in Ethiopia (120,600 members; 126,000 more followers attending alike churches)[52]
  4. Old Colony Mennonite Church (120,000 in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, Paraguay, Belize and Argentina)
  5. Communauté Mennonite au Congo (87,000)
  6. Mennonite Church USA with 79,150 members in the United States
  7. Old Order Mennonites with 60,000 to 80,000 members in in the U.S., Canada and Belize
  8. Kanisa La Mennonite Tanzania with 50,000 members in 240 congregations
  9. Deutsche Mennonitengemeinden with 40,000 members in Germany[53]
  10. Mennonite Church Canada with 35,000 members in Canada
  11. Conservative Mennonites with 30,000 members in over 500 U.S. churches[54]
  12. Church of God in Christ, Mennonite with 21,765 members in about 19,000 in the U.S. and Canada, with the remaining in members in 32 other countries (2008 data)
The Mennonite World Conference is a global community of 95 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Mennonite national churches from 51 countries on six continents. It exists to "facilitate community between Anabaptist-related churches worldwide, and relate to other Christian world communions and organizations", but it is not a governing body of any kind. It is a voluntary community of faith whose decisions are not binding on member churches. The member churches of Mennonite World Conference include the Mennonite Brethren, the Mennonite Church USA, and the Mennonite Church Canada, with a combined total membership of at least 400,000, or about 30% of Mennonites worldwide.

Organization: North America

In 2003, there were about 323,000 Mennonites in the United States.[55] About 114,000 were members of Mennonite Church USA churches, about 26,000 were members of Mennonite Brethren churches, and about 40,000[54] were members of conservative churches. There are between 60,000 and 80,000 Old Order Mennonites. Other sources list 236,084 total United States Mennonites.[56]
Total membership in Mennonite Church USA denominations decreased from about 133,000, before the MC-GC merger in 1998, to about 114,000 after the merger in 2003. In 2016 it had fallen to 79,150. Membership of the Mennonite Church USA is on the decline.[55]
In Canada, there were approximately 130,000 Mennonite church members in 2003 with the largest concentrations in Manitoba, Ontario, and British Columbia.[57] About 37,000 of those were members of Mennonite Church Canada churches and another 35,000 of those members of Mennonite Brethren churches. Approximately 5,000 belonged to conservative Old Order Mennonite churches, or other ultra-conservative and orthodox churches. The remaining 55,000 Mennonites belonged to various other Canadian churches. In 1972 Mennonites in Altona, Manitoba, established the Mennonite Thrift Shop[58] which has now become a world-wide source of assistance to the needy.[59]
As of 2012, there were an estimated 100,000 Old Colony Mennonites in Mexico.[60][61]These Mennonites descend from a mass migration in the 1920s of roughly 6,000 Old Colony Mennonites from the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In 1921, a Canadian Mennonite delegation arriving in Mexico received a privilegium, a promise of non-interference, from the Mexican government. This guarantee of many freedoms was the impetus that created the two original Old Colony settlements near Patos Nuevo IdealDurangoCuauhtémoc, Chihuahua and La Honda, Zacatecas as well as many communities in Aguascalientes.[62]

Organization: United Kingdom

There is the United Kingdom Mennonite Ministry, which is part of the Nationwide Mennonites from Wisconsin (U.S.) which meets in Old Sodbury. There are also the British Conference of Mennonites,[63] and the London Mennonite Centre.[64]

