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2010-01-04 issue:

Anglo Anabaptist congregations in the cities are growing

Urban and suburban areas are good ground for Anabaptism and rich soil for the future of Mennonite Church USA

by Ryan Ahlgrim

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Within the rich mosaic of Mennonite Church USA is a distinctive set of congregations that will play an increasingly important role in our denomination's future. Mennonite racial-ethnic congregations are growing, but there is another group of congregations whose growth, creativity and Anabaptist commitments are also making a valuable contribution to Mennonite Church USA.

After checking the Mennonite Church USA Directory and making some phone calls, I compiled a list (not exhaustive) of MC USA congregations that share the following characteristics:
• urban or suburban
• predominantly Anglo
• attracting young adults and generally growing
• strong Mennonite identity
• membership of at least 70.

I asked all the congregations on my list to complete an online survey, and in the spring of 2009 seven of them agreed to do so. The survey consisted of 26 questions taken directly from the recent Mennonite Church USA survey (Church Member Profile 2006) so I could compare results with the denomination as a whole. The questions I selected focused on distinctively Mennonite convictions (e.g. peacemaking, service to others, mutual accountability, simple lifestyle), various social/moral issues (e.g. social justice, abortion, divorce, use of alcohol, homosexuality) and attitudes toward evangelism. I combined the survey rults from those seven congregations with results from my own congregation, making 458 responses from the following eight congregations:

• First Mennonite Church, Indianapolis
• First Mennonite Church of Denver
• Hyattsville (Md.) Mennonite Church
• Kern Road Mennonite Church, South Bend, Ind.
• Pasadena (Calif.) Mennonite Church
• Pittsburgh Mennonite Church
• Portland (Ore.) Mennonite Church
• Trinity Mennonite Church, Glendale, Ariz.

If these eight congregations are representative of growing, predominantly Anglo, urban/suburban Mennonite congregations, then the survey results reveal that this set of congregations is more strongly committed to Anabaptist convictions than the denomination as a whole.




For instance, in response to the question, "How important is peacemaking and nonviolence in your personal faith commitments?" over 72 percent of Anglo-urbans said "very important" compared with 50 percent of MC USA members as a whole. And in response to the statement, "It is wrong for Christians to fight in any war," 88 percent of Anglo-urbans agreed, compared with 65 percent of MC USA members.

Regarding other distinctive Mennonite beliefs, the Anglo-urbans displayed equal or sometimes slightly stronger convictions than MC USA members as a whole. The commitment to serving those within, as well as outside, the church was similarly high for each group, as was the commitment to a simple lifestyle, to giving and receiving counsel, and to building strong bonds of community.

In response to the statement, 'Distinctive Mennonite beliefs are very important to me," the Anglo-urbans agreed by 92 percent compared with 87 percent of MC USA members. Similarly, the Anglo-urbans were five percentage points higher on thinking that Mennonite teachings more accurately reflect the Word of God than the teachings of any other denomination. They were also five percentage points higher on their personal commitment to MC USA. (The statistical margin of error makes these results essentially even.)




On the other hand, when it comes to filing lawsuits or swearing in court, the Anglo-urbans are slightly less committed to avoiding these practices than are MC USA members as a whole (though both groups were about evenly split on whether engaging in these is right or not).
The differences between Anglo-urbans and MC USA members as a whole are most apparent when it comes to how they responded to various social and moral issues. Fifty percent of MC USA members said that drinking alcohol is "always wrong," but only 7 percent of Anglo-urbans thought so. Similarly, 57 percent of MC USA members thought abortion is always wrong, but only 10 percent of Anglo-urbans agreed. 

For the denomination as a whole, 61 percent indicated that divorce is "usually wrong" or "always wrong," but the Anglo-urbans checked those options only 27 percent of the time. Regarding premarital sex, 74 percent of MC USA members said it is “always wrong,” compared with just 27 percent of the Anglo-urbans (although both groups were equally and overwhelmingly opposed to adultery). Perhaps the biggest difference was attitudes toward homosexuality, with 79 percent of MC USA members saying homosexual relations between consenting adults is “always wrong,” compared to 18 percent of the Anglo-urbans. On the other hand, Anglo-urbans are far more committed to promoting social justice, with 61 percent indicating this is "very important," compared with 29 percent of MC USA members.

