See also Steckel, William R., Pietist in Colonial Pennsylvania: Christopher Sauer, Printer (unpub. [28] Its seven articles covered: The Dordrecht Confession of Faith was adopted on April 21, 1632, by Dutch Mennonites, by Alsatian Mennonites in 1660, and by North American Mennonites in 1725. In a tri-racial society, Native Americans were also forced to choose sides. The Mennonite Brethren movement spread throughout the Mennonite colonies and produced many distinguished leaders, particularly in Molotschna. Administrative history: The Missionary Church was formed in 1969 by a merger of the United Missionary Church (known by the name of Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church from 1883 to 1947) and the Missionary Church Association. The editions of Dock's treatise are noted in Scidensticker, p. 81. [114], On the other hand, the Mennonite World Conference cites only 33,881 Mennonites organized into 14 bodies in Mexico. Their main concern was to be allowed to worship God according to their conscience and pacifist tradition. 55. In 1822 their congregation merged with the . In the late 1700s and early 1800s Swiss Mennonites from Pennsylvania settled in southern Ontario. One of the earliest expressions of Mennonite Anabaptist faith was the Schleitheim Confession, adopted on February 24, 1527. 41. Bowman, pp. Old Order Mennonites cover several distinct groups. A trickle of North German Mennonites began the migration to America in 1683, followed by a much larger migration of Swiss/South German Mennonites beginning in 1707. We beg the Matthew 24:37-39 (NIV), Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;and to knowledge, self-control;and to self-control, perseverance;and to perseverance, godliness;and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. Brunk, pp. The Brethren emphasize the fact that they are a noncreedal church. [14], Though Mennonites are a global denomination with church membership from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, certain Mennonite communities with ethno-cultural origins in Switzerland and the Netherlands bear the designation of ethnic Mennonites.[15]. They also stress the importance of individual conscience on matters of personal and social morality. 164165CrossRefGoogle Scholar; hereafter cited as Rothermund., 33. Mack answered Kunze with Anhang sum Widerteyten Wiedertufer (Eprata: 1788)Google Scholar; A Brethren Bibliography, 3738. Outreach and help to the wider community at home and abroad is encouraged. ]: 1717)Google Scholar. He soon became a leader within the Anabaptist movement and was wanted by authorities for the rest of his life. 6. Memoirs of Samuel M. Janney, Late of Lincoln, Loud on County, Va. A Minister in the Religious Society of Friends (4th ed., Philadelphia: Friends' Book Association, 1890), pp. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. They teach the symbolic understanding of the Lords Supper, and, in imitation of Jesus, some practice foot washing. The core of our identity as Mennonite Brethren is belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Simons rejected the Catholic Church's teachings and joined the Anabaptists, a new movement known for re-baptizing adult believers, according to the Mennonite history website. [25] In 2022, the organization would have it would have 109 member denominations in 59 countries, and 1.47 million baptized members in 10,300 churches. Feature Flags: { Excommunication can occur and was notably applied by the Mennonite Brethren to members who joined the military during the Second World War. Hark, J. Max (Lancaster, Pa.: S. H. Zahm, 1889), pp. Despite their prosperity in the 18th century, by 1837 their membership had declined to about 15,000. 1775 Mennonite and Brethren petition to the Pennsylvania General Assembly: "We have dedicated ourselves to serve all Men in every Thing that can be helpful to the Preservation of Men's Lives, but we find no Freedom in giving, or doing, or assisting in any Thing by which Men's Lives are destroyed or hurt. 9398. The Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations represents one expression of the disappointment with the merger and the events that led up to it. Mennonites are committed to nonviolence, nonresistance, and pacifism. The conference was established among Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites in 1860. The Hutterites were soon known for their communal living and for an intense missionary zeal that continued into the 17th century, after all other Anabaptist groups had found relative physical security by withdrawing geographically and socially from the mainstream of European life. ], , eds., Chronicon Ephratense; A History of the Community of Seventh