What are Mennonites Like Today?

This video compares different kinds of Mennonites, like Old order Mennonites and Conservatives, and also different Denominations like the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church and the Rosedale Network of Churches. What's the difference between Mennonite conferences? This overview will help you know the answer.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:48 Categories of Mennonites
01:37 Where are Mennonites in the World?
03:46 Size of Mennonite Groups
04:16 Beliefs and Practices Charted
10:49 Other Teachings
11:54 Movement of Denominations

[danickamartin]

As someone with Old Order Mennonite roots and have grown up in the LMC mainline denomination, this is one of the most detailed yet succinct (and respectful!) explanations of my world! Thank you!

[joebombero]

While working at a Sporting Goods store in Harlingen, Texas I discovered a caravan of Mennonites from Durango, Mexico came to this store several times a year for different supplies (cast iron skillets, hunting, fishing gear & etc). The women and children spoke a dialect of German (I took six years of German in High School and College). I loved being able to use my German, but when I spoke with the men using my German they politely responded in flawless Spanish.

[lauramater]

As a person who is joining a Pilgrim Mennonite church, I appreciate this video and the depth, care, and respect you put into it! It’s so often that people just paint Mennonites as Amish-lite without actually knowing anything about the diversity of theologies and practice.

[kenyonweber]

The whole video was fascinating, and it's crazy and wild that Africa has the most Mennonites of any continent in the world 😲. I don't think that's something anyone would expect.

[prairiemark]

I have had a number of Mennonite friends, especially in the first half of my life. The ones I knew were theologically conservative and evangelical in persuasion. Their parents allowed them to date and marry other Christians, usually Baptists or other evangelicals. When I was a young man, my father was often mean to me and I would leave home for a few days and seek solace with my Mennonite friends. I was always welcome and felt safe and happy among the eight children of the parents. The father was a contractor and taught me some skills and he always paid me when I helped. I kept in touch with the family for many years. The boy I was buddies with died at age 21 in a car wreck. I went college with two of the girls and they were beautiful and wonderful singers. I kept in touch with them for years and kept in touch with one of their cousins until last year. I am seventy now. The matriarch of the family was widowed in her sixties. She took a job as a journalist in a local news paper in her 50s and 60s. And she became a social worker later in life. She went to college very late in life. Last I heard she was still a social worker in her 80s. They were pacifists but did not despise those who served in the military. The worked hard, kept their humility, and were not hesitant to sing or worship with other Christian believers. I hear all kinds of bad things about Mennonites but I noticed nothing weird or strange about them. Of course I am aware of the diversity among Mennonites and I have worshiped with several strains. Just my two cents....I like Mennonites. The world needs more people like them.

[InvestmentJoy]

My neighbors are mennonites, they're fantastic!

[davidstout]

This channel is one of the best on YouTube. It’s consistently fair, concise, and informative and never hostile or rude. Thank you for setting such a high standard for media in any form.

[lynnmmartin]

Excellent overview! I grew up in an ultra-conservative conference and now am part of a moderate-ish unaffiliated congregation, Chambersburg Christian Fellowship. This is about as accurate a depiction as you can get without being a Conservative Mennonite.

I would be glad to see an overview of the unaffiliated Conservative Anabaptist churches and Charity/Remnant congregations, since that’s a growing sector today. My church and Ernest Eby’s are part of that sector.

[ralphgreenjr.]

I am blessed to have both Amish and Mennonite neighbors in close proximity to my farm in southern Ohio. Honorable, ethical, moral, hard working, and people of God. I do business with them on a regular basis and consider myself fortunate to have these people as friends. No drive bys, boom boxes, car jackings, home invasions, drug dealers, street gangs, just peace, serenity, and security.

[BirdDogey]

While personnally LCMS, my family has 500 years of Mennonite belief; being a direct descendant of Swiss Mennonite Christian Stauffer. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about this approach to Christianity.

[bigp]

I am former atheist called into a conservative Mennonite church by the grace of God 13 years now, found this useful as i try to understand what my surroundings are. Thank you.

[larrylewis]

Dear Joshua,

I will say it again: I really do appreciate your work. I have long been a student of the Old Order Mennonites, to some extent the Conservative Mennonites, and very little the Progressive Mennonites. For example, I have read Stephen Scott’s book on Old Order and Conservative Mennonites several times. It is an excellent study.

You have done the spectrum of Mennonite Churches a great service. Your presentation packs in a great deal of information, all very carefully put together. I very much appreciated having this overview put together in such a succinct and visually easily understood way. Thank you, Joshua, for your excellent work.

Sincerely In Christ Jesus,
Larry Lewis
Ontario, Canada.

[harrychou]

So glad two of my favorite youtube channels work together to deliver high quality educational content. I have to double check it is not April 1. This is what the internet is meant for.

[homerwiggins]

My family are good friends of the Old Order Mennonite in Dayton Virginia and they are the best people. There are more progressive Mennonite in that area too as well as the Brethren.
And although we are Catholics we have many values that are the same and we are even invited to their family events. We don’t discuss our differences in religious beliefs but focus on the things we have in common. Very loyal and good people are the Old Order Mennonite!

[anthonybarnes]

I gotta say, your videos can spark up some pretty interesting conversations about the way different denominations and cultures translate the gospel. I had never even heard of the African Orthodox Church until you made a video about them, and they’re quite interesting themselves.

[weaverofworlds]

I am not a Christian, but I have always wondered about the Mennonites and what they were about. This was informative, thank you!

[kyokugo]

"The only person who really could know where everyone lands all at once is God himself" - The humblest phrase I ever heard from someone who does religious videos😍🤩
May God keep blessing your good job🤗

[hermanr]

Joshua, you have the gift of teaching. Wonderful presentation.

[heatherkaye]

My family lived for a year next door to a Mennonite church building in a log cabin that was offered to house us in exchange for janitorial services. I was five and it was the very late 70's. My memories of the church are very warm and some of the happiest of my childhood. I remember being taught how to sew, people in the congregation putting on skits and how pretty I thought the lacy head coverings were that the ladies wore. (they kind of looked like doilies) I wished my mom would wear one like that but she used a bandana to cover her head. Since we weren't members, just attended the services, she only wore it for church. The cabin had a piano in it. I figured they had to be pretty "liberal" from my memories, but this video got me curious where that congregation fell on the spectrum so I looked them up just now and they are MCUSA and from the pictures on their website, the ladies no longer wear the head coverings.

[ma-mo]

Such an invaluable resource your channel is. Thank you for all the work you put in.