Personal experience with Mennonite church?

[Chris in VA]

Anyone have personal experience with this church? Good or bad--you can pm me if you feel more comfortable.

I can certainly do my own research, but I would benefit from the more personal testimonies.

I am "looking around" a bit. I'd probably go with the looser interpretations, if that makes any sense.

[cara]

My only experience is what I've seen in my mom's family and it isn't a positive one. I'm sure their are great people who are Mennonite, but my mom's family as a whole has left a sour taste in my mouth towards the religion. I hope you find what you are looking for.

[Guest Amy in MS]

Anyone have personal experience with this church? Good or bad--you can pm me if you feel more comfortable.

I can certainly do my own research, but I would benefit from the more personal testimonies.

I am "looking around" a bit. I'd probably go with the looser interpretations, if that makes any sense.

 

Well, how loose? :)

There are very liberal churches, more interested in social justice, non-resistance, and less focused on "Biblical Christianity" They wouldn't have any dress standards and would have women preachers, etc. Then, there are the middlins to very conservative. The Biblical Mennonite Alliance is on the liberal end of the conservatives. Small veil headcoverings, dresses on women. Men only in leadership, but women may speak in services. No TV, but many have computer.

 

Let me ask, are you born-again? This will help me to know which sorts/gradations, you'd feel more comfortable in :)

 

PS. I've PMed you

 

~A.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Amy in MS
to add PM note

[sparrow]

No TV, but many have computer.

 

 

 

That surprised us! We live in an area with large Amish and Mennonite populations. We own a campground and had 3 Mennonite families camped with us last year. They all wore what I consider typical, conservative Mennonite clothing for our area (women in mostly pastel, modest dresses and men with suspenders and beards) but they ALL had laptops they were checking constantly :).

 

Do you know why there is typically no TV, but computers are acceptable? Just curious :bigear:!

[Chris in VA]

No TV, but many have computer

.

 

Thank God LOST is over...lol

[Guest Amy in MS]

It would depend on congregation. Many view computer as business-related and potentially educational. TV is merely Entertainment. This was the view of the BMA church I attended.

 

I have lots of conservative Menno friends on Facebook, but they don't have TVs *G* !

 

Amy

[Hedgehogs4]

Growing up we attended a Mennonite church in the Conservative Conference. I think they have become a little less plain than they were then, and even then they were not too plain (plain meaning little style to the dresses as a pp mentioned, suspenders and beards on the men). The community was very close-knit, and they were all good people, though just like everyone they have their own peculiar brands of dysfunction. The families had t.v., don't know about that...but most were farmers or craftsmen / carpenters, busy, honest folk. they did not use instruments in worship except for the occasional guitar for a special music.

 

Theologically they were conservative, Biblical, and pacifist. Men in leadership, women could speak but not teach men, small head coverings for the women, though most of the older women still used a larger covering, some with ribbons.

[Negin]

 

This is a great quiz and, IMHO, right on. :)

[elizabeth]

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/books/review/Christensen-t.html A delightful book about leaving her Mennonite background and returning. A funny, frank and sometimes ribald book. We have friends that are a related denomination Peace Church of the Brethren. No personal experience other than these wonderful people who actually introduced us to the concept of home schooling. He is our electrician and his family is a longtime friend of our family for generations. My dh grandfather and mine were also dear friends, there are benefits to staying in one locale for many years.:lol:

[Jen+4dc]

This is a great quiz and, IMHO, right on. :)

 

lol I took this just for kicks and the #1 result it gave me was my faith. Plus, the only 3 faiths I've ever considered joining were in the top 5 results.;)

[Terabith]

There are a ton of Mennonites who are fully in the technological world. My sister in law went to Eastern Mennonite University and loved it. I have a ton of respect for the Mennonites. Very committed to peace and justice. Very sincere. I don't have any church recommendations, but I know Harrisonburg has a lot of Mennonite churches. May I ask what and where you are looking for?

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

This is a great quiz and, IMHO, right on. :)

 

 

My #1 was right-on but the rest of the top 5 were strange to me. Churches I wouldn't consider. :lol: Well, I take it back I have thought it would be wonderful to be a Quaker!

[Chris in VA]

Said I'm 100% orthodox Quaker. Go figure.

I do love Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline!:D

[Blessedfamily]

It said Orthodox Quaker for me, too. If you find anything, call me Chris. I'm in the market for a new church.

[cougarmom4]

This is a great quiz and, IMHO, right on. :)

 

Wow! It was right on for me, too!

