May 27, 2018 our congregation, Peace Mennonite Church in Richmond BC, held a discussion to let members air their thoughts on the idea of a name change for our congregation. Some stubbornly hold to the belief that this discussion is being held because someone or some persons have a hidden agenda towards changing the name of our congregation, that there is a lack of transparency in disclosing this. As someone who is on the council, and in discussion with our leaders and elders, this is not my understanding.
I do not know of anyone who is introducing this idea because of a plan they have. Neither do I know for certain, I must admit, how this discussion evolved. The only thing I can think of, is that I suspect it came from a comment made by our new pastor, who is not of Mennonite background, that maybe one thing to consider in making possibly necessary changes to help our church grow, would be to drop the name Mennonite. I do not believe it went any further with him or anyone else in leadership subsequent to that. I know some might think me naive in stating this. Be that as it may, even that remark would have been enough to spark some conversations. The leadership/council, aware of these voices, decided it would be better to have an open discussion about the topic. That way we could get the issue out in the open. I think the decision was made to do so, even though some consider it a less than significant subject, because they wanted to avoid exactly what they have been accused of, and that is doing things without discussion. Indeed, it was telling in the pastor’s prayer to open the meeting that he reminded God and the rest of us that we are a congregation who believes in the congregational model of leadership, and who accept also that we are a ‘priesthood of all believers.’ As such, it is only proper to let all the members who wish to speak have a say.
Members were also informed as part of leading up to this discussion that – if they had not already heard - our mother church, First United Mennonite Church (FUMC) in Vancouver, is even farther along in this discussion than we are. They were looking at changing to Peace Church on 52ndas a possible new name. Aware of our name beginning with Peace, they informed us of these matters. On one hand, this provided some context in bringing forward the reality that we would not be alone in considering this. On the other hand, although our leadership had some misgivings about it, in the end they decided the best course of action was to bring this subject to all of us for our reactions. After some input from the members, one member made a statement which became simply a resolution that we let them go ahead and give them our blessing. This was passed.
If there are any readers who are not familiar with the name Mennonite and its origins, let me provide a brief background. As part of the Christin Church Reformation of the 16th century, there came into being a group known as Anabaptists because many were re-baptized by one another as adults. They did this when they realized consciously that they really wanted to be followers of Jesus Christ as Lord, or Christians. As such, they then did not recognize the validity of the practice in the church of the time of their being baptized as infants, without their knowledge of what was going on, or then their consent.
This movement spread form its beginnings in Switzerland to, among other places, The Netherlands. Here, a priest named Menno Simons came to this understanding about his own baptism and a number of other issues these reformers had with the church. He helped pull together different groups and organized them in their beliefs and practice. Those who followed him were given the name ‘Menists,’ or those who follow Menno – in English: Mennonites. Our congregation belongs to the church denomination that grew out of that beginning.
Over time, our denomination, because of its emphasis on practice or discipleship, became known for its attention to service and issues of justice and peace. Some of this arose over our adherence to the doctrine of separation of church and state and our belief in a non-violent way of life. These aspects of our faith were borne out in communities and people noticed. Since its formation in 1922 in response to the needs of Mennonites in the then USSR as a result of famine, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has embodied these beliefs internationally in such a way that even more people became familiar with our denomination and what it stood for. Organizations that followed in response to other needs, such as Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA), Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA) and Mennonite Foundation (now Abundance – they changed their name! as did MCC-developed Supportive Community Services, becoming Communitas) only furthered the positive associations with the name Mennonite.
So, some of our members find that when those in the know of the above find out they are Mennonite, they get a positive response in identifying as such. Others who know of our Anabaptist theology and accept it actually look for Mennonite churches to join when they come to a point in their lives where they are looking to join a church. This is the positive side of things.
Now, at the same time, the name Mennonite has, in the eyes of some, acquired some negative ‘baggage,’ or at least, associations which are felt by some to be hindrances to our denomination’s continued growth. The first of these is that there have been certain groups within the Mennonite fold who have remained in what some would consider a very conservative mode. Some, such as those also known as Amish or Old Order Mennonites, have in many ways remained in the lifestyle of the 16thcentury, so are seen by other Mennonites, let alone society at large, as very backward. Some even wonder whether they are a sect, as in cult. This is particularly so in the case of large groups who have fled what they consider the increasing encroachment on what they valued by society at large and gone to places like Mexico and Bolivia. They thought that by so doing they could retain their cherished lifestyle and freedom from perceived government intervention.
Because these groups are most obvious by their differences form society at large, they often attract the most media attention. This often then places ‘Mennonite’ in a quite conservative bent, which is not appreciated by the more ‘liberal’ Mennonites. The last feel that this is a hindrance to their ability to reach out to society because they will be dismissed by those who wrongly associate them with these conservative elements. This has been worsened in recent years because, unfortunately, the isolation of these conservative groups has led some of them to really stray from the faith. Some even became involved in drug smuggling, which obviously cast an even larger shadow on the Mennonite name when they were identified as such in the media. This was compounded by a TV series featuring such endeavours but running under the name “Pure!”
