Comparison of horse and buggy Anabaptists that are accepting of seekers

[lmcdoss]

The old colony mennonites don't allow it, you need to be plautdietsch by birth.

Is this actually the case?

Also very curious to know about this, first time that I hear such a thing, not even OO Amish in the US prohibit converts, permanently joining OO Anabaptist communities is something extremely rare and difficult yes, but not completely prohibited.

Lorenzo Canas Bottos in his writtings about the old colony mennonites has the case of an Argentinian man Called Sergio who tried to join the colonies, and they basically played ping pong with him sending him to other colonies, and later told him that he should join a church in his own language.

[MennoSimons1998]

Is this actually the case?

Also very curious to know about this, first time that I hear such a thing, not even OO Amish in the US prohibit converts, permanently joining OO Anabaptist communities is something extremely rare and difficult yes, but not completely prohibited.

Lorenzo Canas Bottos in his writtings about the old colony mennonites has the case of an Argentinian man Called Sergio who tried to join the colonies, and they basically played ping pong with him sending him to other colonies, and later told him that he should join a church in his own language.

Well this is the standard procedure for any Plautdietsch-speaking colony, if one does not speaks the language, then joining them and proving that you will remain a faithful member of the congregation will be a huge issue, this is still different from having a complete blanket ban on not accepting outside converts at all costs.

[lmcdoss]

Also very curious to know about this, first time that I hear such a thing, not even OO Amish in the US prohibit converts, permanently joining OO Anabaptist communities is something extremely rare and difficult yes, but not completely prohibited.

Lorenzo Canas Bottos in his writtings about the old colony mennonites has the case of an Argentinian man Called Sergio who tried to join the colonies, and they basically played ping pong with him sending him to other colonies, and later told him that he should join a church in his own language.

Well this is the standard procedure for any Plautdietsch-speaking colony, if one does not speaks the language, then joining them and proving that you will remain a faithful member of the congregation will be a huge issue, this is still different from having a complete blanket ban on not accepting outside converts at all costs.

when you read it, it becomes clear they dont want outsiders joining in. I would also remind that for the 'russian'-mennonites being mennonite is more than a religion or culture, it is also an ethnicity( they even have the mennonite ethnicity in the belizean census where they are a decent chunck of the population )

[MennoSimons1998]

Lorenzo Canas Bottos in his writtings about the old colony mennonites has the case of an Argentinian man Called Sergio who tried to join the colonies, and they basically played ping pong with him sending him to other colonies, and later told him that he should join a church in his own language.

Well this is the standard procedure for any Plautdietsch-speaking colony, if one does not speaks the language, then joining them and proving that you will remain a faithful member of the congregation will be a huge issue, this is still different from having a complete blanket ban on not accepting outside converts at all costs.

when you read it, it becomes clear they dont want outsiders joining in. I would also remind that for the 'russian'-mennonites being mennonite is more than a religion or culture, it is also an ethnicity( they even have the mennonite ethnicity in the belizean census where they are a decent chunck of the population )

Yeah I already know about the Ethnic Mennonite distinction, but that is still not a total blanket ban on outside converts, as extremely rare and hypothetical as they may be.

If there is an outsider who speaks fluent Plautdietsch, can read the Luther Bible in perfect High German, has a passion for Mennonite theology and history, and moved from a distant place to a remote location in Paraguay or Bolivia specifically to join them, why wouldn't he be allowed to join?

[lmcdoss]

Well this is the standard procedure for any Plautdietsch-speaking colony, if one does not speaks the language, then joining them and proving that you will remain a faithful member of the congregation will be a huge issue, this is still different from having a complete blanket ban on not accepting outside converts at all costs.

when you read it, it becomes clear they dont want outsiders joining in. I would also remind that for the 'russian'-mennonites being mennonite is more than a religion or culture, it is also an ethnicity( they even have the mennonite ethnicity in the belizean census where they are a decent chunck of the population )

Yeah I already know about the Ethnic Mennonite distinction, but that is still not a total blanket ban on outside converts, as extremely rare and hypothetical as they may be.

If there is an outsider who speaks fluent Plautdietsch, can read the Luther Bible in perfect High German, has a passion for Mennonite theology and history, and moved from a distant place to a remote location in Paraguay or Bolivia specifically to join them, why wouldn't he be allowed to join?

Some things don't need a bigger explanation than the ''it's just how things are''.
why don't the old colony mennonites allow pedals in their 'bikes'? because ''it's just how things are''.

There could be also the fear that an outsider will bring different ideas and ways of doing things, and the preachers dont want anything to change.

[MennoSimons1998]

when you read it, it becomes clear they dont want outsiders joining in. I would also remind that for the 'russian'-mennonites being mennonite is more than a religion or culture, it is also an ethnicity( they even have the mennonite ethnicity in the belizean census where they are a decent chunck of the population )

Yeah I already know about the Ethnic Mennonite distinction, but that is still not a total blanket ban on outside converts, as extremely rare and hypothetical as they may be.

If there is an outsider who speaks fluent Plautdietsch, can read the Luther Bible in perfect High German, has a passion for Mennonite theology and history, and moved from a distant place to a remote location in Paraguay or Bolivia specifically to join them, why wouldn't he be allowed to join?

Some things don't need a bigger explanation than the ''it's just how things are''.
why don't the old colony mennonites allow pedals in their 'bikes'? because ''it's just how things are''.

There could be also the fear that an outsider will bring different ideas and ways of doing things, and the preachers dont want anything to change.

Do you have any idea about how the Sommerfeld-Bergthal Mennonites approach this?

[Ernie]

I just had a telephone call from a Groffdale hose & buggy Mennonite, and he mentioned having heard a speaker from All-Nations Bible Translation. (I didn't ask if the meeting was in a Groffdale congregational meeting, or elsewhere.) I mention this because if they are interested in missionary efforts, then they are most likely also interested or involved in evangelism.

They are. They are just not interested in following the American evangelical formula for doing so.

From what I've read of their newsletters, neither does All-Nations Bible Translation,

In what ways have you seen them not wanting to follow the American Evangelical formula?

[Neto]

They are. They are just not interested in following the American evangelical formula for doing so.

From what I've read of their newsletters, neither does All-Nations Bible Translation,

In what ways have you seen them not wanting to follow the American Evangelical formula?

The "pray the prayer seal 'em and secure 'em" approach, like that I was a participant in with evangelistic tools like "The 4 Spiritual Laws", where the last step is to get them to pray the prayer on the last page, and sign their name. I simply haven't seen any evidence of that sort of approach in the ANBT letters and literature.