Sounds like a good story With what group do you fellowship now?steve-in-kville wrote:I eventually found a home in the Dunkard Brethren church where I met my wife (we've since moved on, but that's another story for another day!).
Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
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Max (Plain Catholic)
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
I could just echo Lester's words - they are so true. I appreciate the standards our groups hold to, I appreciate the cautious approach to change, and like I said in another thread, the cape dress (among many standards) is good in helping us maintain the package.lesterb wrote:This is a hard question to answer, in some ways. There are some things in plain Mennonite churches I don't really like. But a person could wander the whole world over and not find a church where he liked everything. There are certain things that I believe are biblical and I don't know of any other group that holds to them.
Like I used to say on MennoDiscuss in the good old days, you need to chose a congregation as a package. If that package results in what you think is right and biblical, then you can live with some things you don't care for. I've seen too many people walk away from the package because they didn't like the color of string it was bound with.
I have found the story of "Change" in Anabaptist churches very interesting but also discouraging. In the late 1800s we experienced a split in the Swiss Mennonite churches of eastern USA and Canada. The plain group reined in their standards and practices to recover ground they had lost while trying to satisfy the more liberal groups. The liberal groups, freed from the plain restraints, went all out until after twenty five years of free fall, they became concerned by the modernist spirit of the time. Fundamentalism seemed a good way of stopping the trend, but eventually, to some, it looked, felt, and acted too much like their Old Order cousins. This was followed by hippy type trends, long hair and facial hair on men, cut hair and no covering for women and the loss of even the better aspects of fundamentalism.
One hundred years after the onset of the fundamentalist era, those churches have largely exchanged all other standards for the concept of love and acceptance. And yet in the words of Sandra Cronk in her dissertation "Gellassenheit", "Discipline is the highest form of love we can show." Freely calling everything good, in spite of what the Bible says, is not truly the kind of love we wish to have for each other.
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
Max, their is another thread (supposedly) all about Steve's search for a new fellowship.MaxPC wrote:Sounds like a good story With what group do you fellowship now?steve-in-kville wrote:I eventually found a home in the Dunkard Brethren church where I met my wife (we've since moved on, but that's another story for another day!).
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
Thank you, I must have missed it, forgotten it, or somewhere between the two. It's been a busy monthHats Off wrote:Max, their is another thread (supposedly) all about Steve's search for a new fellowship.MaxPC wrote:Sounds like a good story With what group do you fellowship now?steve-in-kville wrote:I eventually found a home in the Dunkard Brethren church where I met my wife (we've since moved on, but that's another story for another day!).
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Max (Plain Catholic)
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
- steve-in-kville
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
We were attending a KMF church for the last few years. Both my wife and I (as well as our older children) all agreed we wouldn't make good mennonites (now THAT'S a can of worms right there!! ). We are checking out the various Brethren circles at the moment.MaxPC wrote:Thank you, I must have missed it, forgotten it, or somewhere between the two. It's been a busy monthHats Off wrote:Max, their is another thread (supposedly) all about Steve's search for a new fellowship.MaxPC wrote: Sounds like a good story With what group do you fellowship now?
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I self-identify as a conspiracy theorist. My pronouns are told/you/so.
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
Thank you, Steve. We'll keep you in prayer to find a church home that will help your discipleship to Jesus.steve-in-kville wrote:We were attending a KMF church for the last few years. Both my wife and I (as well as our older children) all agreed we wouldn't make good mennonites (now THAT'S a can of worms right there!! ). We are checking out the various Brethren circles at the moment.MaxPC wrote:Thank you, I must have missed it, forgotten it, or somewhere between the two. It's been a busy monthHats Off wrote: Max, their is another thread (supposedly) all about Steve's search for a new fellowship.
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Max (Plain Catholic)
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
Question for the plain Mennos and Anabaptists who have posted.
I think I am hearing most people say that they wouldn't join just any plain Mennonite / Anabaptist church, and that the entire package is really important to them. I think I am also hearing people say that much of what is most important is not being plain per se, but other things that they think are found in their own plain churches.
Is that true, or am I misinterpreting? I imagine the answer might be different for each person.
I think I am hearing most people say that they wouldn't join just any plain Mennonite / Anabaptist church, and that the entire package is really important to them. I think I am also hearing people say that much of what is most important is not being plain per se, but other things that they think are found in their own plain churches.
Is that true, or am I misinterpreting? I imagine the answer might be different for each person.
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Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
- steve-in-kville
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
Not sure how to answer the question, but you will notice from my other threads/posts that I firmly believe its senseless (if not spiritually dangerous!) to judge a group by their written polity, discipline, rules, whatever. I have found from my own experience, and mistakes, that entire congregations tend to "hide" behind their rules.... basically use it as a substitute for genuine spirituality. Each and every one of us needs to develop our own convictions and live true to ourselves.!!
I don't want to come off as being negative.... but I would have stories to tell !!
I don't want to come off as being negative.... but I would have stories to tell !!
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I self-identify as a conspiracy theorist. My pronouns are told/you/so.
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
I chose to be a follower of Christ, including obedience to the full witness of the New Testament.
It seems that most bodies of believers who do the same thing are considered "plain". That's the only reason I'm plain.
It seems that most bodies of believers who do the same thing are considered "plain". That's the only reason I'm plain.
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?
There is a sense in which being plain is a byproduct of what I want in a church. In other words, the kind of people I want to worship and fellowship with tend to be plain, but that isn't the prime reason I want to worship and fellowship with them.Bootstrap wrote:Question for the plain Mennos and Anabaptists who have posted.
I think I am hearing most people say that they wouldn't join just any plain Mennonite / Anabaptist church, and that the entire package is really important to them. I think I am also hearing people say that much of what is most important is not being plain per se, but other things that they think are found in their own plain churches.
Is that true, or am I misinterpreting? I imagine the answer might be different for each person.
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