Conservative Anabaptist Church Finder & Information

[HumbleDan]

Hello,

I am looking for an anabaptist church for myself, my wife, and 3.5 year old daughter to visit in the Ephrata, PA area that has experience welcoming seekers with no anabaptist background.

Intermediate-conservative or something similar would be best as my wife is still studying scripture and may need time before being ready to meeting more conservative expectations.

A place where we would both be comfortable although we are at different places in our faith.

I am looking for a community that aligns with biblical principles, has a great mens Bible study group, and an overall strong community that takes care of one another.

Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

[NedFlanders]

This may sound weird but although intermediates sound nice and welcoming some of the worldliness can really turn a person off. I recommend Nationwide(they do not expect or want you to change quickly) or even gently recommend Holdeman.(Some of the most welcoming experiences we’ve had were with them). It is too easy to become disillusioned and that was more what I felt in intermediate and less conservative settings. More conservative churches can be disillusioning very much too but there is a different commitment and stability that can be much better for newcomers too.
Pray and let the Lord guide where He wants you to be.

[ohio jones]

I recommend Nationwide or even gently recommend Holdeman.

Do they have churches near Ephrata with experience welcoming seekers?

[Josh]

This may sound weird but although intermediates sound nice and welcoming some of the worldliness can really turn a person off. I recommend Nationwide(they do not expect or want you to change quickly) or even gently recommend Holdeman.(Some of the most welcoming experiences we’ve had were with them). It is too easy to become disillusioned and that was more what I felt in intermediate and less conservative settings. More conservative churches can be disillusioning very much too but there is a different commitment and stability that can be much better for newcomers too.
Pray and let the Lord guide where He wants you to be.

That’s an interesting perspective, Ned; I “matriculated” through moderate Beachy type of fellowships / RNoC and then ended up at the Holdemans and agree it was a surprisingly welcoming experience, along with not much pressure to change quickly at all.

My experience with Nationwides was very positive, albeit in a mission setting in Australia. They bent over backwards to accommodate seekers there.

[Ernie]

If you are looking for a friendly church with a variety of cultures present that will not put pressure on you, I recommend the River Brethren church in Mt. Joy. They are a stable church for many years. But it is a half hour drive from Ephrata. I can give you a contact name if you PM me. Blessings in your search!

[NedFlanders]

This may sound weird but although intermediates sound nice and welcoming some of the worldliness can really turn a person off. I recommend Nationwide(they do not expect or want you to change quickly) or even gently recommend Holdeman.(Some of the most welcoming experiences we’ve had were with them). It is too easy to become disillusioned and that was more what I felt in intermediate and less conservative settings. More conservative churches can be disillusioning very much too but there is a different commitment and stability that can be much better for newcomers too.
Pray and let the Lord guide where He wants you to be.

That’s an interesting perspective, Ned; I “matriculated” through moderate Beachy type of fellowships / RNoC and then ended up at the Holdemans and agree it was a surprisingly welcoming experience, along with not much pressure to change quickly at all.

My experience with Nationwides was very positive, albeit in a mission setting in Australia. They bent over backwards to accommodate seekers there.

I believe Nationwide and Holdeman have in their views of church and/or the function of the church - a dynamic different under the surface of transitional churches. This might be one of the most important details for seekers.

As a seeker exits a broader way of life into a more strait and narrow way their view and direction is changing. Where on the other hand many so called CA churches to choose from have an aspect of transitional or at least people raised in a more restricted environment coming to a looser one. I’m not saying this is always negative but for a seeker even who is still quite carnal the direction difference will eventually cause difficulties and disillusionment.

So HumbleDan, this is why my experience with my wife not moving as quickly as me went much worse in less conservative churches then compared to more conservative churches. She didn’t want anything to do with the more conservative churches but it actually went much much better because of this aspect.
Churches where people told us they left the ultras to be more seeker friendly - were transitioning and weren’t so helpful in the end.

[Josh]

I believe Nationwide and Holdeman have in their views of church and/or the function of the church - a dynamic different under the surface of transitional churches. This might be one of the most important details for seekers.

As I am less familiar with Nationwide, what do you feel their view of the church is, and in particular what makes it good for seekers?

[Praxis+Theodicy]

Hello,

I am looking for an anabaptist church for myself, my wife, and 3.5 year old daughter to visit in the Ephrata, PA area that has experience welcoming seekers with no anabaptist background.

Intermediate-conservative or something similar would be best as my wife is still studying scripture and may need time before being ready to meeting more conservative expectations.

A place where we would both be comfortable although we are at different places in our faith.

I am looking for a community that aligns with biblical principles, has a great mens Bible study group, and an overall strong community that takes care of one another.

Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

Hi HumbleDan.
My wife and I are seekers too, in a similar position, except very far from any anabaptist churches.
Our entry into the mennonite word has been to visit moderate-conservative churches; they tend to be light on any applications or strict practices or rules that cannot be easily understood or explained biblically, but they are insistent on holding the line on any "clear biblical commands."
The Biblical Mennonite Alliance (BMA) was where we introduced ourselves into this tradition, along with a conservative-leaning congregation of the Rosedale Network of Churches (formerly Conservative Mennonite Conference, CMC). The BMA came out of the CMA (Rosedale) when the latter decided that the headship order (1 Corinthians 11) was not necessary for Christian expression. Those who would form the BMA felt that the passage is a clear command for followers of Christ. Conservative churches in the CMC/Rosedale still practice the headcovering, but the majority do not.
There are many applications in each BMA church and some across the whole alliance that would still be confusing or difficult for an outsider to conform to or understand. Their application of modesty is different at each church, but I think they are insistent that male members don't where shorts, for example. But most people in other Mennonite circles (and on this forum) usually bemoan the BMA not for its strict rules, but rather for its leniency. They don't have any strict regulations against TV/movies/radio for example (although individual churches might), and this makes them too "worldly" in the eyes of some.
The best way to get to know a church is to visit. I met the pastor of Cornerstone Mennonite Church in Ephrata and his wife, Nelson and Dorita Gehman. They are terrific people and you'd enjoy visiting with them.
https://cmfchurch.org/

I think, from what you mention, that a BMA church would be a good place for you to start your journey since they hold strongly to biblical principles and yet are very easy for seekers to come into... but you usually find "an overall strong community that takes care of one another" in more traditional/conservative groups. So be honest about your desires and what you're looking for. The pastors and laymen at these churches will probably help you discern and will be happy to help shepherd you even if you're going to be learning from them for a time before you find a long-term home in a better community.
My wife and I may not end up at a BMA church, or even a church associated with a big conference or denominational structure. But it has been very helpful entering in with a big, far-reaching, and diverse group such as the BMA. They are having their big convention meeting this coming weekend and we are going (we were invited to attend by all 5+ BMA churches we've visited, so why not?): https://biblicalmennonite.com/convention/
It might be overwhelming to attend a convention so early on in your search, but I think it would be fruitful to at least pop in, since it's not far from you. My wife and I will actually be staying with a family from Cornerstone in Ephrata! PM me if you will be around this weekend, in Lancaster or in Ephrata.

God bless your journey. I'd love to meet and visit in person a fellow seeker. Maybe we'll be blessed to cross paths this weekend, who knows? If not, maybe in God's plan further down the road.

[Josh]

Slight point of order:

Moderate-conservative churches are ones like Mid-Atlantic, most Beachy, and so forth. Some of these churches would allow the radio and some wouldn’t.

BMA, most Keystone, and the churches in RNoC that are still plain are fundamental-conservative. All of these churches would allow the radio. That means they only make church rules if they think they can find a Bible verse that specifically supports the rule. (You may not agree at all with them that the Bible verse supports it.)

BMA, specifically, is composed of about half former CMC/RNoC congregations and the other half is former Lancaster Conference churches that didn’t join Keystone. The two constituent fellowships are very different in their approaches to things. (There are now a handful of new BMA churches composed of former Charity people; in practical terms these congregations are most similar to the CMC/RNoC wing.)

There are many applications in each BMA church and some across the whole alliance that would still be confusing or difficult for an outsider to conform to or understand. Their application of modesty is different at each church, but I think they are insistent that male members don't where shorts, for example.

Existing BMA congregations are “grandfathered” in and men can keep wearing shorts. Any new applicant to join BMA must prohibit shorts and the wedding band. Thus, at a BMA youth gathering do not be surprised if half the youth are sporting athletic shorts at the volleyball game and the other half have donned athletic pants.

One of my local Charity affiliates wanted to join BMA. Half the congregation wanted to allow shorts and wedding bands (ostensibly to make things easier for seekers). The other half was willing to be flexible. The flexible half ended up forming a new BMA congregation and the other half formed a liberal Charity “Christian Fellowship” type of church, the type where coverings are encouraged but are also optional for women.

[NedFlanders]

Transitional churches sound like they have more of a mindset of what HAS to be observed. Where non transitional churches desire to promote a constant seeking the will of the Lord and what we GET to do. It looks daunting to seekers when they still carry the HAVE TO perception on church standards rather than the intent of principle. So they find themselves going to and recommending transitioning church that are really a bad fit for seekers. Then if the seeker ever tries an even more conservative church they carry that wrong impression with them and just misunderstand things as legalistic….
Josh’s blunt words about cancerous and the such deserves much contemplation.