See also

Notes

  1. "Global Statistics - 2015 Directory; Mennonite World Conference". Mwc-cmm.org. 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  2. "Historic Peace Churches". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. RetrievedJan 12, 2013.
  3. "Who are the Mennonites?". Third Way Cafe. Retrieved Jan 12, 2013.
  4. "Did you know...". Mennonite Historical Society of Canada. Retrieved Jan 12, 2013.
  5. "The Mennonite Game". Mennonite Historical Society of Canada. Retrieved Jan 12, 2013.
  6. "Multicultural Canada: Mennonites". Multiculturalcanada.ca. Retrieved Nov 6, 2012.
  7. "Ethnicity". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved Jan 12, 2013.
  8. "Ethiopian conference tops membership"Mennonite Weekly Review. Jul 13, 2005. Retrieved Jul 25, 2011.
  9. "Bolivian Reforms Raise Anxiety on Mennonite Frontier"The New York Times. Retrieved2015-04-05.
  10. Aus Montevideo: Galizische Mennoniten in Uruguay (Nov 1, 2012). "Mennonites from Galitzia in Uruguay". Galizien.org. Retrieved Nov 6, 2012.
  11. Antonio De La Cova (Dec 28, 1999). "Paraguay's Mennonites resent 'fast buck' outsiders". Latinamericanstudies.org. Retrieved Oct 29, 2011.
  12. "Mennonite Disaster Service". Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  13. "Mennonite Conciliation Service". Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  14. Strasser, Rolf Christoph (2006). "Die Zürcher Täufer 1525" [The Zurich Anabaptists 1525](PDF) (in German). EFB Verlag Wetzikon. p. 30. Retrieved Jan 28, 2012.
  15. Murray, Stuart (2010). The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith. Herald Press. ISBN 978-0-8361-9517-0.
  16. Wikisource-logo.svg Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Mennonites". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  17. "Ukrainian Mennonite General Conference — GAMEO". Gameo.org. 1926-10-08. Retrieved2012-11-13.
  18. Rempel, John G. (1957). "Makhno, Nestor (1888–1934)"Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 2010-11-01Two hundred forty names appear on a list of November 1919 of those murdered in Zagradovka. In Borzenkovo in the village of Ebenfeld alone 63 persons were murdered, and in Steinbach of the same settlement 58 persons.
  19. "Altkolonier-Mennoniten in Belize". Taeufergeschichte.net. Retrieved Oct 4, 2014.
  20. Smith p.139
  21. Smith p.360. Smith uses Mennonite-Quaker to refer to Quakers who were formerly Mennonite and retained distinctive Mennonite beliefs and practices.
  22. "First Protest Against Slavery, 1688". Qhpress.org. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  23. Pannabecker p. 7.
  24. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania"(Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note:This includes J. Michael Sausman (August 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Hans Herr House" (PDF). Retrieved Feb 18, 2012.
  25. Pannabecker p. 12.
  26. "North America" (PDF)Mennonite World Conference. 2006. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  27. Bender, Harold S. and Beulah Stauffer Hostetler. "Mennonite Church (MC)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2013. Web. 2 May 2015.http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Church_(MC)&oldid=120422
  28. "Who We Are - Mennonite Church USA"mennoniteusa.org. Mennonite Church USA. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  29. "2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study". Glenmary Research Center. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
  30. Gingerich p. 420.
  31. Krahn, pp. 76–78.
  32. Gingerich p. 452.
  33. Sydney E. Ahlstrom, A Religious History of the American People. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975, I, 292–293.
  34. "Homosexual and bisexual orientation among Mennonites". Religioustolerance.org. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  35. "Mennonite Education Agency > Home". Mennoniteeducation.org. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  36. Westen, John-Henry; Elizabeth O'Brien (Sep 14, 2007). "Forced Education in Homosexuality and Evolution Leads to Exodus of Mennonites from Quebec". LifeSiteNews.com. Archived from the original on Sep 14, 2007. Retrieved Oct 29, 2011.
  37. The Gazette (Aug 16, 2007). "Townsfolk sad to see Mennonites move away"Canada.com. Retrieved Oct 29, 2011.
  38. Hutchinson, Don (Sep 8, 2007). "Faith-Based Education May Result in Loss of House and Home in Quebec". christianity.ca. Archived from the original on Sep 8, 2007. RetrievedOct 29, 2011.
  39. [1]
  40. Huber, Tim. "MWR : Eastern District cuts ties with Germantown church". Mennoworld.org. Retrieved Jan 13, 2013.
  41. "Western District amends one resolution, tables another". The Mennonite. Jul 1, 2012. Retrieved Jan 13, 2013.
  42. "Southeast Conference removes ministerial credential". Themennonite.org. Retrieved2015-04-05.
  43. "Central District takes 2-part action on pastor’s credentials". Mennoworld.org. Retrieved2015-04-05.
  44. "Decision not to discipline pastor stands at WDC". Themennonite.org. Retrieved2015-04-05.
  45. "First Openly Gay Pastor Approved by Mennonite Conference as License Approved". Christiasnpost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  46. In connection with the Lord's Supper, some Mennonites practice feet washing as a continuing outer sign of humility within the church. Feet washing was not originally an Anabaptist practice. Pilgram Marpeck before 1556 included it, and it became widespread in the late 1500s and the 1600s. Today it is practiced by some as a memorial sacrament, in memory of Christ washing the feet of his disciples as recorded in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John.
  47. "Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective". Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  48. "Mankes-Zernike, Anna (1887-1972)". gameo.org. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  49. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved January 25,2006.
  50. Donald B. Kraybill (2010). Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonites. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 3–4.
  51. Robert Herr and Judy Zimmermann Herr, “Building peace in South Africa: A case study in the Mennonite program” in From the Ground Up – Mennonite Contributions to International Peacebuilding (Oxford U. Press, 2000), edited by Cynthia Sampson and John Paul Lederach, pp. 59-69.
  52. [2] Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  53. "Mennoniten in Deutschland". Mennoniten.de. Retrieved Nov 6, 2012.
  54. 2008 CLP church directory
  55. "Mennonite Church Membership Statistics". Mcusa-archives.org. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  56. "Mennonites in the United States" (PDF). Mennonite Weekly Review. Jun 20, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on Dec 13, 2006. Retrieved Jan 21, 2007.
  57. "Mennonites in Canada". Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved May 30,2007.
  58. "Mennonite Thrift Shop". Thrift.mcc.org. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  59. CBC, The World at Six, Mar 17, 2012
  60. Cascante, Manuel M. (8 August 2012). "Los menonitas dejan México"ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 February 2013Los cien mil miembros de esta comunidad anabaptista, establecida en Chihuahua desde 1922, se plantean emigrar a la república rusa de Tartaristán, que se ofrece a acogerlos
  61. "The Mennonite Old Colony Vision: Under siege in Mexico and the Canadian Connection"(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 4, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  62. [3] Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  63. "2003 Europe Mennonite & Brethren in Christ Churches". Mwc-cmm.org. Retrieved Mar 2,2010.
  64. "London Mennonite Centre". Menno.org. Retrieved Mar 2, 2010.

Further reading

  • Epp, Marlene. Mennonite Women in Canada: A History (Winnipeg, University of Manitoba Press, 2008. xiii + 378 pp.)
  • Gingerich, Melvin (1949), Service for Peace, A History of Mennonite Civilian Public Service, Mennonite Central Committee.
  • Heisey, M. J. "'Mennonite Religion was a Family Religion': A Historiography,"Journal of Mennonite Studies (2005), Vol. 23 pp 9–22.
  • Hinojosa, Felipe (2014). Latino Mennonites: Civil Rights, Faith, and Evangelical Culture. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Horsch, James E. (Ed.) (1999), Mennonite Directory, Herald Press. ISBN 0-8361-9454-3
  • Krahn, Cornelius, Gingerich, Melvin & Harms, Orlando (Eds.) (1955). The Mennonite Encyclopedia, Volume I, pp. 76–78. Mennonite Publishing House.
  • Mennonite & Brethren in Christ World Directory 2003. Available On-line athttp://www.mwc-cmm.org/Directory/index.htm
  • Pannabecker, Samuel Floyd (1975), Open Doors: A History of the General Conference Mennonite Church, Faith and Life Press. ISBN 0-87303-636-0
  • Shearer, Tobin Miller (2010). Daily Demonstrators: The Civil Rights Movement in Mennonite Homes and Sanctuaries. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 392.ISBN 0-8018-9700-9.
  • Scott, Stephen (1995), An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups, Good Books, ISBN 1-56148-101-7
  • Smith, C. Henry (1981), Smith's Story of the Mennonites (5th ed. Faith and Life Press). ISBN 0-87303-060-5