Day Baptists, trans. "We renounce the small-mindedness of religious thinking that attempts to snare the servant of God in his anointed work." Total loading time: 0 This was the last straw for the Quaker assemblymen. Physical description: 26 cm of textual materials. Blaupot ten Cate, Steven, Geschiedenis der Doopsgezinden in Friesland (Leeuwarden: W. Eckhoff, 1839), p. 200Google Scholar; Origins, pp. Despite long custodial sentences for the convicted men, an investigation in 2013 reported continuing cases of similar assaults and other sexual abuses. The wife's role is to serve her husband and raise their children, while men can become leaders in the church . The Penington quotation is found in Bainton, Roland A., Christian Attitudes toward War and Peace (New York and Nashville, 1960), P. 153.Google Scholar. [100] Mennonite organizations in South Africa, initially stifled under apartheid due to the Afrikaner government's distrust of foreign pacifist churches, have expanded substantially since 1994. His name became associated with scattered groups of nonviolent Anabaptists whom he helped to organize and consolidate. Like the Stauffer or Pike Mennonites (origin 1845 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania), the, Harder, Helmut and Miller, Larry, "Mennonite Engagement in International Ecumenical Conversations: Experiences, Perspectives, and Guiding Principles,". Do not do anything, says the other, except your own quiet work; the truth will triumph of itself if you do not obstruct (pp. ed.Newton, Kansas: Mennonite Publication Office, 1950), p. 547.Google Scholar, 21. At that time some remaining Mennonite Brethren moved from Ukraine to the republics of Soviet Central Asia. Resist all you can with vigour and practical efficacy but do it morally, said one. Answer The Mennonites are a group of Anabaptist (opposed to infant baptism) denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). Dunker is a moniker for a people of faith that originated in 1708 near the village of Schwarzenau, Germany, along the Eder River. Translations of the original documents are found in Origins, pp. Address: PO Box 1538 Shafter, CA 93263 County: Kern Area Code: 661 TimeZone: PST FIPS: 06029 MSA: 0680 Coordinates: Lat: 35.4888 Long: -119.3164. In the 1770s Catherine the Great of the Russian Empire acquired a great deal of land north of the Black Sea (in present-day Ukraine) following the Russo-Turkish War and the takeover of the Ottoman vassal, the Crimean Khanate. Founding of the Mennonites A group of Anabaptists broke from the Protestant and Catholic ranks in 1525 in Switzerland. 'The hymnody and choral music of Mennonites in Russia, 1789-1915,' PH D dissertation, University of Toronto 1986 Klassen, Doreen. In 1854, according to the new Russian government official invitation, Mennonites from Prussia established colonies in Russia's Volga region, and later in Orenburg Governorate (Neu Samara Colony). Tolles, Frederick B., Meeting House and Counting House: The Quaker Merchants of Colonial Philadelphia, 16821763 (Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 1948), pp. Many of these immigrants settled in the Midwest of the United States and in Manitoba, Canada. In the 20th century, North American Mennonites put new emphasis on higher education, especially by supporting their own colleges and seminaries, while continuing to maintain secondary and Bible schools. Some migrated from Germany and Switzerland . Mennonite, member of a Protestant church that arose out of the Anabaptists, a radical reform movement of the 16th-century Reformation. 205206; see also Eine Mennonitische Taufpredigt aus dem Jahre 1716, Die Heimat [Krefeld], IV (1924), 2: 197198.Google Scholar, 9. [48][49][50] When the tide of war turned, many of the Mennonites fled with the German army back to Germany where they were accepted as Volksdeutsche. Many Mennonites interested in theological education and missions in the late 19th century attended Rochester Theological Seminary. Eberhard Ludwig Grubers Grundforschende Fragen, welche denen Neuen Tuffern, im Witgensteinischen, in sonderheit zu beantworten, vorgelegt waren. Simons was consecrated a priest in 1524 and during the next decade sought to reconcile membership in the Roman Catholic Church with support for the reform movements occurring around him. Mennonite migrations continued during the 20th century, primarily from Russia to North and South Americato Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Mexico, and British Honduras. Mennonite Church USA is one of about 40 different Mennonite/Anabaptist groups in the United States. 