Myers, Enns and Roth speak at Interchurch Relations consultation

Communications Office

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Sixty people from across Mennonite Church USA met July 1 to 3 in Akron, Pa., as part of a consultation focused on the theme Connecting with ‘old’ and ‘new’ Anabaptists. Ched Myers, Elaine Enns and John D. Roth were presenters.

The two-and-a-half-day event was spent reflecting on this theme and on how Mennonite Church USA relates to Christians of other traditions. Participants included pastors, area conference leaders, denominational leaders, seminary professors and theologians and service and mission agency staff. The consultation was sponsored by Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership and was the third such consultation sponsored since 2004.

Myers describes himself as part of the “first wave of Anabaptist viral infection” of the broader Christian church. Coming to faith through the Jesus movement, he became part of a network of intentional communities inspired by the writings of John Howard Yoder and other Anabaptists.

“I found a theological home, if not a hearth to warm myself by,” he said. 

Myers and his wife, Elaine Enns, encouraged Mennonite Church USA to build relationships with “new” Anabaptists today. Myers travels widely in a ministry of teaching, writing and organizing to strengthen Biblical literacy and radical discipleship.  Enns is a writer, teacher and practitioner of restorative justice. Enns grew up in a Mennonite community. Myers joined a Mennonite congregation two months ago.

Enns highlighted a variety of Christian communities and networks whose life is focused on discipleship and following Jesus. Some in this “second wave” of discipleship communities are quite isolated and feel like refugees from the church.

“Set the table,” Myers suggested, “and invite these folks to talk to each other and to you about their discipleship experience.” It will be mutually rewarding, Enns and Myers promised.

John D. Roth, Goshen College professor, spoke to the group about facing its own history of division and working for healing of relationships within the Anabaptist family. He suggested three guidelines for these encounters: telling our story as confession rather than judgment, extending a vulnerable hospitality and practicing radial patience.

During the consultation, André Gingerich Stoner, director of Interchurch Relations for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership, presented a staff report on ongoing interchurch initiatives. Major attention during the past years involved processing membership in Christian Churches Together. Other ongoing involvements include cultivating relationship with the Pentecostal denomination, Church of God Cleveland and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as well as working with Friends and the Church of the Brethren to host a broadly interchurch peace gathering in Philadelphia in January 2009. Staff time for Interchurch Relations has been recently increased to two days a week.

Participants at the Akron consultation affirmed these areas of work as well as commissioning and sending individuals and teams to visit and build relationships with communities, churches and movements that share a discipleship orientation. The group also encouraged strengthening inter-Mennonite connections that already exist.