On these last two issues, the young adults (aged 21-35) in the Anglo-urban congregations are even further apart from other Mennonite Church USA members. Within the Anglo-urban congregations, 34 percent of young adults said homosexual relations between consenting adults are “never wrong,” compared with 16 percent of the older adults in those congregations, and 3 percent in MC USA. And over 76 percent of Anglo-urban young adults consider promoting social justice in the world as "very important" to their personal faith commitments, compared with 55 percent of older Anglo-urban adults (and 27 percent of Mennonite Church USA, as noted above). Regarding distinctive Mennonite convictions, Anglo-urban young adults are as committed as the older adults in their congregations.




When it comes to evangelism, Anglo-urbans are far more skittish than most other members of Mennonite Church USA, especially when couched in the language of "converting" others. Whereas 42 percent of Mennonite Church USA members admit that they "never" try to convert others to faith in Christ, that number rises to over 76 percent for Anglo-urbans—despite the fact that the survey is based on eight Anglo-urban congregations that are attracting young adults and growing. Although conversion and evangelism have negative connotations for most Anglo-urbans, they talk about their faith with others about as frequently as other Mennonites.

In summary, the survey revealed that growing, Anglo-urban Mennonite congregations are at least equally committed to Anabaptist convictions, and even more strongly committed to the peace position, than are members of Mennonite Church USA as a whole. On various social issues, these congregations are more tolerant of diversity and more strongly committed to social justice. They dislike trying to convert others but are still sharing their faith and growing. And the young adults who are attracted to these congregations share these convictions with equal and sometimes greater passion.

Why are these congregations growing? I interviewed the pastors of the surveyed congregations to find out what they thought were the reasons for their growth. All of them indicated that they are growing because they emphasize Anabaptism. Not only are Mennonites, who are migrating to the cities, looking for congregations with strong Anabaptist teachings, but so are non-Mennonites who are tired of churches that ride the nationalistic bandwagon. 




Within evangelical, mainline and Catholic Christian circles there is a growing movement (sometimes called the emerging church) that is embracing peacemaking, social justice, ecology, community, egalitarianism, a simple lifestyle, creative spirituality and following Jesus.

For these people, urban Mennonite churches are often exactly what they are looking for.
Anglo-urban Mennonite congregations are translating Anabaptist beliefs into fresh language and images and applying them to urban concerns such as race, poverty and sexual orientation.

Flip-boards, self-published booklets, special classes and creative Web sites challenge and inform newcomers about Anabaptist ideas and commitments, while the cultural markers of Mennonitism (such as focusing on who you are related to or using "insider language") are downplayed. The focus is more on clarity than certainty—being clear about what they are committed to without rejecting or condemning all other approaches.

These congregations seek connections among their members without being rigid, being resilient but also loose. As one pastor put it, his congregation holds together vision and playfulness. Meaningful worship is central for Anglo-urban congregations, and so there is often an emphasis on creativity and the use of visual arts. Some congregations maintain a strong commitment to four-part a cappella singing, while others are experimenting with new music forms. Frequently pastors told me that young adults are given leadership and are not segregated from the older adults.

From this survey and the follow-up interviews it is clear to me that urban and suburban areas are good ground for Anabaptism and rich soil for the future of Mennonite Church USA. Congregations in these environments have strong growth potential and will help keep our denomination's commitment to Anabaptism alive and vibrant. Together with the racial-ethnic congregations, the Anglo-urban congregations will represent a growing part of our future. For these reasons, conferences and the denomination should be actively planting more of these distinctively Anabaptist congregations in urban and suburban areas.—Ryan Ahlgrim is the pastor of First Mennonite Church of Indianapolis.

Reader Comments

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  • Posted by moyerf at Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 12:32 PM

    Thanks, Ryan, for this helpful survey and article. This is good news! --Forrest Moyer, Palm, PA

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