 

One of my close friends is Mennonite--she & her husband are great examples of Christians who reach out to others around them. From my understanding there are lots and lots of differences among congregations--it kind of depends on what you are looking for and what each congregation views as important. I remember her talking about a division of their congregation because one group liked one leader/the other didn't. We were living in an area with an Amish community close by and then within that area there were quite a few congregations of Mennonite.

[Dmmetler]

I grew up in a very Mennonite area (Rod & Staff is published in my hometown). I agree that there's a wide range. I knew kids who came into town in a buggy to shop once a month, and girls who wore jeans and were allowed to watch movies on a VCR. I went to Mennonite summer camps where the same applied-some girls in long skirts and bonnets, others in jeans and hiking boots. I attended skating parties (because the Mennonite high school didn't have dances) where contemporary Christian music was played on Saturday, then went to church on Sunday in a chapel lighted by candles and oil lamps, where all music was 4 part acapella vocals. A lot of my friends had spent their early years in foreign countries as children of missionaries, then came back to the USA when their oldest sibling was ready to enter high school, and many were homeschooled for elementary/middle school.

 

I really wanted to be Mennonite growing up. I loved the churches, I loved the idea of being homeschooled in Africa (and envied one of my best friend's British English accent and ability to speak multiple languages, none of which sounded anything like the French and Latin I studied in school). I loved the music and the way entire families would sing together. I loved the way my friend's mother included all the kids in chores, including those who just happened to be hanging around the house-and for some reason, it was much more fun to help out with hanging laundry or ironing there than at home :).

 

Having said that, in my community being Mennonite was as much a culture as a religion-and I'm not sure that any outsider could ever fully join it. I could visit it, could be friends with the kids, could enjoy it-but I wasn't PART of it. And I've heard the same from friends of mine who weren't Mennonite, but attended the Mennonite high school because their parents wanted a Christian school or because they just plain didn't fit into the public one-that they were always just slightly separate from the group, and always had a feeling that they didn't quite belong.

 

Regardless, I'd visit, try it out, and see what you think and whether you feel like it's home to you-just as you'd do with any other church.

[yslek]

My Grandpa was a pastor for the Church of the Brethren. The Church of the Brethren came out of the same movement (Anabaptist) that the Mennonite and Amish churches did, but tends to be more liberal.

[Chris in VA]

I think maybe I'm destined to never have a church home while I'm a here on Earth, much as I feel I'll never have a true physical home.

Kinda sucks.

But, that's life.

I'd just continue where I am and hope God can figure it all out!

[aggieamy]

That was an interesting quiz. My top two were:

 

100% Hinduism

94% Catholic

 

I'm a practicing cradle Catholic but I guess if that doesn't work out for me then I'll investigate being a Hindu. :001_smile:

[mommaduck]

Yes, I've had a variety of experiences. Having been IN an ultra conservative Mennonite church, THAT experience was cultish and horrifying (please note that I'm referring to a specific, though unnamed group of Mennonites). I also have had a horrible experience with another particular anabaptist group.

 

That said: I've had wonderful experiences with Jo Wengers (old order/horse and buggy Mennonite) and Amish. Beachy has it's good and bad...and I do know an Amish minister that encourages his people to go to the Beachy if they decide to leave the (old order) Amish. Then again, the Jo Wengers and Amish are two that #1 I've never tried joining (merely done business with and been neighbours with) and #2 aren't full of converts that both muddy the waters and have caused issues to run rampant.

 

 

Edited to add: you can't just ask about "the Mennonite church" as there are over 40 groups ranging from horse and buggy to ultra-fundamentalist conservative (though car driving) to mainstream (will remind you of any other baptistic church) to liberal (ordaining women, etc). So you may wish to be more specific.

Edited May 31, 2010 by mommaduck

[EthiopianFood]

Well, how loose? :)

There are very liberal churches, more interested in social justice, non-resistance, and less focused on "Biblical Christianity"

 

Oh wow. I think you didn't get the whole story from someone, unfortunately. Mennonites who focus on social justice and non-violent resistance believe this IS Biblical Christianity. They believe in living as Jesus lived, in loving their neighbor as they love themselves. They believe in letting their actions show their faith, not just their words. Many denominations believe this to some extent, but Mennonites believe action is more important than preaching, or even the only preaching that is necessary. They believe faith changes your life, changes how you live, that Jesus' love changes us, and that we should then love others in the same way. I'm completely rambling here, but I hope I'm making some sense.

