The Mennonite Churches
and Homosexuality

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Overview of the Mennonite Church:

A Mennonite is: "A member of one of the Christian groups derived from the Anabaptist movement, stressing discipleship, community, and an ethic of love and nonresistance. Mennonites are historically distinctive in North America for simplicity of life and the rejection of military service, public office, and oaths." ₁   The term "Anabaptist" comes from the Latin word "anabaptista" which means "one who is rebaptized." i.e. a person who was baptized first as an infant and later as an adult. It is a misnomer, because Anabaptists do not baptize infants and do not recognize the validity of such a baptism. Baptisms are only performed later in life after the individual is sufficiently mature and has trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior. "Anabaptist" was originally a term of derision; but the name stuck. They have been traditionally opposed to war; some of their members refuse to register for the draft or choose alternative service. They oppose the taking of oaths, believing that a person's word is sufficient. They observe a life of simplicity.

Some Anabaptist faith groups have survived to the present day, including: Amish, Beachy and Brethren groups, Dunkards, Hutterites, Landmark Baptists, and Mennonites. Anabaptists were viciously persecuted during and following the Reformation. Many migrated to Poland and the Ukraine. Today they are mainly concentrated in Germany, France and North America. ₅ They now total over 300,000 in the U.S. and Canada; additional Mennonites live elsewhere in the world.

Mennonites are theologically conservative. They have always laid great stress on fundamental human rights. The latter factor has caused them to exhibit some movement on the "homosexual issue" earlier than almost all other conservative Christian denominations.

The Gay/Lesbian Issue:

Mennonite congregations are theoretically autonomous. However, some regional conferences have constitutions that permit them to expel local churches. Some have been expelled in recent years, over the homosexual issue. A number of statements and resolutions have been made by the three main Mennonite churches in North America:

1980:
The GC commissioned a study in human sexuality. The MC joined the committee in 1981. Their final report did not condemn homosexual behavior as sinful. It was intended as a document to help local Mennonite congregations discuss human sexuality. It recommended further study of homosexuality.

1986-JUL:
The GC examined the results of the human sexuality study and adopted a "Resolution on Human Sexuality" at its triennial session at Saskatoon SK. It affirmed that heterosexuality "is a good and beautiful gift of God, a gift of identity and a way of being in the world as male and female." They formally repented for the lack of compassion towards those who have failed to live up to what they see as the Biblical standard of sexuality, and towards those of minority sexual orientation. They also repented for their "lack of compassion" for the struggle of those with minority sexual orientations "to find a place in society and in the church." They linked all homosexual activity together with premarital and extramarital heterosexual behavior, as sinful. ₇ The Resolution went well beyond the findings of the sexuality study; it was interpreted by many Mennonite individuals and congregations as the GC's definitive statement on human sexuality. Many felt that there was no need to examine the original study.

1987-JUL:
The MC also reviewed the human sexuality study and adopted "A Call to Affirmation, Confession and Covenant Regarding Human Sexuality" at their General Assembly at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. ₈ It used much of the same wording as the 1986 GC resolution. They repented of their "judgmental attitudes and our slowness to forgive each other when we fail or when our sexual values differ from those of other Christians." They confessed their fear and repented of their "absence of love toward those with a different sexual orientation and of our lack of understanding for their struggle to find a place in society and in the church." They also linked all homosexual genital activity together with premarital and extramarital heterosexual genital activity, as sinful. Again, the Call seemed to negate the importance of the original sexuality study.

The MC adopted a policy which allows congregations to accept only celibate homosexuals as members. Since any gay or lesbian in a committed relationship cannot become a member, he/she would be ineligible for any post within the denomination, including that of pastor. The General Conference Mennonite Church (GC) passed a similar resolution at its 1986 Saskatoon conference.