External links

Mennonites in Australia and New Zealand - Third Way

Mennonites in Australia and New Zealand - Third Way



MENNONITES IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

There is a small Mennonite presence in Australia which actually traces its origins back to the Anabaptists of the Reformation. A Mennonite man who grew up in The Netherlands pastors Mennonite Church of Hope in New South Wales. Technically it is the only meeting hall/church building in Australia. It belongs to the Australian Conference of Evangelical Mennonites.
Foppe Brouwer, a Dutch Mennonite, moved to New South Wales, Australia in 1952. He and his wife Aaltje (Hazenberg) were sent by the Europaisches Mennonitisches Evangelisations-Komitee (European Mennonite Evangelism Committee), to plant a Mennonite church and outreach in Australia.
Initially the Brouwers developed a newsletter> (De Mennist) and sent it to Mennonite Dutch immigrants living in Australia. Their aim was to locate and bring together the Mennonites of that continent. At the same time, an outreach was begun at Fennell Bay, a small village on the shores of Lake Mcquarie, on the East Coast of New South Wales. They opened a “Care and Share” fruit and vegetable shop. The friendships developed in this shop resulted in the beginning of a Sunday school (attendance 40-50 in 1987). Eventually, a church fellowship, the Mennonite Church of Hope, developed from this outreach. By 1987, 25 adult members had been baptized (average attendance 15 to 35 adults). This church was officially recognized by the federal and state governments in January 1980 under the name Australian Conference of Evangelical Mennonites. In addition to the local outreach, the Mennonite Church of Hope has been working in the city of Newcastle since 1985. Two of its members, Derek and July Bernardson, have opened a Mennonite Information center in the city of Melbourne. In Perth in western Australia, Eastern Mennonite Missions (MC) began planting a church under the leadership of Ian and Anne Duckham, which has recently closed.
In 2000 there was one congregation with a membership of 48.
In addition, there is an association, the Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ), which attempts to network in providing a visible presence and voice for this tradition. The initiative for the establishment of the Association came out of a meeting in Tasmania in May 1995 where participants from a number of Australian states and New Zealand gathered to reflect on the relevance of the Anabaptist tradition for Christian life and witness. The association currently has around 35 members, and a mailing list of members and interested individuals of around 70.
Some information excerpted from the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online

Anabaptist Association of Australia & New Zealand

Anabaptist Association of Australia & New Zealand

REGIONAL LINKS

We suggest for further related information and groups look at:
GROUPS that we like to partner with and we are open to more:
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What's the difference between Mennonites and Amish? - Third Way

What's the difference between Mennonites and Amish? - Third Way

Besides their common historical roots, Mennonite and Amish groups all stress that they should live out their beliefs in daily life. While the groups agree on basic Christian doctrine, their differences come in interpreting how those practices should be lived out.
The original difference in opinion came in 1693, when Jacob Ammann, a Swiss Anabaptist leader, felt that the church leaders were not holding to strict separation from the world and that spiritual renewal was needed. Ammann did not believe that the ban, or shunning, was being practiced as it should be. He separated from the Swiss Brethren segment of the Anabaptists over this issue and his followers were nicknamed “Amish.”
Ammann enforced more separatist ways upon his followers, and today some practices among the Amish include: untrimmed beards and hooks and eyes in place of buttons on outer garments of the men; horse and buggy transportation; horse-drawn implements for farming; plain and distinctive dress patterns; no electricity in homes.
However, most contemporary Mennonites are not outwardly that different from any person you meet on the street, and in fact live in countries around the world with a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. Mennonites believe in simple living, but express that simplicity in a spirit of stewardship and awareness of the needs of others rather than completely separating from society as the Amish continue to do.
The above information was gathered from Anabaptist World USA and other resources. See the MennoMedia store for a booklet called The Amish by John Hostetler, and The Amish: Why They Enchant Us, by Donald B. Kraybill. The Amish in Northern Indiana site provides additional information about the Amish.  The web site, How Stuff Works, also has an excellent section on the Amish.

Spiritual Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out: Corinne McLaughlin, Gordon Davidson: 9780345369833: Amazon.com: Books

Spiritual Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out: Corinne McLaughlin, Gordon Davidson

Spiritual Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out Paperback – July 19, 1994

by Corinne McLaughlin  (Author), Gordon Davidson (Author)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is a fascinating and involving study of the cosmic, karmic and etheric dimensions of politics, world affairs and current events. Drawing from the great spiritual traditions, practices and practitioners, McLaughlin and Davidson, cofounders of the New Synthesis Think Tank and the Sirius Ecological Community, meticulously present the role of metaphysics in the political realm. Looking to ancient wisdom for answers to today's social, economic and environmental ills, they offer a new paradigm of transformational politics: making the political personal through spiritual practice and using this transformational paradigm to change the world from the inside out. ("We must transform ourselves if we intend to transform the world.") In uniting politics with spirituality, the authors describe their concept of the Divine (including reincarnation and a transhuman "Invisible Government" of spiritual guides) in the solemn tone of scholarly reportage. Information-intensive and chock full of empowering suggestions, intriguing stories and uplifting examples of how individuals and groups can make an impact, this thought-provoking assemblage is an enriching, mind-opening book for seekers of spiritual wisdom and political solutions.

Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Knowledgeable and pragmatic, these academic scholar-authors charge American culture with emphasizing the wrong things, and they offer, instead, the spiritual guidance of "the Ageless Wisdom" of Eastern religions, historied secret societies, and New Age approaches from around the world. They make good use of their material, which ranges from real-life stories to modern-day physics; they link esoteric doctrines to practical political practices. Their approach is stimulating, yet their critique and solutions have foundations some readers will question. The synthesis they seek includes a large dose of mysticism, ranging from universally shared, God-imminent, existence to direct links between body parts and spiritual properties. A tantalizing argument for restructuring American public and private life that should appeal to a variety of reformers. Virginia Dwyer

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4.8 out of 5 stars    5 customer reviews

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5.0 out of 5 starsA guide for the spiritual person wanting to help.