 

To answer the OP, there are very conservative churches and very liberal churches, as others have said. My church is in the middle. I converted by choice. I converted from Evangelicalism, or rather, turned away from it, then realized years later that the Mennonite church (at least, the one I had found) reflected my own heart in many ways. I found a church that believes that all people are created equally by God, and that God is a citizen of no country! Therefore, there are no subgroups with nothing to offer, in need of Westerners to show "the light" to them, i.e. Western culture mixed in with Christianity. ALL Bible-believing churches are God's churches, and we can learn from them, as they can from us. They believe in living as Jesus lived, showing love and respect to others, not so you can lure them into converting, but because that is the natural result of following Christ. In the Bible, Jesus had dinner with the "sinners" (at THEIR house, not offering THEM food with the condition that they then start going to synagogue) and blasted the RELIGIOUS people for their hypocrisy. He went off on a hill to teach the people, letting it be their choice to listen, rather than preaching in the street for the population's own good, whether they wanted to hear or not. I could go on and on, but this is the Mennonite church that I have found. If any of this resonates with you, I encourage you to visit the churches in your area. Hopefully you will find a church that stays true to this vision, as all churches have their faults, some more glaring than others.

 

Ultimately, I stay with my church because they love me and my family, and expect nothing in return. Most of them would do anything they could to help us if we needed it. They cry when I am hurting, and rejoice when things are going well for me. They are truly like a second family to me.

 

And as a disclaimer, I am only expressing my own experience and opinion. I know that Evangelicalism works for a great number of people, and that there are many different expressions of that faith. The Mennonite church is no more perfect than any other. We (everyone) are all just doing the best we can to figure stuff out in the best way we know how, and that path leads us all to different places. I hope everyone finds whatever resonates best with them, whether it is what I would choose or not! :)

Edited May 31, 2010 by RaeAnne

[phathui5]

Our family attended North Baltimore Mennonite Church for about two and a half years before we moved to New York. My parents started going after we did and are still members.

 

The church has a lot of social events: potluck lunches after service, an annual service in the park, weekly fellowship groups, a lot outreach and work in the community. One such community outreach is the Mennonite school on the other side of Baltimore that our church helped support http://www.mountclarechristian.org/ . Their school started as and remains a service to the families in their community who need a better school for their children.

 

I found them to be welcoming, loving and accepting of all kinds of people. They are an "MCUSA" church, which seems to be the more liberal Mennonite denomination. Although I am probably more conservative than most of the members there, I wasn't treated any differently.

 

I helped with the Children's Church Ministry for the last year we were there. We used some materials from Rod and Staff publishers, but I designed the schedule myself.

 

Here is their website:

 

http://enbmc.org/

 

Like some other posters have said, there are all different flavors of Mennonite. On the one hand, I'm sitting at home posting on my wireless laptop and we have a TV. On the other hand, I won't wear pants unless I'm at the gym and I wear a headcovering.

 

I wish we were still going there. We moved to upstate New York last October. Every Sunday, we go to the (non-mennonite) church we've started going to here, and I miss our Menno church.

Edited May 31, 2010 by phathui5

[Guest Amy in MS]

Oh wow. I think you didn't get the whole story from someone, unfortunately. Mennonites who focus on social justice and non-violent resistance believe this IS Biblical Christianity. They believe in living as Jesus lived, in loving their neighbor as they love themselves.. . . . .

 

 

Yes, this is why I put "Biblical Christianity" in quotes. Sorry for not making that clearer.

 

~A.

[Impish]

I tried the quiz...and apparently, I'd fit with LDS. Funny enough, its the church that I've attended for the longest in my past, but not something that I agree with now. Out of my top 6, 5 I have serious objection to! :lol:

[mrbmom77]

Top five on the quiz:

 

Orthodox Judaism

Eastern Orthodox

Roman Catholic

Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant

and Islam

 

Very interesting...

 

But I have nothing useful to contribute re:Mennonites. :)

Edited May 31, 2010 by mrbmom77

[Orthodox6]

This is a great quiz and, IMHO, right on. :)

 

I don't understand why something with an alleged 94% correspondence was ranked #1 for me, whereas something with an alleged 100% correspondence was ranked #2. The poll states that the higher-ranked on the list, the greater the alignment with the person's beliefs. Obviously doesn't work ! :confused:

[Blessedfamily]

I didn't find it extremely helpful (though interesting) because they lumped too many protestant groups together. Maybe there are too many Protestant groups to practically describe, but it limited the effectiveness of the quiz for me.

[jillian]

my number one was LDS however I am and identify most with Roman Catholicism. Others in my top 5 were Orthodox Judaism, Mainline-->Conservative Protestant and Buddhism......

