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mike wrote:

YorkandAdams wrote:I just talked to someone today, who happens to be a lot closer to this thing than I am. Bishop support will not be coming from Meadow Springs. Three bishops from Nationwide are going to give oversite. Sorry for the confusion.

It is interesting how obsessive many conservative Mennonites are about the need for bishop oversight when establishing a new congregation.

What is the reason for this?
Is this rooted in a biblical basis?
Is it really necessary in order to properly found a Christian congregation, or for a congregation to thrive?

I think there are several reasons for this.

1. Mennonites have their own version of "apostolic succession"
2. Having another bishop or group oversight gives validity to the new group in our minds.
3 Paul told Titus (Titus 1:5) to "appoint elders in every city" so it may have a Biblical basis.

If I am not mistaken, the OORB did not have oversight from another group when they started. While they have not become a large group, they have survived for nearly 250 years

Biblical Anabaptist wrote:

mike wrote:It is interesting how obsessive many conservative Mennonites are about the need for bishop oversight when establishing a new congregation.

What is the reason for this?
Is this rooted in a biblical basis?
Is it really necessary in order to properly found a Christian congregation, or for a congregation to thrive?

I think there are several reasons for this.

1. Mennonites have their own version of "apostolic succession"
2. Having another bishop or group oversight gives validity to the new group in our minds.
3 Paul told Titus (Titus 1:5) to "appoint elders in every city" so it may have a Biblical basis.

If I am not mistaken, the OORB did not have oversight from another group when they started. While they have not become a large group, they have survived for nearly 250 years

It would appear that the appointment of elders referred to in Titus happened after the fact of an assembly of believers coming into existence. This of course happened for the early Anabaptists as well.

I think I've heard that new Amish settlements sometimes happen simply by a group of families deciding to move and then ministers follow or are ordained from the group later. Not all of these of course survive.

Is the desire of a new group for validity a good or bad thing in your opinion?

mike wrote:

Biblical Anabaptist wrote:

mike wrote:It is interesting how obsessive many conservative Mennonites are about the need for bishop oversight when establishing a new congregation.

What is the reason for this?
Is this rooted in a biblical basis?
Is it really necessary in order to properly found a Christian congregation, or for a congregation to thrive?

I think there are several reasons for this.

1. Mennonites have their own version of "apostolic succession"
2. Having another bishop or group oversight gives validity to the new group in our minds.
3 Paul told Titus (Titus 1:5) to "appoint elders in every city" so it may have a Biblical basis.

If I am not mistaken, the OORB did not have oversight from another group when they started. While they have not become a large group, they have survived for nearly 250 years

It would appear that the appointment of elders referred to in Titus happened after the fact of an assembly of believers coming into existence. This of course happened for the early Anabaptists as well.

I think I've heard that new Amish settlements sometimes happen simply by a group of families deciding to move and then ministers follow or are ordained from the group later. Not all of these of course survive.

Is the desire of a new group for validity a good or bad thing in your opinion?

A majority of new old order Mennonite and Amish settlements are started by lay members. Sometimes ordained men join the new settlement, more often they are ordained from within the group. However the home church would be in charge of the ordinations (assuming the new settlement is not "going their own way").

It would almost take a Sam Mullett to not seek validity from other like minded groups.