A Baptism at a Mennonite Church

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Baptism. The word evokes a sense of peace and assurance to some, nervousness to certain ones, while for others, it’s simply a ritual they need to perform sooner or later to remain in the good graces of the church. No teenager wants to have the pastor or deacon bugging him about being baptized, so why not get it over with as soon as possible? Perhaps for some of you it was not even a choice.
  In this particular Mennonite church we visited a few weeks ago, a young person, on the verge of adulthood, had a choice. The person could have refused to join the congregation based on the circumstances in life but instead the choice was made to follow where God was leading. And God had led to this point of no return. Yet the person appeared serene and joyful with no trace of regret or worry.
  We sat on the hard wood benches, men on one side and women on the other. Due to pelvic and spinal issues, I couldn’t sit comfortably but did manage to sweat  through most of it. First of all, the church service started at a later hour than usual since for special services they skip Sunday school. A few hymns are sung followed by a short devotional.  The congregation then sings a song. The sermon follows which may last 20 minutes or a full hour based on the preacher’s inspiration. The ministers of this church are known for their ‘’as the Spirit leads” sermons hence, the topic this time was not about baptism in particular yet somehow woven into the fiber of the message, delivering nutritious spiritual content for every age and walk of life. The preacher’s confidence, his whole demeanor, and tone of voice conveyed the earnestness in him as he soberly expounded on the Bible verses he read. Somewhere at the 35th minute he began to wind down, eventually closing with a prayer.
  The applicant, who sits at the very front, is asked several questions which the minister reads out from a booklet. After answering in the affirmative to all of them, the person kneels, a prayer is lifted, water is poured on the person's head, and the applicant is now a full-fledged member and greeted as such by the baptized congregation.
  I mused on the preacher’s sermons afterwards. “Baptism does not save you, neither does joining a church guarantee you a pass to heaven… water poured over your head is merely a symbol of what has already happened in your heart… the people of God know each other by the love that flows from that cleansed heart…”
  Quite obviously, the Mennonite churches of today appear in dire need of a strong dose of this type of preaching.















A. Mendoza

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