[Teachin'Mine]

That was an interesting quiz. My top two were:

 

100% Hinduism

94% Catholic

 

I'm a practicing cradle Catholic but I guess if that doesn't work out for me then I'll investigate being a Hindu. :001_smile:

 

I'm a practicing cradle Catholic too, but for me Roman Catholic came out 8th!!! Maybe I'm getting an inkling into why some don't consider me Catholic enough. :001_huh: Top was mainline/conservative Protestant (100%) and after that Quaker and then Mormon. I guess I didn't understand the questions or something ... But I thought some of it was hard to answer because they were asking what do you need to get into Heaven, and what I need to do for myself, isn't necessarily the same as what others need to do. Even the first question was hard for me as the first two were close, but neither one quite right. I think I'm just a lousy test taker.

 

Quaker beliefs have always interested me, but I'd never leave the Holy Eucharist or my Rosary, or my Saints, or ... :)

[mom2abcd]

That quiz site was shared on another board and found to have lots of problems. I wouldn't put much credibility in it.

 

Someone wrote:

 

<<My top two were:

 

100% Hinduism

94% Catholic>>

 

Two totally different RELIGIONS! LOL

 

<<I don't understand why something with an alleged 94% correspondence was ranked #1 for me, whereas something with an alleged 100% correspondence was ranked #2. The poll states that the higher-ranked on the list, the greater the alignment with the person's beliefs. Obviously doesn't work !>>

[Blessedfamily]

I'm a practicing cradle Catholic too' date=' but for me Roman Catholic came out 8th!!! Maybe I'm getting an inkling into why some don't consider me Catholic enough. :001_huh: Top was mainline/conservative Protestant (100%) and after that Quaker and then Mormon. [b']I guess I didn't understand the questions or something ... But I thought some of it was hard to answer because they were asking what do you need to get into Heaven, and what I need to do for myself, isn't necessarily the same as what others need to do. Even the first question was hard for me as the first two were close, but neither one quite right. [/b] I think I'm just a lousy test taker.

 

Quaker beliefs have always interested me, but I'd never leave the Holy Eucharist or my Rosary, or my Saints, or ... :)

 

I had the same problems. It was asking if you believed certain things were necessary for salvation. Some of it I believe is a command to be obeyed, but doesn't make you saved.

[Lisaroe]

Yes, I've had a variety of experiences. Having been IN an ultra conservative Mennonite church, THAT experience was cultish and horrifying (please note that I'm referring to a specific, though unnamed group of Mennonites). I also have had a horrible experience with another particular anabaptist group.

 

That said: I've had wonderful experiences with Jo Wengers (old order/horse and buggy Mennonite) and Amish. Beachy has it's good and bad...and I do know an Amish minister that encourages his people to go to the Beachy if they decide to leave the (old order) Amish. Then again, the Jo Wengers and Amish are two that #1 I've never tried joining (merely done business with and been neighbours with) and #2 aren't full of converts that both muddy the waters and have caused issues to run rampant.

 

 

Edited to add: you can't just ask about "the Mennonite church" as there are over 40 groups ranging from horse and buggy to ultra-fundamentalist conservative (though car driving) to mainstream (will remind you of any other baptistic church) to liberal (ordaining women, etc). So you may wish to be more specific.

 

 

LOL- Sorry I know this is a serious conversation- but I was raised Mennonite- I am pretty modern, conservative, and not part of some weird cult. I have never worn a head scarf, or driven a buggy, but my dad does have a beard.

My parents taught me to absorb the bible daily, work hard, learn as much as you can, love all, and Christ comes first. ( Truely, if you put him first-He will take care of the rest.) But I have never heard of the Mennonite Church ordaining Women. Hmmmm....that is something to think about and to look into.

I do homeschool my children because I do not want them involved in the local social climate found in our local High School.

 

I don't mean to make light of such a Wonderful group of people and as quoted above they are a very diverse church. My Mennonite family is musical, wonderful, creative, and literately would give you the shirt off their backs kind of people- to me that is everything Mennonite.

I too have spent years looking for the right church- one similar to My Grandparent's Mennonite Church that showed great love and acceptance to anyone who walked through the door. Unfortunately, it is too far away to attend. But one thing that was instilled in me was: my relationship with Christ is ultimately MY relationship not the church's. My true comfort comes from him and him alone.

Lisa

[Guest Amy in MS]

Hi, Lisa

Check out the Mennonite USA church. They were among the first to ordain women. May still be the only ones, actually. And not in all congregations.

 

www.mennoniteusa.org

 

Amy

[TravelingChris]

We couldn't be Mennonite since we are military. I used to babysit for a Mennonite family and they were good people. They didn't drive buggies or anything like that but did try to live more simply than many others. Since I was in college and this was before PCs were hardly around, it wasn't much different from my lifestyle then. THey didn't dress differently either. But they were into peace and social justice.

