Mennonite World Conference’s vision of global unity hasn’t drawn everyone in. The Amish and other Plain groups never joined. Ecumenical associations don’t fit their traditions.
The point is: Anabaptist identity doesn’t depend on MWC membership. Being in (or out) doesn’t make anyone more (or less) Anabaptist. There are no Anabaptist keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:19) for MWC to hold.
MWC isn’t a gated community but a sanctuary with an open door. When beloved members walk out, leaving rows of empty pews, those left behind will miss them dearly.
That’s what happened in September when the Meserete Kristos Church in Ethiopia withdrew from MWC. Its leaders felt the need to distance their church from those that accept same-sex relationships.
MWC is diminished by the loss of its largest national church, a 500,000-member body that has never split. By turning away from the dynamic center of global Anabaptism, MKC may be diminished as well.
MWC is not the only way for Anabaptists to be in fellowship. In North America, a historic connection with Ethiopia holds promise for maintaining a relationship. MKC emerged from the work of Lancaster Mennonite Conference missionaries in the 1940s, giving today’s LMC an inside track.
Ethiopian leaders emphasize that they are not abandoning Anabaptism. Kebede Bekere, an ordained minister and teacher, told AW that MKC wants to contribute to the renewal of global Anabaptist churches “by reminding them of biblical teachings and the beliefs and practices of the Anabaptists of the 16th century.”
Ironically, by leaving MWC, Ethiopians will forgo opportunities to do this. Within MWC membership, interacting with those whose beliefs differ on certain points, the process of reminding might become a dialogue, the kind of encounter everyone learns from. Ethiopians have much to offer, drawing from their experience of rapid growth during and after persecution under a repressive government in the 1980s.
In the Global North as well as the South, the reminders that Kebede speaks of begin at home. He indicates the need for education when he observes that “most MKC members know little about Mennonites or Anabaptists.” In the past year, this lack of knowledge made it easier for critics on social media to cast MWC in a negative light. “People began demanding that MKC withdraw from organizations that accepted same-sex marriage,” he said.
MWC takes no position on same-sex marriage, and rightly so. Rather, it invites members to gather around seven core beliefs — its Shared Convictions — which everyone affirms while respecting, or at least tolerating, differences on other matters.
People have cited the Shared Convictions as a solution to clashes over more detailed Confessions of Faith. Not this time. Once again, conflict over sexuality and scripture has broken the bonds of unity. Spiritual kinship can withstand almost every other divergence.
If others follow MKC out the door, MWC’s unifying mission will be at risk. MWC leaders are concerned about the stress that disagreement over sexuality has caused.
“Like many global Christian denominations, MWC faces serious challenges as we seek to preserve this unity amid divisive viewpoints on same-sex relationships,” MWC general secretary César García wrote in an Aug. 21 pastoral letter. “We have seen how social media can spread rumors, deepen mistrust and create unhealthy communication among our members.”
He notes that a proposal to reaffirm respect for each national church’s self-governance failed at the 2018 General Council meeting. A new proposal is being worked on for 2028, when the next MWC assembly will convene in Tanzania. Ethiopia had been scheduled to host, but MKC withdrew the invitation last November.
In the wake of MKC’s departure, it is important that traditional and progressive Anabaptists alike uphold MWC’s historic unifying role. Essential for all is an attitude of humility and charity, recognizing that everyone’s convictions are, as Garcia says in his pastoral letter, “shaped by our diverse cultures, histories, experiences and interpretations of scripture.”
In Ethiopia’s Amharic language, MKC means “Christ Foundation Church.” The name affirms the anchor that supports MWC’s seven core beliefs. It’s a bedrock far stronger than humans can build. It used to be enough to hold MWC together.
An MWC study guide, What We Believe Together, says that when delegates from around the world approved the Shared Convictions in 2006, they “experienced a joyous consensus.” The MWC family is less joyful now.
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