By Rick Mathews on May 6, 1999

Format: Paperback

Spiritual Politics is an excellent book for those that want to be connected to making a better world based on their own spiritual practices. The authors offer a vision of inter-connectedness between all religions and cultures and attempt to show that enligtened beings have, and are now, guiding human affairs. The book includes a listing of resources and offers advice about what you can do now.

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5.0 out of 5 starsAn exceptionally erudite reference work with some uncommon knowledge and insights

By Aldeveron on July 29, 2014

Format: Paperback

I am finding this to be a very rich and learned reference work with so much to teach. I am widely read in the field of Eastern and Western spirituality and philosophy, yest this is one book that I've gained new knowledge and insights from. It stands head and shoulders above 95% of the other books of this genre, reflecting the authors' extensive knowledge including some interesting insights into lesser-known belief systems. The books includes an excellent index and bibliography. The writing and layout is if the highest quality which makes this book very readable indeed. This is one book I will not be letting go of!

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4.0 out of 5 starsSpiritual Politics

By Nowhereman on October 21, 2010

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

This is a highly unusual look at world politics that is both quite down to earth and highly metaphysical at times. It looks at the political landscape from a point of view of personal responsibility and individual place in the "body politic" but also provides insight into each nation's "personality" and role in world politics. Its a fascinating, curious and sometimes macabre view into world politics.

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5.0 out of 5 starsA Great Book To Learn About YOUR Government

By SpringWolf, D.D., Ph.D. on February 15, 2001

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

It's ridiculous to think that spirituality doesn't play some roll in the political arena. From the time of the founding fathers to modern day, spirituality has and does influence views and decisions within government decisions every day. This book is an excellent introduction with well researched information into how Spirituality has affected laws and policies, how you can participate to make change for the future, and gives wonderful insight into little known historical facts. A must read for every student of governement.

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5.0 out of 5 starsIndispensable

By Bryan on April 20, 2015

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Indispensable

The Practical Visionary: A New World Guide to Spiritual Growth and Social Change - Kindle edition by Gordon Davidson, Corinne McLaughlin. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

The Practical Visionary: A New World Guide to Spiritual Growth and Social Change - Kindle edition by Gordon Davidson, Corinne McLaughlin. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.



The Practical Visionary: A New World Guide to Spiritual Growth and Social Change Kindle Edition

by Gordon Davidson (Author), Corinne McLaughlin (Author)

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 Corinne McLaughlin

 Follow

Biography

Corinne McLaughlin is co-author of The Practical Visionary, Spiritual Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out (Forward by the Dalai Lama) and Builders of the Dawn, and is Executive Director of The Center for Visionary Leadership, based in California and North Carolina. She is co-founder of Sirius, an ecological village in Massachusetts, and is a Fellow of The World Business Academy and the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland. Corinne directed a national task force for President Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development and taught politics at American University. She has lectured around the U.S., Europe and South America for over 25 years, and has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Fox News. She can be reached at: The Center for Visionary Leadership: www.visionarylead.org or at www.thepracticalvisionary.org or email corinnemc@visionarylead.org

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5.0 out of 5 starsAn Excellent Roadmap!

By Pat Palmer on June 14, 2010

Format: Paperback

I have read so many spiritual development books over the years, that now I generally skim for the good parts. So I was taken by surprise to find, when I picked up "The Practical Visionary," that I was drawn into actually reading the whole book. In fact, I ended up underlining and making !!!s in the margin more than any book I've read in years.



Corinne and Gordon actually share the practical, spiritual approach to life that they live. It feels do-able and effective, yet not overwhelming.



I especially needed this book right now because I have been torn lately - between being pulled among so many possibilities for making a difference in the world, or giving up because of the enormity of the challenges we are facing. This book left me hoping again - based on facts, not just probabilities. I truly got that there IS a new world growing right in the midst of the old!



The authors detail eight keys to spiritual growth and social change. Each one held a special gift for me. Corinne and Gordon have a deep understanding of the shift that is taking place in the human race, and that can also unfold in each one of us personally. They powerfully address both.



Rev. Pat Palmer

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5.0 out of 5 starsMust Read - Practical Visionaries

By Kimberly Weichel on April 26, 2010

Format: Paperback

Practical visionaries Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson offer the most inspiring, comprehensive and practical guide to spiritual growth and social change yet written. This remarkable book includes everything from practical tools to help us clarify our vision and chart our own path, guided mediations that can help us deepen spiritually, examples of innovative solutions that highlight what is possible, different ways that practical visionaries transform problems into creative solutions, and much more. The book gives us a wider sense of what is possible and offers hope for the future - so important in these times. The book inspires, and even challenges, us to find our part in creating the kind of society we wish to see, offering the tools to make our own vision a reality. Bravo!

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5.0 out of 5 starsreview of The Practical Visionary

By Joanne Brem on May 2, 2010

Format: Paperback

Corinne and Gordon lay out for those who may be first coming to this conversation about how to connect into the amazing myriad of initiatives that are part of the emerging new world. It is powerful to read this all in one place, coming from a perspective of having been connected into this world for so many years.



The context they articulate for this time and perspective of how to be "with it all" is well articulated and is an excellent synthesis of so many aspects of being alive at this time on earth. They capture the many questions we all have as we observe the current situation in our country and globally.



This book inspires both just awakening and already awakened humans to new levels in their awareness of and commitment to global transformation.

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5.0 out of 5 starsA Excellent Conscious Resource to Help Guide You Into the Future

By Suzanne Strisower, Author of Award-Winning Life Purpose Books on July 22, 2014

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Excellent book with lots of links and resources for people wanting to know what is happening on the planet and how to fall into the future with consciousness and connection. I highly recommend this book - it offers many resources, meditations, contemplations and a positive perspective about the future.

