Anabaptism and Non-Denominational Churches

All kinds of polls and surveys note that the largest trend inside American Christianity today is the rise of non-denominational churches. Why? And why now? 

At the same time, all American denominations that keep records, from the mainline to evangelical, report declines in membership.

Can we assume, anecdotally, that many who are serious about faith in America are sliding from historic denominations into generic, “non-denom” churches? Is this migration creating a stronger, united, basic-common-denominator church that is an answer to the prayer of Jesus in John 17? 

Or is it a “cut-flower-church” severed from its historic roots?

For much of my life, I’ve sailed in non-denominational waters but always returned to an Anabaptist port.

As an adult, I participated in women’s Bible studies, prison fellowships, and church planting teams with coworkers from a wide variety of denominations. The small group I currently lead in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, includes women from Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, and unchurched backgrounds. 

My experience in interdenominational settings has been educational and enriching. I see non-denominational churches reaching people that Mennonite churches aren’t. So why am I a Mennonite? Why does rootedness in a specific tradition matter?

Non-denominational churches strive to remove as many barriers as possible and specialize in getting people through the door. They are welcoming and seeker-sensitive. But does the “one size fits all” approach to belief fail to take into account the “cost of discipleship?” One Mennonite church planter who noticed people drifting from a non-denom church to his, quipped, “They catch ‘em, we clean ‘em.” 

I believe the simple, stoic Mennonite worship culture I grew up with has benefited from the fresh winds of charismatic renewal, the prayers and liturgies of high church traditions, and deeper biblical scholarship. Rigid forms of dress have become more varied. Largely agrarian lifestyles have diversified to include a wide variety of trades and professions. Missional outreach has placed us in global fellowship with brothers and sisters on all continents. 

But all this change has only increased my appreciation for historic Mennonite teaching on holiness, discipleship, nonconformity, and nonresistance. 

I had an “Anabaptist grid” through which to run the various “sailing” practices I encountered. Being a Mennonite meant something. Something worth changing jobs for. Something worth living and dying for.

Early Christians and the Anabaptists who sought to renew the traditional churches of their day—recapturing the vigor and outreach of the early church—had rigorous periods of instruction and spiritual formation for new believers. Following Jesus and choosing believers’ baptism often meant death—literally.  

On the other hand, modern evangelicals (non-denom groups) emphasize the “believe and be baptized” stories from Acts. It’s easy to hop from one non-denom church to another with almost no accountability.

One Mennonite mother told me, “I just want my children to go to a Bible-believing church.”

What does that even mean? “Even the demons believe—and shudder,” wrote early church leader James, as he argued for faith expressing itself in concrete practices (James 2:19 ESV).

Could we paraphrase James to say, “A church without well-articulated beliefs and practices, with active accountability, is dead?”

A recovering addict stood in his Mennonite church and said, “I’m proud to be accepted as a member of this church, even though I don’t have a ‘Mennonite’ name.”

The pastor responded, “I hope we always have recovering addicts in this church—but not the same ones.” The church is known as “welcoming and discipling.” Its membership class includes the study of Anabaptist history and the Mennonite Confession of Faith.

As we seek to be faithful followers of Jesus in a world of “influencers” and AI, I believe we’ll need all the “roots” we can nurture.

I was fascinated to hear Ross Douthat, a committed Roman Catholic, podcaster, and columnist for the New York Times, say recently, “It’s really hard to imagine cultures getting through that [AI] and flourishing without some kind of religious attachment or connection. The 21^st century is gonna be great for the Amish, the Mennonites…Religious communities that are good at managing their relationship with technology, bet on them long term.”

Cut flowers are beautiful while they last, but God calls us to be like trees, planted by streams of water that yield fruit and do not wither in times of drought (Psa. 1).