Old Mennonites

The Old Mennonites, not to be confused with the (Old) Mennonites of the early 20th century, are a collection of Anabaptists who, although neither Old Order Mennonites, nor Conservative Mennonites, share characteristics of both. A movement rather than a church, the Old Mennonites are closest to the Progressive Old Order Mennonite group known as the Markham-Waterloo Mennonite Conference, although there are significant differences.

History

Established on October 22, 2023, the Old Mennonites were founded by S. S. G. Edwards in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. On November 16, 2023, the Ontario Anabaptist Institute was established, also in the city of Stratford.

The Old Mennonites began a mission to Uganda on November 17, 2023, and a mission to the DR Congo on November 25, 2023.

On November 26, 2023, the Old Mennonite Church of Christ was established.

Beliefs and Practices

Similar to Progressive Old Order Mennonite groups, Old Mennonites adhere to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith (Mennonite, 1632), use the King James Version of the Bible, and cherish the Martyrs Mirror.

Also similar to Old Order Mennonites, Protestant beliefs and practices are strongly avoided, like mass evangelical services and revivalism, public prayer meetings, and any form of ecumenism, in order to maintain the purity of the faith.

They allow black vans for transportation and black pick up trucks for business, but automobiles are not accepted as they are considered to cause pride. Separation from the world is essential to Old Mennonites, and anything they consider matters of pride are avoided. Traditional Mennonite Plain Clothes are a must in public for men and women.

The Stratford Confession (Nov. 25, 2023)

ARTICLE 1: JESUS AND HIS CHURCH

Jesus is the Head and Cornerstone of His Church. As God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one, the Church is one with our One God (John 17:21). The Church is an holy nation (1 Peter: 2:9), the household and people of God (Ephesians 2:19), and has existed since the beginning of time, among the people of Israel, and after Pentecost among the defenseless Christians or Anabaptists, the true followers of the Messiah (ref. The Martyrs Mirror).

Jesus, the One begotten Son of God (John 3:16), born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, is the only Way to eternal life (John 14:6), and there is salvation in no other (Acts 4:12).

The Church exists to serve Jesus Her Lord. We are to love Him above all, and to love others as ourselves (Luke 10:27). Loving Jesus involves humbly doing His will in our lives (John 14:15). This has always been the way of the true disciple.

We enter His Church through baptism at the commandment of Christ. Jesus Himself was baptized (Matthew 3:16), and we are to make disciples, baptizing them in the Name of the Trinity, teaching them to obey the teachings of the Scriptures (Matthew 28:19-20). We cannot claim to be disciples of Christ if we do not walk in His ways.

Finally, just as Jesus was visibly present among us, His Church is visibly present on the earth. Baptism into the Body of Christ is a necessary witness of our repentance and faith in Jesus, and our entrance into His visible Church.

ARTICLE 2: SALVATION

There is but one God...of whom are all things (1 Cor. 8:6). Since God is our Creator, we come to Him in humble adoration. Yet, not all people do so, as God wants us to come to Him with our own free will.

In order to be with God in eternity, we must choose to repent of our sins (1 John 1:9), and turn to His Son Jesus in faith, believing that He died on the Cross for our sins, and to grant us eternal life through His resurrection (John 11:25).

Salvation is a lifetime commitment. Once we truly repent and believe in Christ and are baptized, we are called to examine ourselves humbly in the sight of our Lord and Saviour, daily choosing to follow His Way, as He taught in the Scriptures (Luke 9:23). Through active obedience, we honour our Lord, and show that we are His disciples (James 1:22).

ARTICLE 3: SEPARATION

As the Church of Christ is a peculiar people, who have been called out of the darkness of the world (1 Peter 2:9), we are to visibly show our faithfulness to our Lord. We are commanded to be in the world, but not of it (Romans 12:2).

One of the most important ways to witness to our faith in the public realm is to actively pursue peace within the Church, and amidst conflict in this world. What we call "non-resistence" is not passive ignorance, but an active understanding of the Kingdom of which we are members. There are two kingdoms only, the Kingdom of Christ, and the Kingdom of this world. Although we live in this world, Christians belong to the Kingdom of Christ, which is light and peace and truth.

This reality compels us to not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (1 Cor. 6:14), whose loyalty is to this world. In order to be loyal sons and daughters of our Father God, and be received into His eternal glory, spiritual and visible separation is essential.

As such, Anabaptists are called to show their faith. We are to live out our faith and be salt and light in this world of darkness (Matthew 5:16). One of the ways Christians are different is through the wearing of distinctive clothing. Many religious people wear distinctive religious clothing, to show publicly their inner beliefs. Mennonites are called to show who we are, and in Whom we believe, in all facets of our lives. Even Jesus wore distinctively Jewish garments.

ARTICLE 4: CONFESSIONS

Along with the Bible and the present STRATFORD CONFESSION, we also believe the following Confessions of Faith to be scripturally accurate:

The Schleitheim Confession of 1527 https://anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Schleitheim_Confession_(source)

The Dordrecht Confession of 1632 https://anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Dordrecht_Confession_of_Faith_(Mennonite,_1632)

Daily Life

Because Old Mennonites are not restricted to rural living, wearing plain clothes in public is necessary. They consider that just as baptism (which they believe should be by immersion) is a visible sign of an inward faith, plain clothes are a visible sign of an inward belief in separation from the world, especially in urban settings.

Further, Old Mennonites do not limit education or job preferences, and plain clothes then become a visible witness of their inward faith in all areas (in the world but not of the world).

Communication technologies are also considered acceptable, as they allow for the global spread of the Gospel. However, use of computers for entertainment is considered unacceptable, as is participation in gaming, sporting events, the cinema, and public festivities.

Conclusion

The Old Mennonite movement exists primarily to attract those who wish to maintain the purity of Anabaptist beliefs in any setting. They strongly believe that one does not need to turn to Protestant beliefs in urban settings, including educational and professional. They believe that the former loss of Mennonites to Protestant beliefs and practices has little to nothing to do with technology, and everything to do with the adoption of individualism, which is heavily invested in the North American Protestant evangelical ethos.