Around the world, Anabaptists are marking 500 years of this Jesus-following movement with worship services, historical lectures and regional gatherings.
For Mennonite World Conference (MWC), the anniversary year coincides with the triennial meeting of the General Council. Additionally, 2025 is a double anniversary: it also marks 100 years of MWC drawing together Anabaptists into one fellowship. To celebrate this anniversary, MWC is encouraging congregations to plant a tree.
Triennial meetings in May
Some 200 Anabaptist church leaders from around the world will be present as delegates for the General Council. The fellowship time begins with a 100th anniversary celebration and culminates with a one-day, registration-free, open-to-all event in Zurich, Switzerland.
The General Council will meet May 26-28, 2025, in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. These delegates appointed by national MWC member and associate member churches form the body that governs the life, work and organization of MWC. General Council delegates serve a six-year term that spans two meetings: one alongside the global Assembly and one in the interval halfway between.
“These meetings form an important piece of our life as churches following together in the Anabaptist tradition,” says César García, MWC general secretary.
Tim and Gertrud Geddert of Fresno, California, are the U.S. Mennonite Brethren representatives to the General Council.
This year’s General Council resolutions include a significant proposal regarding official inclusion of YABs (Young AnaBaptist) delegates, which requires constitutional changes. The proposal for a name change, considered by the General Council in 2018, continues to be discerned by the Executive Committee and will not come before the General Council at this time.
A lot of information goes into the triennial meetings: sharing recommendations for the General Council, updates from Commissions and Networks to collecting statistical information from all the churches. Data processing assistant Ana María Morales Villarreal, a member of Iglesias Hermanos Menonitas de Colombia, has temporarily joined the MWC administration team until after the event.
MWC’s four Commissions, the Creation Care Task Force, and the Global Anabaptist Networks will also gather, including the emerging education and peace Networks.
Join anniversary service via live stream
The Courage to Love 500th anniversary service will showcase music of Anabaptists from around the world and will include a joint statement of reconciliation between MWC and the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
“Our worship service will offer a taste of Assembly,” says Liesa Unger, chief international events officer. “We invite congregations and individuals to plan a watch party for this special event. Starting at 17:00 local time (CEST), the worship service will take place in the morning for the Americas, early evening in Africa and later in the evening and into the night as you head east into Asia.”
Plant a tree, grow roots
To mark 100 years of Anabaptist congregations coming together like a stream of living water, MWC invites congregations to plant a tree.
“Faith grows less like a math equation and more like a living organism,” says Tigist Tesfaye, Deacons Commission, secretary. “A tree can be a monument, a marker to history. It is also a sign of care for creation, adding biodiversity and habitat. A tree is a gift to the community, providing shade, stabilizing soil and cycling water.”
In 1997, then-general secretary Larry Miller suggested that a tree be planted whenever Executive Committee meetings took place. It hasn’t always been possible, but MWC has put down its roots in at least eight places since then. Read about MWC’s 8 trees here.
The Creation Care Task Force will offer pointers on how to do a successful tree planting that ensures the monument will last and offer positive benefits to the community, both wild and human. Click here for a Tree Planting guide from the Creation Care Task Force.
New tagline
MWC has also developed a new tagline for the fellowship: Following Jesus, living out unity, building peace.
“After almost one year of consultative process with Anabaptist theologians and MWC staff, under the facilitation of and change management consultant Betty Pries, we agreed upon this tagline,” says says César García, MWC general secretary. “It reinforces the three most important things about being an Anabaptist and summarizes the MWC Vision and Mission Statements in a way that is inspiring, compelling and calls people to action.”
Mennonite World Conference is a communion of Anabaptist-related churches linked to one another in a worldwide community of faith for fellowship, worship, service, and witness. USMB is a member conference of this global ministry.