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5.0 out of 5 starsOutstanding! Inspiring!

By Joe Vitale on December 13, 2010

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

The Practical Visionary offers overwhelming proof that every social problem you can name is being addressed by some person or group. There are entire chapters stuffed with resources. It does the soul good to see so much being done in the world to move us forward to unity. In a time when the mainstream media rarely nods in the direction of the good deeds people are doing, seeing all this evidence for the positive is wonderful.



None of this is to say you or I are off the hook. We can't let others solve all the problems we see. We have work to do. But the best way to do it is to align with your connection to the Universe and do what's right for you. As you do what you are called to do, you become The Practical Visionary.



Besides all the resources, wisdom, and optimism in the book, another reason I love it are the meditations in it. Early on there is a vivid one about pretending to turn an inner knob to raise the vibration of your energy until it matches that of Spirit. I was a little tired as I began the meditation, but just imagining playing with an inner frequency dial that raised my energy actually did raise it. Nice.



The Practical Visionary reveals eight keys for transforming yourself and the world. It's not an either-or approach. As you work on yourself, you work on the world; as you work on the world, you work on yourself.



The Practical Visionary is a mind-expanding and soul-enriching book that helps move you into a new paradigm. You might even call it The Abundance Paradigm. :)



There are some statements in the book that make you sit bolt upright and take notice, such as:



"To progress spiritually, you shouldn't just go with the flow of whatever is happening, as some people mistakenly advise, as some flows of energy are good and some are harmful."



And -



"On a deeper, metaphysical level money is concretized energy or prana (life force)."



And -



"Schedule your activities. While planning is an intention, scheduling is a commitment."



There's so much more in The Practical Visionary that I just want to keep writing about it. But instead of reading this review, go read the book. I love this book and suggest you read it, share it, and act on it. It's at Amazon, in book stores, and available from the publisher: Unity.



Remember, The Practical Visionary is you.

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Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening: Matthew Engelhart, Terces Engelhart, Megan Marie Brown: 9781556437298: Amazon.com: Books

Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening: Matthew Engelhart, Terces Engelhart, Megan Marie Brown

Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening Paperback – May 6, 2008

by Matthew Engelhart  (Author), & 2 more

4.5 out of 5 stars    20 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 starsBusiness as it should be

By Amazon Customer on May 11, 2008

Format: Paperback

In "Sacred Commerce, Business as a Path of Awakening" business is not a usual. Matthew and Terces Engelhart show how a profitable business does not have to follow the common pattern of business that measures success with dollar signs alone. Their new book discusses an approach to business that recognizes the importance of the employees well being and the experience of the guest first.

This book follows a step by step approach to implement a business practice that is also a spiritual practice. A place where profit, awakening, sustainability, and service can work together to make a work place that gives everyone who experiences it an opportunity to grow spiritually instead of a workplace that restricts the time you have to spend on your spiritual life.

While the book itself is not long in length it is filled with a series of very short chapters that explain each and every point made. I found that instead of making the same statement over and over in slightly different ways the writing style of this book was more about using an economy of words to make a point. Yet it was necessary to take your time and ponder over each and every sentence to be sure not to miss a single point. Most chapters ended with the opportunity to put into practice the point that was made in that chapter.

Having come from Years of work in the food service industry I would have loved to have worked in a workplace much like the one the Engelhart's have created. Now that I have my on business as a sole proprietor I hope to find ways to also incorporate some of their principles in the work I do. While I do not have any employees in my business I know that I can implement these practices with my clients and the way I approach business on a daily basis.

This book is a must read for anyone who struggles with the desire to maintain their spirituality while following their passion in the business of their choice. Being a spiritual business owner is the change that the world needs at this time while many other businesses have lost their ability to serve the communities that they are earning their living from.

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1.0 out of 5 starsUninspiring and uninformative

By Amazon Customer on May 16, 2008

Format: Paperback

"Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening" offers to share tools for building a spiritual community in the workplace, developed by the authors in running their own businesses. While the book does tantalize the reader with a few interesting ideas, it falls short of the mark with poor organization, inadequate introduction to concepts, lack of detail, and non-productive distractions.



The authors expect a great deal from the reader, perhaps writing to an audience of Buddhist capitalists who are already familiar with Sawaf and Gabrielle's "Sacred Commerce: The Rise of the Global Citizen," various popular self-help books, and stories written on Starbucks coffee cups. New terms are frequently used without definition and without strong enough contexts for the reader to be able to do more than guess at the meanings. Combined with these undefined terms is an abuse of the English language (intended to be cute or catchy) that makes the text often confusing and difficult to read, coming off as meaningless drivel at the best of times. Some of the ideas and terms border on offensive, such as the idea of the business manager as a "shaman," probably because the authors fail to sell the reader on the core concepts.



While the book does present one or two guidelines for implementing their methods, and a few exercises that suggest ways to put their ideas into practice, mostly the "tools" are scantily presented with insufficient explanation, few illustrative examples, or sufficient detail to make the techniques and ideas particularly useful or even understandable. In general, the book is poorly organized, almost appearing to be a random collection of chapters with no clear transitions from one topic to the next, and something that appears to be a glossary (but on close inspection, is not) inserted in the middle. Hopefully, when the finalized version hits the shelves, it contains the promised "Appendix" (not found in the advanced reading copy read by this reviewer).



The text is riddled with distractions that fail to lead the reader to the point and often detract from the flow. Spiritual quotes interrupt rather than inspire. The authors imply self-doubt or defensiveness in the form of negative statements, such as "Our Sacred Enterprise... is often accused of being a cult..." that add nothing to the reader's understanding and diminish the book's credibility. Other seemingly random or out-of-place statements and anecdotes simply leave the reader wondering what the original point was.



Priced similarly to best selling classics in the genre (for example, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" or Lencioni's business fables), this very thin book does not deliver the same bang for the buck. Short on content and failing to inspire, "Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening" comes off as a mildly interesting, sketchy outline of a book-in-progress, or worse, an advertisement for a trendy restaurant chain disguised as a professional improvement book.

