First conversation between Adventists, Mennonites focuses on living Christian life

news.adventist ^ | 11 07 11 | Bettina Krause, Ansel Oliver

[Cronos]

This month's formal conversation between leaders of the Mennonite World Conference and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists offered the opportunity for both groups to share their beliefs and dispel misunderstandings in a receptive forum, leaders of both groups said.

"By sitting down and talking with those of other faiths, we gain a deeper understanding of who they are," said John Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Adventist Church, whose department organized the June 28 to July 1 event at its world headquarters. In a joint statement, leaders from both faiths said each shares "a desire to recover the authenticity and passion of the New Testament church, a similar understanding of Christian history, and a strong commitment to be followers of Jesus in their personal lives and in their corporate witness to the world." The Mennonite World Conference represents some 99 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ national churches worldwide, with a combined membership of some 1.6 million. Mennonites, who trace their roots to the Anabaptist branch of the 16th Century Reformation, are today recognized for their emphasis on peacemaking, their stance as conscientious objectors, and their involvement in dispute resolution, both at local and international levels.

The roughly 500-year-old communion faced some of the most severe persecution of Christians; last year the Lutheran World Federation even apologized for its persecution of Anabaptists, the root of the Mennonites.

The Adventist Church rose following the Second Great Awakening in the United States in the 19th century, and it now has a world membership of some 17 million.

[Cronos]

From the article Mennonite leaders also identified the structure of their global communion as inverted compared to the Adventist Church. Though based in Strasbourg, France, Mennonites congregations are autonomous, which generates more diversity, said Robert Suderman, former general secretary of the Mennonite Church Canada, who co-chaired the meeting. Suderman said structures of both communions "have their pros and cons." In the Adventist Church, theology and direction is offered at the General Conference world headquarters and then trickles down through the rest of its five levels of administration: divisions, unions, conferences and local congregations. The administrative structure may have been responsible for some of the Adventist Church's success, Suderman said. "Adventists have grown very quickly in 150 years and we haven't," he said. "That's probably an issue we want to investigate in the next round of conversations." The two faiths are planning another conversation next year in Switzerland.

[hitchit]

Thanks for the post. As a former Adventist, I still beleive in the Adventist’s and their philosophy. Good people with good heads on their shoulders.

[Cronos]

ping.

[count-your-change]

I would wonder what either group hopes to gain from this “conversation” and just who else they plan to meet with.

[JNRoberts]

Wow....nice. Thank you!

[Cronos]

I think the Mennonites pointed out that they could learn to have a fixed hierachy like the Adventists to expand. on the Adventist side I don’t see any real “gain” in purely non-religious terms

[Cronos]

no worries — I think co-operation between churches is a good thing in these godless times.

[JNRoberts]

Amen. Agree 100%. Thanks.