1990-JUL:
The Joint Listening Committee for Homosexual Concerns was created as a joint committee of the GC and MC. Part way through their deliberations, two members were added to the committee from the Brethren/Mennonite Council for Gay and Lesbian Concerns. Its task was to:

1991-JUL:
The MC's General Board adopted a series of statements on homosexuality. They

1992-AUG:
The Joint Listening Committee for Homosexual Concerns submitted their report. They concluded:

They recommended that the MC and GC "intensify its [sic] efforts to help congregations study homosexuality in order to discern how homosexuals can relate to the church's life and ministry." They recommended specific actions for the denomination, seminaries, pastors and other congregational leaders.

1993-APR:
The MC General Board rejected the recommendations of the Listening Committee. They:

1995-NOV:
The MC's Council of Faith, Life and Strategy confirmed that the 1987 "A Call to Affirmation, Confession and Covenant Regarding Human Sexuality" document "is the position of the Mennonite Church." The position of the church has been resolved and is fixed. The term "remaining in loving dialogue" refers to supporting homosexuals and their families, admonishing them to remain celibate, and sponsoring ministries which attempt to change gays and lesbians into heterosexuals.

1998-JUL-15: 
The Mennonite Central Committee U.S. signed a letter, along with many Protestant church agencies and denominational offices. It was sent to members of the House, and urged the rejection of an amendment initiated by Joel Hefley (R-CO) to HR 4104 - The Treasury Postal Appropriations Bill. It would have legalized discrimination against federal employees based on sexual orientation. This was the first time that the MCC U.S. went on record in support of gays and lesbians. ₉ It said, in part: 

"We recognize that there are theological differences of belief on the issue of homosexuality among people of faith. Such differences exist between and even within our many denominations. Yet we must also recognize the God-given worth and dignity of every individual. Like the majority of Americans, most people of faith still believe that, notwithstanding differences in our theological views, discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation is wrong. 

We are clearly of one voice in opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in federal civilian employment. The Hefley amendment, plain and simple, attempts to make that discrimination legal. It is our belief that employees should be judged on their job performance, not their sexual orientation. 

We believe in fairness. Indeed, our faith calls us to fairness. All of us are diminished when individuals are prevented from contributing the full measure of their talent and ability to society. We urge you to vote NO on the Hefley amendment as a matter of basic fairness." 

1998-NOV:
Recently, the three Mennonite groups (MC, GC, CMC) have been involved in merger talks. Differences in belief and policy concerning homosexuality have "threatened to derail the" merger discussions. ₆ The first joint gathering of general boards of the three denominations was held at Winnipeg, starting 1998-NOV-19. They concentrated heavily on the "homosexual issue." "At least five MC area conferences have intimated or stated outright that they will not go along with integration [of the three denominations] if denominational membership guidelines allow for including congregations that accept non-celibate homosexuals as members."  Ruth Martin of the CMC General board commented: "The membership issue is critically important. It feels like integration will come apart if we don't deal with this issue." 

1999: The Mennonite General Assembly met in St. Louis. They did not "reaffirm the faith statement that sexual relations are reserved for a man and a woman in marriage." ₁₀

2000-JAN-21: Lancaster Conference's Bishops issued a "Statement of Faith and Call to Prayer." It said, in part: "We believe with the Purdue statement that homosexual, extramarital and premarital sexual activity are all sin is based on the scripture and should be the teaching position of the church...We do not believe that all persons with homosexual desire will experience a miraculous change of orientation if they come to Christ." However, they do believe that Christ will give persons the support needed to remain celibate outside of marriage. They asked the church's leaders to bring a resolution before the next Delegate Assembly to affirm these same principles.  

Germantown Mennonite Church:

In 1995-APR, the Franconia Conference reduced the status of the Germantown Mennonite Church of Philadelphia to that of associate, non-voting, member. The Conference links together 50 Mennonite congregations in southeastern Pennsylvania. Their action was in response to the church's continued welcoming of non-celibate homosexuals who are openly living in committed relationships. The congregation is located in northwest Philadelphia. It is the oldest Mennonite Church in the US.

On 1997-APR-26, the moderator of the Conference  conducted a straw vote to determine whether the delegates were prepared to vote on the future status of Germantown Church . 54% of the delegates said they were not ready. The church continued in its status as an associate member. At the same meeting, by a majority vote, the conference decided to not devote more effort to the topic of homosexuality and the church.