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4.0 out of 5 starsInteresting book

By dlowe on September 11, 2010

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

We've been exploring socially conscious ways of operating businesses. This was one of several books we've read on the subject. They've used some really unusual techniques to change the energy of the business they are running. It was fascinating to read about.

I don't think I could work in the environment they've created but I can see where it could be very beneficial to a number of people. We've

pulled a number of ideas out of this book that we are working to incorporate in our business structure. It is worth the read, not only for the good ideas but as a way to stretch the limits of what we think might be possible as far as employee interaction goes.

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5.0 out of 5 starsA bow to the wisdom and beauty of this book

By Kevin J. Kelly on October 30, 2011

Format: Paperback

First a disclaimer or two. I am not a Buddhist capitalist nor have I ever met the authors or visited their cafe. Although having read this I want to both meet them and eat in their establishment. This book was given to me because of a conversation I was having with a socially awake and concerned entrepreneur when we were discussing conscious business practices. I completed my read of it this morning. There is a wonderful discussion going on in our world today that uses different terms, conscious business, conscious capitalism, and sacred commerce to name just three. When I hear any of those they strike a cord in me. Long ago I had a little flower shop and I used to tell people that it was my chapel. I did not know others also found the sacred in their businesses. I am so grateful today that people are stepping to the plate and discussing this idea, which is vibrant and beautiful. This book adds just the right word to the discussion both with the story of Cafe Gratitude and some of the authors' insights for how one can establish the sacred in their business. As an imaginative and intuitive reader I was grateful that the authors have written a book that is more inspiration than self help even though some suggestions are given for practice and that they have written a book that supports the reader in his our her own contemplation of the topic. I bow to the wisdom and the beauty of this book. Kevin Joel KellyLetting the Lotus Bloom, the Expression of Soul through Flowers

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더 나은 삶을 향한 여행, 공동체 - 대안적 생활을 고민하는 생태 공동체 만들기

더 나은 삶을 향한 여행, 공동체 - 대안적 생활을 고민하는 생태 공동체 만들기

코린 맥러플린 | 고든 데이비드슨 (지은이) | 황대권 (옮긴이) | 생각비행 | 2015-06-05 |
원제 Builders Of The Dawn: Community Lifestyle in a changing world

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공동체의 역사와 발전사, 다양한 공동체의 철학과 이념, 두 저자가 공동체를 시작하면서 체험한 공동체의 실제 모습, 세계 유수의 공동체를 방문하면서 느낀 다양한 경험을 상세히 소개하고 있기에, 공동체를 이루려는 사람들이 고민하는 많은 문제의 해결점을 제시해준다. 내용의 충실함이나 깊이로 보나 이 책은 공동체를 안내하는 데 있어 고전의 반열에 든다.

이 책은 이 땅에 좋은 공동체가 더 많이 생겨나고, 더 많이 가꾸어지길 바라는 사람들의 협업으로 탄생한 결과물이다. 은혜공동체는 약 80명 정도의 구성원이 경희대 서울캠퍼스 근처에서 함께 살아가는 행복과 즐거움을 만끽하고 있다. 공동체를 이뤄 사회적 연대를 실천하며 살다 보니 다른 공동체의 삶에도 점차 관심이 생겼다. 다양한 자료를 함께 공부하던 와중에 이 책을 발견했다. 하지만 아쉽게도 10년 전에 출간된 한국어판은 절판된 지 오래였다.

이에 은혜공동체 구성원들의 제안으로 번역자 황대권과 출판사 생각비행이 뜻을 모아, 우리 사회에 행복한 공간이 더 많이 생겨나기를 바라는 마음을 담아 정식으로 재출간 작업을 진행했다. 누구 하나라도 욕심을 냈다면 이뤄질 수 없는 일이었다. 더구나 이전 책의 내용을 새롭게 다듬는 작업, 현재 시점에서 각종 공동체의 현황과 추전 자료 등을 보완하는 작업은 공동체의 힘이 아니면 불가능한 일이었다.
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발간사 / 옮긴이의 말 / 머리말 / 추천의 글

1 공동체를 향한 인간의 갈망

공동체의 의미 | 부족과 마을의 쇠퇴, 그리고 대안 공동체의 발흥 | 대안 공동체의 매력 | 공동체에 사는 사람들 | 공동체의 성장 | 성공의 기준 | 유토피아? | 새로운 공동체의 비전

2 공동체로 사는 이유

공동체의 혜택 | 생활비 줄이기 | 동료애와 지원 | 영적 성장과 심리적 성장 | 권한 강화와 자유 | 사회를 위한 연구와 개발 | 미래를 위한 교육 | 휴식과 피정을 위한 센터 | 봉사 | 전체성과 종합성 창출하기 | 빛의 센터들

3 공동체에서 일어날 수 있는 일/문제와 갈등

갈등 | 집단주의 대 개인주의 | 사적 공간 대 공동 공간 | 의존성 대 자율성 | 의무적인 활동 대 자발적인 활동 | 이상주의 대 현실주의 | 목표 지향 대 과정 지향 | 계획 대 자발성 | 일 중독자와 회의 중독자 | 단기 체류 | 풀리지 않는 가정이라는 ‘업’ | 음식문제 | 깔끔함과 지저분함

4 공동체의 역사?초기 수도원에서 히피 공동체까지

고대의 수도원과 아슈람 | 미국의 식민지 이주자 | 1800년대의 유토피아 | 1800년대와 1980년대 공동체의 유사성 | 1800년대와 1980년대 공동체의 차이점 | 키부츠 | 1960년대 히피 | 도시의 ‘임시 합숙소’ | 정치적 공동체 | 전원 공동체 | 1960년대 공동체와 1990년대 공동체 비교 | 1970년대 | 컬트와 진정한 뉴에이지 공동체는 어떻게 다른가

