Maybe you decided to visit Holmes County to glimpse the Amish, or eat some "Amish and Mennonite cooking." Maybe you want to see how Mennonites worship? If so, you've come to the right place.
Who are we at BMC? Are Mennonites simply Amish who drive cars? Not exactly.
Mennonites are Christian Anabaptists (meaning re-baptizers) named after Menno Simons (1496-1561), an early Anabaptist leader whose writings helped nurture persecuted believers. Mennonites hold several important beliefs in common with the Amish including community, simplicity, adult baptism, peacemaking, and daily following Jesus. These beliefs come through how we read the Scriptures. Generally, we believe that Jesus's ministry, death, and resurrection are the interpretive lens for how we read Scripture. Anabaptist theologian Palmer Becker writes about Mennonites: "Jesus is the center of our faith, community is the center of our lives, and reconciliation is the center of our work."
How Mennonites express our beliefs varies widely, because the primary decision-making body is the local church. Unlike some understandings of church that operate top-down for uniformity, most Mennonite churches each decide for themselves. Similarly-minded churches affiliate in networks and cooperate for worship and mission, but these are loose structures. As my friend says, "If you've been to one Mennonite Church, you've been to one Mennonite church."
Mennonites are also a global, multi-ethnic faith. While many Amish and Mennonites in Holmes County are descended from European immigrants, globally, most Mennonites outside of North America live in countries like Tanzania, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Paraguay, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (see the accompanying map to see where most global Mennonites live.)
While this is a brief explanation, the best way to get to know the Mennonites is to start a relationship with us. Feel free to reach out and visit!