In Mennonite tradition, decisions are made in face-to-face settings. However, in 1997-OCT, an unprecedented mail-in ballot was conducted. Delegates voted 178 to 40 to expel the church formally from the regional conference. This action  took effect in 1998. At this time Pastor Richard Lichty's credentials were returned to the congregation. Lichty commented: "It hurts. This is my church of birth, my church of choice. But the church for a long time has been a follower of the general culture's fear of sexuality, and this just plays into it."  Germantown continues to maintain an affiliation with the General Conference of the Mennonite Church where Lichty continues to be credentialed.

Jim Lapp is the conference pastor for the Franconia Conference. According to CNN, he explained: "The Germantown church has received people into membership who are living in covenanted relationships, and that became a point of disagreement with the membership of our conference....All of this is the result of a long process and dialogue. It's the mood of our society, the way in which the issue is headlined. It's in the public consciousness. Many more people are becoming aware of it because homosexuals are more active and outspoken about their rights."

A heterosexual member of the congregation, George Hatzfeld, commented "Sure, we could have one of those situations where the homosexuals could come but never tell -- and we would never ask or be open about it. Sure, we could just assume that they're celibate. But the problem is we'd never make those requirements of [unmarried] heterosexual couples."

Joe Miller left the denomination as a teenager. He said: "I learned a long time ago growing up as a Mennonite that I could either be a Mennonite or I could be gay, but that I damn well couldn't be both. But this church [congregation] accepted me for who I was and that's why I came here."

Other Mennonite "Congregations Under Censure" ₄

A number of other Mennonite congregations have been expelled or placed under discipline:

Lesbian & gay support groups

The Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns ₂ was founded in 1976. Their stated objectives are:

A joint Mennonite-Brethren Supportive Congregations Network has registered 21 publicly affirming congregations who are supportive of lesbian, gay and bisexual members. An additional 51 congregations accept gay, lesbian and bisexual persons as members, but have not yet identified themselves as "Publicly Affirming." Among their goals are "fostering dialogue within congregations, building a network of congregations willing to accept lesbian, gay and bisexual members, and assisting lesbian, gay and bisexual people in locating welcoming congregations."

Connecting Families is a support network of Brethren and Mennonite parents with lesbian, bisexual or gay children. They hold retreats and publish an occasional newsletter. Their 1998-FALL retreat was in Michigan; the 1999-SPRING retreat will be in Bolton, ON.

Reparative therapy groups:

Day Seven Ministries is a member of the Exodus International network. It is a "ministry to people who seek healing from sexual brokenness and bondage." It "includes support groups for persons dealing with the temptation to homosexual and heterosexual sin." They serve the area of the Lancaster PA Mennonite Conference.

Regeneration Books in Baltimore MD offers a book ministry and support groups.

Homosexuals Anonymous is located at Reading PA.

There have been no carefully controlled studies on reparative therapy to evaluate its safety and effectiveness. However, the information that we have been able to collect indicates that its failure rate is in excess of 99%.

References

1. Mennonite Information Center" http://www.prairienet.org/mennonite/
2. Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns: http://www.webcom.com/bmc/
3. The General Conference Mennonite Church: http://www2.southwind.net/~gcmc/
4. "Congregations under Censure," http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/1042/shame.html
5. "What is an Anabaptist?" at: http://www.anabaptists.org/history/what.html
6. "General boards approve consultation to address membership, homosexuality before St. Louis 99" The Mennonite, 1998-DEC-8, Lead news story.
7. Texts of Mennonite Church Conferences, Boards and Committees on Homosexuality at: http://www.ambs.edu/LJohns/ChurchDocs.htm
8. Text of the MC's Purdue statement on sexuality "A Call to Affirmation, Confession and Covenant Regarding Human Sexuality"
9. Letter to members of the House, 1998-JUL-15, at: http://www.ambs.edu/ljohns/Hefley.htm 

Copyright © 1997 to 2000 incl., by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
Latest update: 2000-NOV-13
Author: B.A. Robinson