5 공동체의 다양한 경제시스템

들어가기에 앞서 | 트윈 오크스 공동체 | 알파 농장 | 르네상스 공동체 | 시리우스 공동체 | 아난다 공동체 | 섀넌 농장 | 알바스트라 | 페어디웰 공동체 | 지구적 차원에 적용된 공동체 | 경제의 교훈

6 새로운 형태의 관리와 리더십

공동체에 의해 개발된 혁신적인 관리 방법 | 패스워크 공동체(세븐오크스와 피니시아) | 필라델피아 라이프 센터(새로운 사회를 위한 운동) | 오자이 재단 | 오로빌 공동체 | 핀드혼 공동체

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저자 : 코린 맥러플린 (Corinne McLaughlin)

신간알리미 신청

 최근작 : <더 나은 삶을 향한 여행, 공동체>,<월드 쇼크 2012>,<새벽의 건설자들> … 총 6종 (모두보기)

 소개 : 시리우스 공동체의 창설자로 새로운 공동체 건설, 공동체 내의 문제를 해결하거나 그 아이디어를 교외나 도시의 공동체에 적용하는 것에 관심이 있는 그룹들에게 광범위한 자문을 해왔다. 이 책에 소개된 원칙과 기술을 다양한 분야에 적용하는 일을 정부 기관, 회사 임원 그리고 중소기업들과 함께 했다. 또한 뉴에이지 공동체와 미국의 영적 운명(The Spiritual Destiny of America)을 비롯하여 다양한 주제로 강연과 워크숍을 진행했다.

저자 : 고든 데이비드슨

저자파일


신간알리미 신청

 최근작 : <더 나은 삶을 향한 여행, 공동체>

 소개 : 시리우스 공동체의 창설자로 새로운 공동체 건설, 공동체 내의 문제를 해결하거나 그 아이디어를 교외나 도시의 공동체에 적용하는 것에 관심이 있는 그룹들에게 광범위한 자문을 해왔다. 이 책에 소개된 원칙과 기술을 다양한 분야에 적용하는 일을 정부 기관, 회사 임원 그리고 중소기업들과 함께 했다. 또한 뉴에이지 공동체와 미국의 영적 운명(The Spiritual Destiny of America)을 비롯하여 다양한 주제로 강연과 워크숍을 진행했다.

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것들이었다. 예전 같으면 잘 주목하지 않았던 그들이 신령스러운 존재, 나와 똑같은 생명을 지닌 존재로 다가온 것이다. 그 이후 나는 감옥 안에 야생초 화...

“공동체를 고민하는 이들을 위한 충실한 안내서”

공동체는 삶을 구상하고 창조하는 힘을 기르는 곳이라고 할 수 있다. 공동체는 사람을 새롭게 한다. 공동체가 그 역할을 잘한다면 우리는 익숙한 삶의 경계를 넘어 새로운 영역으로 나아갈 수 있다. 공동체에서 변화된 개인은 사회 변화를 위한 촉매가 되기 때문이다.

이 책은 공동체의 역사와 발전사, 다양한 공동체의 철학과 이념, 두 저자가 공동체를 시작하면서 체험한 공동체의 실제 모습, 세계 유수의 공동체를 방문하면서 느낀 다양한 경험을 상세히 소개하고 있기에, 공동체를 이루려는 사람들이 고민하는 많은 문제의 해결점을 제시해준다. 내용의 충실함이나 깊이로 보나 이 책은 공동체를 안내하는 데 있어 고전의 반열에 든다. 한국에 새로운 삶을 모색하는 공동체를 이루기 위한 다양한 시도가 일어나고 있다. 이 시점에 이 책은 창조적이며 실질적인 공동체를 지향하는 구성원들에게 충실한 안내서가 되어줄 것이다.

“공동체적 협업으로 직접 만든 공동체 책”

《더 나은 삶을 향한 여행, 공동체》는 이 땅에 좋은 공동체가 더 많이 생겨나고, 더 많이 가꾸어지길 바라는 사람들의 협업으로 탄생한 결과물이다.

은혜공동체는 약 80명 정도의 구성원이 경희대 서울캠퍼스 근처에서 함께 살아가는 행복과 즐거움을 만끽하고 있다. 공동체를 이뤄 사회적 연대를 실천하며 살다 보니 다른 공동체의 삶에도 점차 관심이 생겼다. 다양한 자료를 함께 공부하던 와중에 이 책을 발견했다. 하지만 아쉽게도 10년 전에 출간된 한국어판은 절판된 지 오래였다.

이에 은혜공동체 구성원들의 제안으로 번역자 황대권과 출판사 생각비행이 뜻을 모아, 우리 사회에 행복한 공간이 더 많이 생겨나기를 바라는 마음을 담아 정식으로 재출간 작업을 진행했다. 누구 하나라도 욕심을 냈다면 이뤄질 수 없는 일이었다. 더구나 이전 책의 내용을 새롭게 다듬는 작업, 현재 시점에서 각종 공동체의 현황과 추전 자료 등을 보완하는 작업은 공동체의 힘이 아니면 불가능한 일이었다.

공동체에 필요한 균형 감각

이 책의 저자들은 공동체의 근본 원리와 운영 방법을 풍부한 실제 사례를 통해 탁월하게 정리한다. 공동체를 이루고 싶지만 그 구체적인 노하우를 알아볼 데가 없어 똑같은 시행착오를 반복해야 했던 과거의 경험을 거울삼아, 이 책의 안내를 참조하여 우리 사회에 대안적인 공동체가 많이 생겨나기를 기대한다.

대부분의 공동체는 처음엔 자자급자족하는 단순한 삶에 대한 열망으로 시작한다. 그러다 서서히 사회 환경과 구성원의 인식이 변화하면서 점차 유기농 관련 사업에서부터 컴퓨터 사업과 같은 첨단 사업에 이르기까지 적극적으로 진출하는 사례가 늘어난다. 이때 중요한 건 공동체의 정체성을 잃지 않으면서 기성 사회와 교류하고 적응하는 ‘균형 감각’이다. 공동체라면 막연히 주류 사회에서 이탈해야 하는 것으로 생각하는 공동체는 자생력을 갖기도, 오래 지속되기도 어렵다.

