What We Believe
Willow Avenue Mennonite Church (WAMC) prioritizes following Jesus as the center of our faith, sharing in community as the center of our lives, and building peace as the center of our mission. We distill these core values, which we share with other Anabaptist Christians, with three words: belonging, inquiring, and transforming. We find belonging in a community that continues inquiring about how to follow Jesus on a transforming journey that builds peace and welcomes all. As we like to say, and we hope to live out, “Jesus welcomes all and so do we.”
Our Story
WAMC was born in the 1960s under the name College Community Church Mennonite Brethren as an alternative fellowship, pursuing a rebirth not unlike earlier renewal movements. WAMC seeks the Spirit of the radical Reformation of Western Europe in the 1520s and 1530s who were ridiculed as "re-baptizers" (or Anabaptists) because they practiced baptism for adult believers upon their confession of faith. WAMC has also been shaped by the revival of the Mennonite Church (so named after the Dutch Reformation leader Menno Simons) in Ukraine in the 1860s.
We joined Mennonite Church USA in Jan 2023 after we adopted the following resolution that led to the dissolution of our membership within the US Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches: We resolve to welcome, accept, and affirm LGBTQIA+ people without reservation to all aspects of the life of the congregation including but not limited to membership, baptism, marriage, volunteer leadership, employment, and pastoral ministry.
Our Mission Statement
We believe Christians are to follow Jesus Christ daily and radically in every aspect of life. We are dedicated, therefore, to be an inclusive community, without discrimination, promoting an atmosphere of love, openness and acceptance of all who participate with us in our commitment:
To know and do Christ’s teachings as reflected in the Bible, our authoritative guide to faith and daily living.
To encourage and enable others to come to new life in Christ and become His disciples.
To be a worshiping community, continually renewed through our openness to God.
To be a sharing and caring community accountable to one another.
To be a teaching and learning community in which the gifts and insights of each are treasured, encouraged, and used.
To be a witnessing and serving community, ministering in the name of Christ to the needs of others wherever they may be.
To be peace-makers and reconcilers, practicing the love of even enemies as taught by Christ.
For those interested in reading further, the following are recommended:
Palmer Becker, What is an Anabaptist Christian? Elkhart, Indiana: Mennonite Mission Network, 2008, 2010 Revised Edition.
This influential booklet (28 pages) describes core Anabaptist beliefs and values and can be found here. Becker has a long history in church ministry and educational roles in the Mennonite Church USA, and so writes out of a lifetime of experience as an Anabaptist Christian.
Alfred Neufeld, What We Believe Together: Exploring the “Shared Convictions” of Anabaptist-Related Churches. Second Edition. New York: Good Books, 2015.
In this work Neufeld, who has grown up in the tradition, explores the “Shared Convictions” of Anabaptist-Related Churches. This edition is published in cooperation with Mennonite World Conference.
Stuart Murray, The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2010.
Murray is a British author who has embraced the Anabaptist understanding of faith along the way.