From the beginning of its history, admission into the membership of the Anabaptist Mennonite movement (church) has been (1) a matter of the action of the local congregation or its ministers, and (2) the voluntary action of the candidate. In all cases the minimum requirement has been a personal confession of faith followed by water baptism for those never previously baptized, and at times for those baptized by a different mode of baptism, or even for those baptized by any one else except a minister of the group itself. In earlier times infant baptism was never recognized, but in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries gradually some groups or congregations dropped the requirement of rebaptism for those transferring from denominations who practiced infant baptism, requiring only confession of faith and a certificate of previous membership or letter of transfer.

Many groups, depending on circumstances, have added to these minimum requirements others such as probation for a period of months up to two years; a period of instruction by the bishop-elder or a minister, usually on Sundays before or after the regular morning service, lasting from several weeks to a year, either on the basis of a formal catechism or the personal outlines of the minister; a personal free testimony or account of a conversion experience and assurance given either privately before the minister or the church board or a committee of the congregation, or before the entire congregation, usually followed by a vote of acceptance by the congregation; explicit acceptance of a particular official confession of faith; a vow of obedience to the church and loyalty to its discipline and practices. In some of the more conservative groups, the final ceremonial act in admission to membership is the giving of the right hand of fellowship by the elder or bishop and the kiss of brotherhood (for women candidates given by the wife of the bishop).  In such groups also only the elder or bishop can receive members into the church.

The age of first admission into the church became traditional and fixed at 15-18 (or even later) in later Anabaptist-Mennonite history everywhere in Europe. In some areas it even became the custom to delay it until just before marriage, and marriage was not permitted until admission into the church had been completed. Usually once a year the elder or minister in charge announced that a class of instruction of candidates for church membership was being formed and invited anyone desiring to join to turn in his name. This instruction was then carried on regularly in connection with the Sunday morning service over a period of months (or even a year) with the reception into membership taking place about Easter. While those traditions were naturally brought along to America by the various immigrant groups and perpetuated here, new influences in the latter part of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, particularly coming from the revivalistic movement, have brought about a substantial lowering of the age of admission into the church, so that by the 1950s the average age in such a group as the Mennonite Church) was below fifteen and in most cases twelve or even ten. By contrast the trend among the Dutch Mennonites has been to delay church membership, often beyond twenty.

The practice in regard to the nature and content of the instruction and the actual responses of the candidate to the questions of the elder or bishop at the time of baptism have varied throughout history and still vary. The use of a catechism came into vogue, probably by imitation of the common Protestant practice of catechetical instruction before confirmation, in the second half of the seventeenth century in Holland (first printed catechism 1640), in the first half of the eighteenth century in Germany (first printed German catechism 1664), and in Switzerland much later. The Mennonite Brethren group in Russia (founded 1860) initially rejected the catechism and indeed all pre-baptismal instruction as dangerous formalism, but later instituted regular instruction.   (See Catechism)

Those transferring from other denominations or Mennonite branches are sometimes accepted on the basis of a public confession of faith, together with a vow of obedience and loyalty, followed by a vote of the church board or congregation, but sometimes solely on the basis of a simple certificate of good standing or letter of recommendation. Such transfers and acceptances are sometimes merely reported by the minister; often, however, they are accepted only on the basis of a personal appearance of the candidate in the congregation at a regular service. Members transferring from other congregations of the same Mennonite group or conference are often treated exactly like those transferring from other denominations, requiring a public appearance, confession of faith, vow of obedience, and vote by the congregation. Excommunicated members or members who have fallen into gross sin are in the more conservative groups readmitted into membership on almost identical terms with those who have never been baptized (except that rebaptism is not required), the candidate being received from his knees in the presence of the congregation at a regular service, on the basis of a public confession of sin, confession of faith and renewed covenant of obedience and loyalty to Christ and the church.

Some groups and congregations make written records of admission into membership in an official church book, some only in the private record of the bishop, pastor or deacon, and some not at all.

Some groups will not baptize anyone unless he is at the same time admitted into the membership of the local congregation. Others will baptize without such admission and permit the candidate to join the church of his choice.

The variations in details of requirements and procedures for admission are so numerous and divergent in the various countries, branches, and even congregations as to make it impossible to report them in an encyclopedia article without excessive use of space. See the articles on the individual groups or conferences for further specific information as to current practices.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp. 13-14. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

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