왜 우리는 공동체를 꿈꾸는가?

점점 심각해지는 경제적 양극화 문제, 환경오염, 에너지 문제, 인간 소외, 실업, 지구적 차원의 자연재해 등은 우리에게 이전과는 다른 삶과 새로운 접근 방법을 고민하게 한다. 대안적 삶을 생각하는 공동체는 인류가 나아가야 할 미래의 여정에 길 안내도를 그리는 것과 같다.

공동체는 무한경쟁으로 치닫는 사회에서 새로운 삶의 양식을 고민하게 할 뿐 아니라 새로운 사람을 키우는 근간이 된다. 또한 공동체는 사회의 병폐에 적극적으로 대처하는 선구자 역할을 할 뿐 아니라 점차 사라져가는 공동체 의식을 회복하는 데 필요한 태도와 가치를 함양하는 교육장이기도 하다. 공동체 안에서 우리는 자신의 요구와 타인의 요구 사이에 균형을 이루면서, 전체 구조와 불가분의 존재로서 살아가는 법을 배운다.

오늘날 공동체 운동의 파장은 성공한 특정 공동체의 영향력에서 비롯된 것이라기보다, 다양한 공동체가 갈등 해소와 원활한 의사소통을 위해 새로운 기법을 고민하고, 대안 에너지의 필요를 제안하며, 삶을 건강하게 유지하는 방법을 찾는 등 인간 생활의 수많은 영역에서 이뤄낸 혁신과 통합의 결과물이라고 할 수 있다.

더 나은 삶을 향한 여행, 공동체

이처럼 공동체는 더 나은 삶을 구상하고 창조하는 힘을 기르는 곳이다. 공동체가 그 역할을 잘 감당한다면 우리는 익숙한 세상의 경계를 넘어 새로운 영역으로 나아갈 수 있다. 우리는 세계를 바꿀 수 있다. 월트 디즈니가 했던 멋진 말처럼 “상상력으로 세상을 만들어가는 사람들(Imagineers)”이 될 수 있다. 공동체적 가치를 배움으로써 우리는 창조적 의지의 공동체로, 스스로 치유가 가능한 세상을 실현하고자 하는 열망과 헌신의 공동체로 나아갈 수 있다.


Intern brings Korean voice for reconciliation to UN | Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

Intern brings Korean voice for reconciliation to UN | Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

Intern brings Korean voice for reconciliation to UN

October 3, 2013 - MCC staff

Intern JeaHyun Nham stands with Lynn Roth of Mennonite World Conference at the Mennonite Central Committee United Nations Office where she works.
MCC Photo/Doug Hostetter
Intern JeaHyun Nham stands with Lynn Roth of Mennonite World Conference at the Mennonite Central Committee United Nations Office where she works.
NEW YORK, N.Y. – JeaHyun Nham from South Korea is the latest Mennonite World Conference (MWC) intern to join the staff of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) United Nations Office. The intern is a joint appointment of MCC and MWC.
Nham is a member of Jesus Village Church in Chuncheon, Republic of Korea (ROK/South Korea). The church, founded in 1996, models itself on the spirit of early Anabaptists.
In ROK, Nham is an undergraduate student at Underwood International College in Seoul, majoring in International Studies and Comparative Literature and Culture. She also has worked at a refugee center in Seoul, helping people from other countries process their refugee status.
Last year, Nham was an exchange student at the University of California, Berkeley. Following her year in New York, she will complete her final year of college in South Korea.
Nham first learned about MCC when she and her family visited the MCC East Coast Material Resources Center in Ephrata, Pa., six years ago during her father’s sabbatical year in Cleveland, Ohio.
“I learned of all of the supplies that MCC sent to aid many Korean refugees during the Korean War,” Nham said. “Without the helping hand of organizations like MCC, it would have been impossible for the Korean people to have risen from the ashes of the Korean War.
“I realized that MCC puts the love of Jesus for humanity into practice as they share a portion of his love through their assistance. I am eager to pass the torch of love to many other nations worldwide by joining the MCC mission at the U.N. office.”
Nham is the seventh MCC-MWC intern to serve in this role. All were supported by MWC and were participants in MCC’s International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP), a service opportunity for young adults from outside Canada and the U.S., said Doug Hostetter, director of the MCC U.N. Office.
During her one-year internship, which began in August, Nham expects to learn more about how MCC works within the U.N. community to build bridges of understanding between peoples and nations. She also will bring her own background and experience on peacebuilding.
“I particularly wish to contribute a Korean voice for reconciliation and peace to the efforts to end the bitter war which had divided the Korean peninsula on 38th parallel for 60 years,” Nham said.
“As I commute to work, I see graffiti on the wall of the New York subway saying, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere (Martin Luther King, Jr.).’ I want to be God’s farmer, eradicating the root of injustice and planting the earth with seeds of peace and reconciliation.”
All of the interns have brought the voice and the concerns of their churches and their people to the U.N. community, Hostetter said.
“They have worked hard to build communication between their congregations and national churches in their home countries and the world community of diplomats and faith-based nongovernmental organizations at the U.N.,” he said.
The interns also shared their faith and built understanding between Anabaptists in the global north and global south as they worshipped with Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Canada and the U.S.
Hostetter said that after their internships are complete, interns have become more deeply involved in their home churches and often participate in the work of the Young Anabaptists (YABs) network of MWC.
The search process for the 2014 intern begins in December. Applicants must be a member of a church affiliated with MWC; single; 22-30 years old; fluent in English; and with interest and some university-level studies in international affairs, peace studies, development or related fields. The home location rotates; the next intern will be from Latin America.
Interested candidates are invited to contact the MCC office in their country for IVEP application materials, or contact Lynn Roth, North American representative of MWC at LynnRoth@mwc-cmm.org.