16. Because this notion implied religious diversity, the authorities, both ecclesiastical and political, sought to suppress the movement. City of Upland Brethren in Christ Church. [8] There are Mennonite colonies in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia,[9] Brazil, Mexico, Peru,[10] Uruguay,[11] Paraguay,[12] and Colombia. [56] A member of this second group, Christopher Dock, authored Pedagogy, the first American monograph on education. The decisive influence on Horsch's interest in Mennonite history was the archivist and historian Ludwig Keller with whom he continued in close touch for ten years (18851895), even after his emigration to America, and who directly influenced him to dedicate his life to a revival of the ancient Anabaptist principles in the Mennonite brotherhood. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 2427.Google Scholar. Luke 21:34-36 (NIV), As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Crouse admitted the validity of baptism by immersion, but maintained that as baptism is only a symbol, the Mennonite These include P. M. Friesen (educator and historian), Jakob and Abraham Kroeker (writers), Heinrich Braun (publisher), Peter Braun (educator) and A. H. Unruh (educator). 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NIV). They were sometimes invited to settle in areas of poor soil that no one else could farm. 59. [55] This group settled farther west than the first group, choosing less expensive land in the Lancaster area. [124] In 2007, Mexican director Carlos Reygadas directed Silent Light, the first ever feature film in the Russian Mennonite dialect of Plautdietsch. Yoder maintained: From similarity in beliefs and practices, the Brethren, who came to Pennsylvania, and settled among the Mennonites, have absorbed the general plain Mennonite patterns and dress and living from their Mennonite naighbors. (p. 50) and Certain outward influences from the Quaker world penetrated into the German dialect-speaking plain world. Mennonite Church Canada is a conference of Mennonites in Canada, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 70. Later the Swiss/South German group also adopted the name "Mennonites". As a result of frequently being required to give up possessions in order to retain individual freedoms, Mennonites learned to live very simply. Instead of proselytizing, they spread their faith by . [103] The MWC does not make binding decisions on behalf of members but coordinates Mennonite causes aligning with the MWC's shared convictions. 8586, contains the action of the Maryland Convention. Religiously, they were influenced by Pietism, originally a Lutheran movement that emphasized personal religious experience and reform. India, Democratic Republic of Congo, SE Asia, Canada, United States of America. Schoepf, John David, Reise dureh eiaige der mittlern mid sdlichen vereinigten Nordamericanisehen Staaten., Acten, Urkunden, und Nachrichten zur neusten Kirchengeschichte (Weimar: C. L. Hoffmanu, 1791), II, 10: 2324Google Scholar; Yoder, Don, Plain Dutch and Gay Dutch, The Pennsylvania Dutchman, VIII (1956), 1: 3455Google Scholar. [61] In 2013 membership had fallen to 97,737 members in 839 congregations. There is a wide scope of worship, doctrine and traditions among Mennonites today. Despite strong repressive efforts of the state churches, the movement spread slowly around western Europe, primarily along the Rhine. The twelve largest Mennonite/Anabaptist groups are: In 2015, there were 538,839 baptized members organized into 41 bodies in United States, according to the Mennonite World Conference. "An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups", Intercourse PA 1996, pages 122123. The original church building was built in 1883 and added onto in 1944. The following information is taken from a book titled, Anabaptist World, USA. 155160; Smith, C. Henry, The Story of the Mennonites (3rd. Some Mennonite conferences have chosen to maintain such "disciplined" congregations as "associate" or "affiliate" congregations in the conferences, rather than to expel such congregations. Hershberger, Guy F., The Pennsylvania Quaker Experiment in Polities, M.Q.R., X (1936), 4: 187221Google Scholar. There were about 1.5 million Mennonites worldwide, in over 80 countries, at the first quarter of the 21st century. They joined forces to fight the movement, using methods such as banishment, torture, burning, drowning or beheading. 58. 7. [8] The largest group is the Bruderschaft der Christengemeinde in Deutschland (Mennonite Brethren), which had 20,000 members in 2010. 300301. The Mennonites are named after Menno Simons, a one-time Catholic priest. For more, see Amish Mennonite: Division 18501878.[66]. [63], Total membership in Mennonite Church USA denominations decreased from about 133,000, before the MC-GC merger in 1998, to about 114,000 after the merger in 2003. Brumbaugh, pp. Origins, p. 216. There were also Mennonite settlements in Canada, who emigrated there chiefly from the United States (Upstate New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania): "there are two basic strains of Mennonites in Canada: the Swiss-South German Mennonites came via Pennsylvania, and the Dutch-North German Mennonites came via Russia (Ukraine). Smith, Samuel, History of the Province of Pennsylvania, ed. Some of the doctrines that the Amish and Mennonites all agree on are: #1. The Free Quaker schism is a case in point. They should not be confused with Old Order Mennonites with whom they have some similarities. Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The Mennonite World Conference counts 47,202 baptized members within 7 organized bodies in 2015. Tappert, Theodore G. and Doberstein, John W., eds., The Notebook of a Colonial Clergyman (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1959), pp. Yet not all Mennonites favored the merger. Jones, p. 463. Some churches prefer hymns and choirs; others make use of contemporary Christian music with electronic instruments. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Anabaptist-Mennonite thought has been characterized by its insistence on a separation between religion and the world. This anabaptist religion is named after Frisian Menno Simons, who was responsible for formalizing the teachings of other earlier Swiss founders. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Title: Mennonite Brethren in Christ fonds. The pastor of a neighboring congregation, Eduard Wst, reinforced this pietism. The theology of an American Baptist, Augustus Strong, was taught in the early 20th century at Mennonite . [105] 27,000 are part of a larger group known collectively as Old Order Mennonites. J. H. Kurtz, whose church history was at one time highly regarded, wrote of Keller: It is Keller's achievement to have brought out into the forefront of scholarly consideration the great significance of Anabaptism in the history of the Christian spirit in the sixteenth century, and to have called emphatic attention to the rich religious literature and remarkable organizational activity of the Anabaptists as well as the primitive Christian elements in the movement. In 1536, Menno Simons, a former Dutch Catholic priest, joined their ranks, rising to a leadership position. Available On-line at, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 19:49. To which is annexed, An easy Plan for restoring Quiet in the public Measure of the Province, and defeating the ambitious Views of the French in time to come (2nd ed., London: R. Griffiths 1755), p. 26. Most notably, they went further from the Catholic teachings and were often as at odds with the Protestant rulers as they were with the Catholics. E. The current renewal of interest in the relevance of Anabaptism as a major Reformation movement in its own right with immediate implications for the present the recovery of the Anabaptist visionflows in a kind of apostolic succession from Keller to Horsch to Bender to the current generation of Mennonite scholars. Krahn, Cornelius, Gingerich, Melvin & Harms, Orlando (Eds.) The Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center shares and celebrates the historical and spiritual legacies of Brethren and Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley. This source book will hereafter be cited as Origins. ]: 1713); the latest translation is found in Origins, pp. 9, 10, 11; for the Brethren books, see A Brethren Bibliography, 57, 71, 75, 105. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 38. The Mennonites emigrated from Switzerland in several distinct groups, including those who went to Russia before coming to America and those who traveled down the Rhine to Holland . Their main argument with other religions, besides those mentioned above, was the baptising of infants. A simple, almost austere liturgy surrounds the Gospel proclamation. In 1860 a small group of Mennonites in Russia underwent a religious awakening and demanded stricter discipline for church members. 31 Jones, Rufus M., Krahn, Cornelius, Gossen Goyen, M.E., II, 558Google Scholar; Durnbaugh, , Brethren Beginnings, p. 105Google Scholar; the latter contains documentation for the period of Brethren activity in Europe. There is no central authority that claims to speak for all Mennonites, as the 20th century passed, cultural distinctiveness between Mennonite groups has decreased.[104]. 