What We Believe

How are Mennonite churches similar to other Christian churches?

Mennonites share the core beliefs of nearly all Christians.  We believe that:

• God exists and that God became flesh through Jesus Christ who is the Savior of the world.
• We believe in the Holy Spirit and that all Scripture is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit.
• God created the world and that God created human beings in God's image.
• Humanity has sinned but that, through Jesus, God offers salvation and a new way of life.
• The church is the assembly of those who have accepted salvation through faith in Jesus and that the church's mission is to proclaim the kingdom of God and to make disciples.

How are Mennonite churches different from other Christian churches?

While we share core beliefs with all Christians, Mennonite churches emphasize a few things differently than other churches:

• Mennonites focus on Peace and Justice - Mennonites are Pro-Life in the broadest sense of that phrase:  Whenever a life is taken, or people are suffering, a failure of peace and justice has occurred.  For this reason, Mennonites are not only against Abortion, but also against War and Poverty.
  
  This stance causes many Mennonites to register as Contientious Objectors, requesting alternate, non-violent service instead of military service.  It also inspires international mission efforts through the Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Disaster Service which are focused on reducing suffering and bringing peace and justice throughout the world.
• Mennonites believe in Free, rather than State, churches - Mennonites believe that churches should not be established by law as the official religious bodies of the country or nation in which they are found.  As a result, you will not typically hear political messages from Mennonite pulpits, and Mennonites do not generally work toward increasing the role of religion in institutions of the state such as governments or public schools.
• Mennonites emphasize the teachings of Jesus Christ - While Mennonites view the entire Bible as Holy Scripture, we believe that Jesus brings a new covenant to humankind. We therefore emphasize the New Testament, and especially the words and example of Jesus Christ, including the so called, 'difficult teachings of Jesus' such as praying for our enemies, not returning evil for evil, and treating others with a sense of fellowship, love and compassion.
• Mennonites emphasize humility and simplicity in lifestyle - Mennonites believe that Christ calls us to be good stewards with everything God has provided us, including our time and material wealth.  We in the United States are fortunate to have such a high standard of living compared to much of the rest of the world that we feel called to 'live simply, so that others may simply live.'  Simplicity, humility and stewardship calls us to resist the highly-materialistic consumption typical in American society, and to participate in recycling and other programs to conserve our natural resources.
• Mennonites practice Believer's Baptism - Baptism of believers with water is a sign of cleansing from sin and a pledge to walk in Jesus' way.  We believe that a person must be old enough to have full knowledge of the pledge they are making for baptism to be meaningful. As a result, Mennonites do not baptize infants, although we do have a 'dedication' ceremony, in which parents express a desire to raise their children as servants of Christ.

Our Statement of Faith and Commitment

Each year, our members reaffirm their faith and commitment by signing the following Statement of Faith and Commitment:

          Koinonia's Statement of Faith and Commitment

Find out more...

You can learn more about Mennonites by visiting the following websites:

• Who are the Mennonites?
• Mennonite FAQ
• Mennonite beliefs
• The Mennonite Church USA website
• Mennonite Central Committee website
• Mennonite Doctrine Statements
• Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference