Mennonites - The Canadian Encyclopedia

Mennonites are a religious-cultural group established in the 16th century during the Protestant Reformation when some Christians separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Mennonites date their separate Christian identity to the ANABAPTIST movement of the early 16th-century Reformation. Anabaptist and Mennonite ordinances differ from Catholics in that baptism is a choice made by mature voluntary believers (not infants) and the communion service sometimes includes foot washing as a symbol of humility and service.


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During the 16th century the Anabaptist movement spread though Europe under various leaders. In the northern German states and the Netherlands, Menno Simons became an influential leader. He was originally a Roman Catholic priest but had doubts about infant baptism. In 1536 he left his position with the Catholic church and soon became the leader of the Anabaptists in the area. People in this community became known as Mennists, and later Mennonites. Through prolific writing, preaching and tireless organizational work, Simons strengthened the people within the movement. As the peaceful "Mennists" continued to be persecuted they scattered throughout Europe and North America. The Swiss-South German Mennonites went mostly westward, settling in Alsace and the Palatinate, and by the end of the 17th century many had relocated to Pennsylvania. The Dutch-North Germans went mostly eastward, forming settlements in present-day Poland, and by the end of the 18th century in Russia. The Mennonites' relative isolation and self-sufficiency within closed communities, combined with their conviction that religion was a way of life, produced a unique socio-religious culture.

Mennonites first began arriving in Upper Canada around 1776. Mennonites originated in German-speaking countries, and therefore the German language has been a one of their defining religious-cultural characteristics. Many of the Mennonites who came to Canada, especially during the early years of immigration, spoke Germanic dialects and were perceived as a minority group with both religious and ethnic characteristics.

Mennonite Church
Mennonite Church, Kitchener, Ontario (courtesy Malak, Ottawa).

The First Migration into Canada

The first migration into Canada brought about 2000 Swiss Mennonites from Pennsylvania to Upper Canada, during and after the American Revolution. They acquired land from private owners in the Niagara Peninsula and in York and Waterloo counties. This group was followed by Amish Mennonites (named after Bishop Jacob Ammon, a conservative leader of the late 17th century). From 1825 to the mid-1870s about 750 settled on crown land in Waterloo County and nearby.

In the 1870s the russification policies of the Russian government caused 18 000 Dutch Mennonites - one-third of the total in Russia - to leave for North America. The promise of land, cultural and educational autonomy, and guaranteed exemption from military services attracted about 7000 of them to southern Manitoba. The HOMESTEAD lands in the North-West Territories attracted Mennonites from Prussia, Russia, and the US between 1890 and WWI. Many of the new immigrants moved to Manitoba and the Prairie provinces and created Mennonite communities in Saskatchewan; others established congregations in Ontario.

Conscription in the US

Mennonites
Certificate of exemption from military service of a Mennonite young man in southern Manitoba (courtesy Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives).

Conscription in the US in 1917 brought more Mennonites to the Canadian Prairies. The largest immigration occurred in the 1920s, when 20 000 Mennonites took the opportunity to escape the effects of the Bolshevik Revolution. Most of this group settled on the Prairies. WWII prompted over 12 000 Mennonite "displaced persons" to migrate from the USSR and Germany. Most of them settled in urban areas, the most rapidly growing urban community being Winnipeg. In recent decades many Mennonites have emigrated from the US, Mexico and Paraguay.

Components of Mennonite Institutional Life

The basic unit of Mennonite institutional life is the congregation, and there are more than 1.5 million members worldwide. There are over 230 congregations and the 2001 census recorded almost 200 000 Mennonites throughout Canada. Mennonites do not baptize infants, and therefore the youth within a congregation are not included in the formal membership counts. Historically there were two types of congregations: those representing older and more conservative traditions whose unity is symbolized by a single membership register and a single bishop (eg, Old Order Mennonite Churches); and those representing newer structures called "conferences" (eg, the Conference of Mennonites in Canada).

In 1903, Mennonite congregations from Manitoba and Saskatchewan established the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. As more congregations joined, the conference name was changed to the General Conference of Mennonites in Canada (1932) which later became the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. In 2000 the name changed again to the Mennonite Church Canada and it is the largest Mennonite group in Canada. The term "conference" is similar to "synod" or "district" in other Protestant denominations. Most congregational families are members of provincial, national and continental central committees.

The Mennonite Church Canada, whose headquarters are located in Winnipeg, include the Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, Mennonite Church Manitoba, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan, Mennonite Church Alberta, and the Mennonite Church British Columbia. The Mennonite Church Canada work is administered by a General Board comprising the Formation Council, Witness Council and Support Services Council. Members of the General Board are also appointed to the Mennonite World Conference. Congregations are organized into provincial and national conferences; however, each congregation is autonomous within the conference regarding its policies.

Foreign and domestic programs provide financial assistance, development, relief and peace projects, and a large variety of mission and ministry projects, both in Canada and around the world. (See PACIFISM; PEACE MOVEMENT). Canadian Mennonite periodicals include the German-language Mennonite Rundschau, Der Bote, Die Mennonitische Post and the English-language Mennonite Brethren Herald and Canadian Mennonite. Two scholarly journals are also published: the Journal of Mennonite Studies and the Conrad Grebel Review. Mennonite voluntary associations promote music, the arts, folk and heritage festivals, research and writing, welfare institutions, nursing homes, retirement centres, psychiatric units, insurance and tourism.

Differing Attitudes Toward Innovation

Mennonites and their various congregations differ in their attitudes toward innovation in religious and cultural life. Some believe that lives of discipleship, in communities separated from the world, are essential and attempts are always made to control change. Others insist that penetration of, adaptation to, and involvement in the world is essential to the Christian mandate. Among both the Swiss and the Dutch are conservative groups that have successfully perpetuated traditional rural modes of life, unchanging clothing styles, their German language and liturgical forms. The Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites reject the use of modern technology such as electricity and motorized transportation and have also succeeded in continuing a traditional farming style. Other Mennonites have adjusted and integrated within the mainstream society.

Mennonites are no longer limited to their Swiss and Dutch traditions and ethnic backgrounds. There are many Canadian Mennonites of French, Chinese, Indian and Anglo-Saxon ancestry, and increasing percentages of Mennonite marriages are mixed.

Education

As a church that emphasizes separation from the world and social nonconformity, Mennonites frequently resisted the influence of state-run public schools. Besides numerous elementary schools, Canadian Mennonites operate private high schools, colleges and one graduate theological centre. Students seeking training for pastoral ministry attend a Mennonite seminary in the United States or participate in one of several seminary consortia in Canada in which Mennonites partner with other Christian denominations.

Politics

Politics have represented a problem for Mennonites. On the one hand, Mennonites discourage any involvement in an evil world in which force and violence are used even as instruments of the state. On the other hand, they encourage application of the ethics of Jesus: love, peace and justice in all areas of life, including potentially the state. Today, most Mennonites vote. A number serve in elected office and many more are active as civil servants, public school teachers, etc.

Except for conservative minorities, Mennonites in Canada are undergoing rapid change; but a strong emphasis on the family and the role of religion, specific programs to keep the young people involved (youth organizations, camps, choirs, service programs), special schools and a dynamic congregational life minimize the losses to the larger secular community.

Author FRANK H. EPP AND RODNEY J. SAWATSKY

Links to Other Sites

Mennonite Historical Society of Canada
The official website of the Mennonite Historicial Society of Canada. Features the Mennonite Encyclopedia of Canada.

Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
The official website of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.

Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
The website for the "Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples." Click on the links for feature articles about Canada's many multicultural communities, access to their extensive digital archives collection, learning modules, and much more. From "Multicultural Canada."

Religions in Canada
An extensive resource about various religions in Canada. Focuses on religious and spiritual practices, tenets, celebrations and observances.

Religion
This colourful multimedia site from the CBC provides an objective overview of major world religions. Covers religious history, traditions, denominations, personal stories of faith and much more.

Mennonite Heritage Village
The historic Mennonite Heritage Village invites visitors to explore Mennonite faith, culture, and traditions. Located in Steinbach, Manitoba.

The Mennonite Piano Concerto
A brief article about the Mennonite Piano Concerto, initially conceived by Benjamin Horch and composed by musician Victor Davies. From the website for the Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia.

Benjamin Horch
A brief biography and bibliography for Benjamin Horch. From the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.

My Mennonite Father
A review of the book "Renovating Heaven," Andreas Schroeder's "tragicomic autobiographical novel of a German Mennonite family adapting to life in British Columbia." From the "Tyee Books" website.

Competition seeks out new Canadian hymns
A CBC News story about a competition for the creation of new Canadian religious music.

BBC Interfaith Calendar
Click on the links for a listing of religious observances and festivals. All dates are shown using the Gregorian (Western) calendar.

Jacob Johann Siemens
This site profiles J.J. Siemens and his contributions to western Canadian agriculture and rural development. From the website for the Mennonite Heritage Centre.

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