101156; Sanger, Samuel F. and Hays, Daniel, The Olive Branch of Peace and Good Will to Men. On the Germantown Academy, see Travis, Wm., History of the Germantown Academy (Philadelphia: Ferguson Bros., 1882)Google Scholar. Like some of the plain Mennonites, members of these groups also own cars and tractors and use electricity and other forms of modern technology in their homes, farms, and businesses. 101109Google Scholar; Hirst, Margaret E., Quakers in Peace and War (New York: George H. Doran, 1923)Google Scholar; Wright, Edward N., Conscientious Objectors in the Civil War (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1931)Google Scholar, the latter dealing with all the pacifist groups, but emphasizing more the Quakers. In most forms of worship and practice, they differ very little from many Protestant congregations. 89, 9394Google Scholar; Bender, pp. The Statesman has always found it necessary for the Purposes of Government, to raise some one Denomination of religions above the Rest to a certain Degree, this favor'd Denomination, by these Means, becomes as it were the Creature of the Government, which is thus enabled to turn the Balance and keep all in Subjection. The split was still obvious in the Revolutionary War period when open advocates of legitimate wars of defense were to be heard. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Civil War (19171921), all of these farms (whose owners were called Kulaks) and enterprises were expropriated by local peasants or the Soviet government. As the Mennonite population has become urbanized and more integrated into the wider culture, this visible difference has disappeared outside of Conservative Mennonite groups. Ph.D. Dissertation, Stanford University 1949).Google Scholar. [118], The U.K. had but 326 members within two organized bodies as of 2015. 57. The Mennonites wrote a letter of thanks to the Assembly and had a number of the bishops to sign it. By contrast, in the Netherlands, the Mennonites enjoyed a relatively high degree of tolerance. In 1972, Mennonites in Altona, Manitoba, established the MCC Thrift Shops[95] which has grown to become a worldwide source of assistance to the needy. 133135Google Scholar. Mennonite, member of a Protestant church that arose out of the Anabaptists, a radical reform movement of the 16th-century Reformation. The Mennonite Brethren movement spread throughout the Mennonite colonies and produced many distinguished leaders, particularly in Molotschna. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Mervine, W. M., (Philadelphia; J. Because the land still needed to be tended, the ruler would not drive out the Mennonites but would pass laws to force them to stay, while at the same time severely limiting their freedom. Many were sent to gulags as part of the Soviet program of mass internal deportations of various ethnic groups whose loyalty was seen as questionable. While private schools may add optional material to the compulsory curriculum, they may not replace it. Conservative Mennonites include numerous groups that identify with the more conservative or traditional element among Mennonite or Anabaptist groups but not necessarily Old Order groups. He questioned the doctrine of transubstantiation but was reluctant to leave the Roman Catholic Church. Mennonites are found in many countries of the world but are concentrated most heavily in the United States and Canada. In Waterloo Region, the orders applied to sects "including Markham, Old Colony, and David Martin Mennonite communities", according to a news report. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. This occurrence is mentioned, although in garbled fashion, in Jameson, J. Franklin, The American Revolution Considered as a Social Movement (Boston: Beacon Press, 1956), pp. 18. This style of music serves as a reminder to many Mennonites of their simple lives, as well as their history as a persecuted people. Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, Columbia Bible College (Abbotsford, British Columbia), Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches in India, cole de Thologie vanglique de Montral, Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary, International Committee of Mennonite Brethren, US Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, "Centre for MB Studies, archival holdings", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mennonite_Brethren_Church&oldid=1142697373. MC Canada participates in the Canadian Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Mennonite World Conference. Progressive Mennonite churches allow LGBTQ+ members to worship as church members and have been banned from membership, in some cases in the moderate groups as a result. Associate Professor of Church History, Bethany Theological Seminary, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (14961561) of Friesland. In the early 18th century, 100,000 Germans from the Palatinate emigrated to Pennsylvania, where they became known collectively as the Pennsylvania Dutch (from the Anglicization of Deutsch or German.) [98], Africa has the highest membership growth rate by far, with an increase of 10% to 12% every year, particularly in Ethiopia due to new conversions. After the war, many Mennonites in the Soviet Union were forcibly relocated to Siberia and Kazakhstan. The group presented a document to the elders of the Molotschna Mennonite Churches which indicated "that the total Mennonite brotherhood has decayed to the extent that we can no more be part of it" and fear the "approach of an unavoidable judgment of God. Anti-war History of the Brethren and Mennonites, the Peace People, of the South, during the Civil War, 18611865. The Mennonites were the first, originating in 1625 in Switzerland. 29. [4] By breaking religious and cultural patterns that had become a hindrance to Mennonite society, the contribution of the Mennonite Brethren allowed all Mennonite groups in Russia to pursue a more wholesome Christian life.[5]. Samuel Purviance to Colonel James Burd, September. A major schism occurred in 169397, when the Swiss Mennonite elder Jakob Amann, in an attempt to preserve what he understood as biblical discipline, left the movement to form the Amish church. James points out that Quaker influence came back in a side door through the Friendly Association for Regaining and Preserving Peace with the Indians by Pacific Measures. In the spring of 1757, they were active in enlisting the German pacifists to their program of peaceful approaches to the Indians. The best analysis of this problem, based on extensive archival research, is that of James, Sydney V., A People Among Peoples: Quaker Benevolence in Eighteenth-Century America (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1963), pp. As of 2007, the Quebec government imposed a standard curriculum on all schools (public and private). Robert Barclay's Apologie (Germantown: Christopher Saur, Jr., 1776)Google Scholar; Evans 14659; Thomas, Allen O., ed., A Bundle of Old Bills and What They Tell, Bulletin of the Friends' Historical Society of Philadelphia, V (1913), 2: 5258Google Scholar; Rothermund, pp. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct;for it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NRSV), It is Gods willthat you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own bodyin a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lustlike the pagans,who do not know God. Lower Barton is inhabited by Plautdietsch speaking Russian Mennonites, whereas Upper Barton Creek is mainly inhabited by Pennsylvania Dutch language-speaking Mennonites from North America. 54. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 5354. I know of very few Baptists who associate as little with the rest of the world as possible, and who refuse to serve in the armed forces of their nation. is a program of the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Interests. Mennonites had to build their churches facing onto back streets or alleys, and they were forbidden from announcing the beginning of services with the sound of a bell. Silverdale Brethren in Christ was the earlier of the two churches, founded by families from Lancaster County in about 1825. Mennonite Brethren Studies. 23. The oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in the United States is the Hans Herr House in West Lampeter Township. "useRatesEcommerce": false [8], Switzerland had 2350 Mennonites belonging to 14 Congregations which are part of the Konferenz der Mennoniten der Schweiz (Alttufer), Confrence mennonite suisse (Anabaptiste) (Swiss Mennonite Conference). For as such Establishments may be made in favor of one Party as well as another, the Party that is uppermost becomes a Balance for all the tolerated Sects; and these last, in hopes of that Preference in their Turn, are always tractable. [26], The beliefs of the movement are those of the Believers' Church.[27]. : The Brethren Press, 1958), pp. In 1693, Jakob Ammann led an effort to reform the Mennonite church in Switzerland and South Germany to include shunning, to hold communion more often, and other differences. They have no church rules, but they rely solely on the Bible as their guide. 89Google Scholar. [41], The Mennonite Church Canada leaves the choice to each church for same-sex marriage. [120], Mennonites have been portrayed in many areas of popular culture, especially literature, film, and television. [8] Seven ordinances have been taught in many traditional Mennonite churches, which include "baptism, communion, footwashing, marriage, anointing with oil, the holy kiss, and the prayer covering.