Mennonites

Mennonites are Christians in an Anabaptist tradition that emerged during the 16th-century Reformation. Many Mennonite communities emphasize believer’s baptism, congregational life, and nonviolence, though beliefs and practices vary widely.

Anabaptism: A Christian movement that arose during the Reformation and practices baptism upon a personal profession of faith. Mennonites are one of Anabaptism’s enduring traditions.
Nonresistance: A Christian ethic of refusing to use violence or coercion, especially in response to harm. Many Mennonites interpret Jesus’s teachings as a call to resist violence without retaliation.
Swiss Brethren: An early Anabaptist community formed in Switzerland and southern Germany during the 1520s. Swiss Brethren communities were among the roots of the Mennonite tradition.
Amish: A Christian Anabaptist tradition that developed from the Swiss Brethren and emphasizes disciplined communal life. Amish communities separated from Mennonites in the late 17th century over church discipline.
Believer's baptism: Baptism administered to people who personally profess faith, rather than to infants. It marks the voluntary faith commitment central to Mennonite church membership.
Peace churches: Christian traditions that reject war and commonly support conscientious objection to military service. Mennonites are among the historic churches associated with Christian pacifism.
Zurich Anabaptist movement: The early 16th-century movement in Zurich that challenged infant baptism and established separate believer-baptizing communities. Mennonite origins trace back to Anabaptist dissent in Reformation-era Zurich.
Hutterites: An Anabaptist tradition known for communal ownership of property and collective colony life. Hutterites share Anabaptist roots with Mennonites but organize economic life differently.
Adult baptism: Baptism received in adulthood, often after an individual’s profession of faith. Early Anabaptists rejected infant baptism and baptized adult believers.
Conscientious objection: Refusal to perform military service because it conflicts with personal moral or religious convictions. Mennonite pacifism has led members to seek exemption from military service.

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