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Is this event going to be open to Holdeman people?

lesterb wrote:Is April 27-29, 2018 the finalized date now?

yes

Josh wrote:Is this event going to be open to Holdeman people?

As long as they are willing to learn from their CA cousins and not try to convert them or bring them into their church.
If they are willing to identify what they have in common with other CAs and not promote their points of difference, it should be fine.
I envision this being an event where we identify what conservative Anabaptists have in common and what we can learn from each other.

Ernie wrote:

Josh wrote:Is this event going to be open to Holdeman people?

As long as they are willing to learn from their CA cousins and not try to convert them or bring them into their church.
If they are willing to identify what they have in common with other CAs and not promote their points of difference, it should be fine.
I envision this being an event where we identify what conservative Anabaptists have in common and what we can learn from each other.

Would the converse be true? (Eg would other CAs try to learn from Holdeman CAs and not try to convert them or bring them into their church.)

Basically, I am trying to assess if a circle / boundary is being drawn with Holdemans inside of it or outside of it.

I will be helping with some of the logistics, including:

Taking requests for financial assistance for travel expenses
Soliciting donations for the above
Coordinating travel needs such as pick-up or drop-off at airports

We'll work on these details closer to the event.

Josh wrote:

Ernie wrote:

Josh wrote:Is this event going to be open to Holdeman people?

As long as they are willing to learn from their CA cousins and not try to convert them or bring them into their church.
If they are willing to identify what they have in common with other CAs and not promote their points of difference, it should be fine.
I envision this being an event where we identify what conservative Anabaptists have in common and what we can learn from each other.

Would the converse be true? (Eg would other CAs try to learn from Holdeman CAs and not try to convert them or bring them into their church.)

Basically, I am trying to assess if a circle / boundary is being drawn with Holdemans inside of it or outside of it.

I'm willing to learn from Holdeman CAs and not try to convert them. If they are willing to enlarge their circle/boundary to the extent that they would attend a gathering such as we're proposing, I would see it as a good thing.

mike wrote:

Josh wrote:

Ernie wrote: As long as they are willing to learn from their CA cousins and not try to convert them or bring them into their church.
If they are willing to identify what they have in common with other CAs and not promote their points of difference, it should be fine.
I envision this being an event where we identify what conservative Anabaptists have in common and what we can learn from each other.

Would the converse be true? (Eg would other CAs try to learn from Holdeman CAs and not try to convert them or bring them into their church.)

Basically, I am trying to assess if a circle / boundary is being drawn with Holdemans inside of it or outside of it.

I'm willing to learn from Holdeman CAs and not try to convert them. If they are willing to enlarge their circle/boundary to the extent that they would attend a gathering such as we're proposing, I would see it as a good thing.

Agreed.

I would be willing to learn from them on most anything except their one true church doctrine. This doctrine is not something that is commonly held among conservative Anabaptists (even though they act like it often) and the emphasis of the weekend will be the exact opposite of this. Trying to find common ground rather than trying to decide which church is most authentic.

Ernie wrote:

mike wrote:

Josh wrote:
Would the converse be true? (Eg would other CAs try to learn from Holdeman CAs and not try to convert them or bring them into their church.)

Basically, I am trying to assess if a circle / boundary is being drawn with Holdemans inside of it or outside of it.

I'm willing to learn from Holdeman CAs and not try to convert them. If they are willing to enlarge their circle/boundary to the extent that they would attend a gathering such as we're proposing, I would see it as a good thing.

Agreed.

I would be willing to learn from them on most anything except their one true church doctrine. This doctrine is not something that is commonly held among conservative Anabaptists (even though they act like it often) and the emphasis of the weekend will be the exact opposite of this. Trying to find common ground rather than trying to decide which church is most authentic.

Ernie and Mike: I'm edified by this effort towards common ground instead of the adversarial attitudes that seem to be so prevalent in our era. Thank you for sharing this.

I'm more asking about if you would include Holdemans in your descriptions of various CA groups, or if their approach to marriage would be such a big deal you'd consider them apostate or something.

I'm mostly asking for myself - basically, attending events like AIC where I have 10-15 people express grave concern for me and try to convince me my church is a false church is not conducive to my spiritual health. I like going to these events, but I absolutely dread being in the defensive, and I struggle enough with doubt as it is.

Josh wrote:I'm more asking about if you would include Holdemans in your descriptions of various CA groups, or if their approach to marriage would be such a big deal you'd consider them apostate or something.

I'm mostly asking for myself - basically, attending events like AIC where I have 10-15 people express grave concern for me and try to convince me my church is a false church is not conducive to my spiritual health. I like going to these events, but I absolutely dread being in the defensive, and I struggle enough with doubt as it is.

Thanks. That explains your question.

I'm glad to list Holdemans in any lists or descriptions of plain people.

When referring people to a church, I would not encourage them to join any church that considers itself the one true church, whether that be Orthodox, Catholic, Mormon, Church of Christ, Holdeman, Apostolic, etc., simply because I believe they are misguided.
The latter three groups I would recommend as places to find spiritual fellowship whenever there are not other good options available. There are many things these groups promote and teach that are commendable.