History of the Mennonites

History of THE MENNONITES

Over 500 years ago, in Zurich, Switzerland, a small group of Believers began to have serious questions about practices in the established church. One practice in particular which they questioned was that of infant baptism. They believed that according to Scripture, baptism was to be only for Believers who had trusted Jesus as the only Way of salvation. In 1525, a small gathering of men and women who had been baptized as infants gathered secretly and baptized each other as Believers in Jesus. This sparked a movement that quickly gathered momentum. The church and state authorities did not look kindly upon these believers, and they derisively called them “Anabaptists” (those who baptize again). The early Anabaptists were severely persecuted by both the church authorities and the state authorities. They were hunted down, thrown into prison, tortured, and many were executed for their beliefs.

The Anabaptists scattered and some made their way into the Netherlands where a Catholic Priest named Menno Simons became convinced that their teaching was Scriptural and joined the movement. He became a notable leader among the Anabaptists and his writings were instrumental in shaping the beliefs of the movement.. Menno Simons took Jesus’ words, “Put away your sword”, as a command for all of Christ’s followers to reject violence of any kind. He believed that Christ’s followers should be known for their willingness to die in love for even their enemies, rather than take up weapons in self-defense. The reluctance of the Anabaptists to join the military was cause for even more persecution. Menno Simons’ detractors gave his followers the name “Mennonites” and the name stuck!

Today, you will find Mennonites all over the world with a wide variety of beliefs and practices. But one belief which unites most of us is that Jesus is our Great Example of how we should live. We strive to follow Him in all we do and allow Him to direct how we respond to all people and situations in life.