The Caucasian Dutch/Swiss/Germanic ethnic origins of the denomination are now also, in our multi-cultural world, being seen as a hindrance. Indeed, individuals from other backgrounds do often have difficulty finding full acceptance in such congregations. Some who grow up in the ethnic enclaves, as that is what they were historically, want to shun the term Mennonite so as to feel they are part of the larger society. Others, who have no connection to the faith anymore, especially in the arts community, still like to promote the Mennonite identity, as it has developed a certain cachet in that domain, not unlike how our works and supporting theology have given us credibility in the eyes of other.
The Mennonite Brethren have been at the forefront of abandoning the name Mennonite. They have been more zealous and successful in recruiting newcomers to their church, but is it because of omitting Mennonite or other things they have done? Maybe, in our more inclusive society it was the ‘Brethren’ part. Maybe it is their style of worship which has tended to be more contemporary from an earlier time than some of our Mennonite Church-Canada churches. Some will still use simply “MB” in their name or on their buildings. Some dispense with even that. You might find a reference to the denomination if you dig deep into their literature or website.
My wife and I have spoken to a number of newcomers form outside the ethnic fold. Generally, they have no problem with the name. Some profess they don’t know enough about it and its history to offer an opinion. Others say, that’s your name, why change it? As some have said, the name seems to be more of an issue for North American Caucasians than anyone else. So, why are we so hung up about it?
We know that in The (Global) South, the Third World, The Underdeveloped world – whatever term you apply to non-European and non-North American nations, non-Caucasian Mennonites in these countries now far outnumber those of European descent on a worldwide basis. The name Mennonite did not stop them from joining the Mennonite community. At the same time, in North America, groups of other ethnicities from Congolese and Laotian to Vietnamese and Japanese that have formed as a result of Mennonite connections have incorporated Mennonite into their congregational names. So, overall, Mennonite does not seem to be that much of a barrier to the non-whites.
Given all of the above though, are there other reasons why we might still want to consider a name change. I have been known to say, somewhat facetiously, that Menno Simons would quite possibly be doing the proverbial rollover in his grave if he knew a denomination had taken his name. Indeed, a number of denominational churches, while still sticking with their denominations, have dropped the denominational term from the local congregation name. I could see all of this as trying to get away from sometimes divisive denominationalism. After all, who comes first in our lives – Christ or Menno? Are denominational names sometimes a barrier to unity in The Church? We know that many believers in our time are not concerned with denominations, are not necessarily loyal to any denomination. Now, there can be pros and cons to that, but that I somewhat of a different issue.
We also know that there are a number of seekers, thinkers and writers in other churches and denominations who have discovered Mennonites and Anabaptism. However, these individuals and groups have discerned that what is important about Mennonites and their theology and practice is adequately encompassed in the term Anabaptist. This does signify a broader grouping than just Mennonites, as there are other denominations that espouse Anabaptist theology that are not Mennonite, e.g. Brethren in Christ. It gets away from denominationalism. It allows people of different church backgrounds to adopt ‘our’ theology without giving up their denomination to become Mennonite. And why should they? Are we not happy that those outside the Mennonite fold are seeing the good in Anabaptism, without concerning ourselves with denominational linkage and nomenclature? And who knows how many seekers, whether making real-life contact or on-line, see the name Mennonite and do not give us a second look, thinking this is somehow not for them. Indeed, our own pastor indicated that was his thinking before his eyes were opened.
Ultimately, perhaps we are ourselves at fault for the perception that the name Mennonite is a barrier to some. Maybe we have not done a good enough job of educating our own members, especially those of non-Germanic ethnic backgrounds, but also our own youth, on the history, meaning and value of the name. But is now the time to redouble our efforts in that direction? Or should we rather promote the history, name and value of the overriding Anabaptist label?
This does not mean we replace Mennonite with Anabaptist. We can keep the name Mennonite if we wish. But in promoting our theology and practice, we link it to Anabaptist – the broader name – in future educational and informational endeavours rather than label it Mennonite. This can make it less important that the name Mennonite is ultimately seen in our congregational names.
One of our sister churches recently changed its name from Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Church to Peace Church Chinatown (psst – that was my suggestion at a meeting we stumbled into on the idea of the name change. The congregation wanted to be seen as open to non-Chinese, but they wanted to remember their heritage. Chinatown has a broader connotation these days than simply indicating the locale of Chinese. Hence, the name!). We mentioned at the outset the situation at FUMC. Peace is one of the core distinctives of our faith, one that we as Anabaptists (Mennonites) particularly believe in. So, why not use the name Peace to identify that with Church and add other descriptors as we wish, such as our location primarily. Then our congregation could be Peace Church Richmond.
Let me conclude by saying I have no axe to grind. I can live with Mennonite for all it means to me. But I can also live with dropping the word. I will not accept abandoning our Anabaptist theology and practice though, and this seems to be view of our congregation and its leaders too. So, we seem to be ‘safe’ there. I will say that I really do not think it will make much difference if we change our name and do not improve our welcoming stance, our hospitality and focus on forming relationships. Following Christ is about a relationship, not about a name.
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