[Chris in VA]

So, is it a Mennonite belief to think the military is wrong and no one should ever fight in it? Or just Mennonites shouldn't fight in it?

[mommaduck]

LOL- Sorry I know this is a serious conversation- but I was raised Mennonite- I am pretty modern, conservative, and not part of some weird cult. I have never worn a head scarf, or driven a buggy, but my dad does have a beard.

My parents taught me to absorb the bible daily, work hard, learn as much as you can, love all, and Christ comes first. ( Truely, if you put him first-He will take care of the rest.) But I have never heard of the Mennonite Church ordaining Women. Hmmmm....that is something to think about and to look into.

I do homeschool my children because I do not want them involved in the local social climate found in our local High School.

 

I don't mean to make light of such a Wonderful group of people and as quoted above they are a very diverse church. My Mennonite family is musical, wonderful, creative, and literately would give you the shirt off their backs kind of people- to me that is everything Mennonite.

I too have spent years looking for the right church- one similar to My Grandparent's Mennonite Church that showed great love and acceptance to anyone who walked through the door. Unfortunately, it is too far away to attend. But one thing that was instilled in me was: my relationship with Christ is ultimately MY relationship not the church's. My true comfort comes from him and him alone.

Lisa

 

Please know that none of this was to demean anyone :( Merely my own experience and to show that "Mennonite" and "Anabaptist" run the gamut. The one group I was involved directly with has a negative reputation amoungst even the other groups of Mennonites and the other group of Anabaptists (neither Mennonite nor Amish) is also not looked well upon by the other groups, as the main focus is to convert from the other groups and homeschoolers.

[KIN]

I am Mennonite. I have a TV, computer, eletricity, and even had my nose pierced for a while. :) Several friends at church have nose piercings. I would be glad to answer any questions you have. I didn't read the entire thread.

[Denisemomof4]

Said I'm 100% orthodox Quaker. Go figure.

 

 

:001_unsure: me too. :001_unsure:

 

Maybe that's why I've been so unhappy with church, as has dh, and we've given up on corporate worship.

[EthiopianFood]

So, is it a Mennonite belief to think the military is wrong and no one should ever fight in it? Or just Mennonites shouldn't fight in it?

 

Well, yes and no to both. They (I say they because I don't know what I believe about this, even though I do consider myself a Mennonite) believe that war isn't the answer to the problems of the world, that violence only begets more violence. If a Mennonite votes, they would probably vote against things like increased military spending, etc. There is a member of our church who is very active in working toward the irradication of the use of cluster bombs. At the same time, they would show the exact same love to a military family that they would show to anyone else. In my experience, a Mennonite wouldn't tell someone they shouldn't be in the military, but they wouldn't TELL them much of ANYTHING in the way of how they should or should not live. They would simply live out their lives as they believe God wants them to, and leave the rest up to God.

 

I'm not sure what part you are emphasizing, but if you are wondering how a Mennonite would respond to someone being in the military, they would treat them as any other human being, deserving of love and respect in Jesus. That is all that matters.

[AFwife Claire]

I'm not sure what part you are emphasizing, but if you are wondering how a Mennonite would respond to someone being in the military, they would treat them as any other human being, deserving of love and respect in Jesus. That is all that matters.

 

I think you are exactly right. We had AF friends who were stationed up at Minot (ND) awhile back. They had a hard time finding a church, and they ended up at a Mennonite one. They did not feel looked down on or anything about their being military, and they went to the church for the rest of their assignment and really enjoyed it.

[EthiopianFood]

I think you are exactly right. We had AF friends who were stationed up at Minot (ND) awhile back. They had a hard time finding a church, and they ended up at a Mennonite one. They did not feel looked down on or anything about their being military, and they went to the church for the rest of their assignment and really enjoyed it.

 

I'm so glad they had this experience. :)

[Guest Amy in MS]

That's wonderful.

Mennonite churches do run the gamut. There are certainly plenty of churches one could not be members in if they were in the military, but they would be treated well, and kindly by the congregation. I had a friend who attended a conservative Mennonite church for a long time. Her family couldn't join though because her husband was in a union. They left after about 10 years for a "Charity Christian Fellowship" church.

It depends on the conference of the congregation.

[Miss Tick]

Mennonite Zombies!

[Jean in Newcastle]

12 year old zombie 

[Xahm]

Out of curiosity and boredom I searched the name of "Nick" the poster above and read for about 5 minutes. It's a mess. I don't recommend. Some people are really angry. He went to jail. Probably the colleges aren't too blame, but I don't care enough to read any more. If Nick himself is posting, he should stop.