Young adults will have a bigger role in Mennonite World Conference gatherings taking place this summer in Europe.

MWC is increasing the frequency its Global Youth Summit from every six years to every three years and welcoming young adults to be delegates at the business meetings of MWC’s General Council.

The Global Youth Summit will gather under the theme of “Empowered by Love” (1 John 4:11) May 31 to June 1 in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, after celebrations related to the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism take place May 29 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Young adults aged 18-30 are the target audience, but youth groups accompanied by a supervising adult may also register to participate. Activities at the summit will include worshiping together, reflecting on faith across cultures, learning about the local culture and growing understanding through workshops.

MWC’s Executive Committee approved a proposal in 2024 to increase the summit’s gatherings because the six-year cycle many young adults could only participate in global activities once.

“A lot of change can happen in six years,” said Elina Ciptadi, MWC interim chief communications officer. She was once the Asia representative for MWC’s original young Anabaptists committee. “They may start their term as a university student but end their term as a working adult, spouse and parent.”

This year’s committee is hoping to get as many participants as possible to gather in Germany after the festivities in neighboring Switzerland.

“MWC is trying to bring together 55 young adult delegates, each representing a national conference, from 37 countries. This is one of the largest groups of delegates we’ve had so far,” said Nezer Mondez of the Philippians. He has been a Global Youth Summit delegate since 2015 and is a member of the committee planning this year’s gathering. “It’s a perfect opportunity for anyone to experience firsthand different cultures coming together.”

In addition to the youth gathering, Mondez is also looking forward to the different dynamics young adults will bring to General Council meetings.

“Young people are known to be innovative and creative thinkers while a much older church leader is full of wisdom and dedication,” he said. “I believe bringing together these two generations of leaders will bring encouragement to one another.”

More information is at mwc-cmm.org/en/young-anabaptists.