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Published: January 16, 2025

By Annette Brill Bergstresser

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) 鈥� Participants at 2025 will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Anabaptist faith during the Feb. 17鈥�20 conference at (bg真人) in Elkhart, Indiana.

Together they鈥檒l examine how the values of the early Anabaptists still resonate today and can guide congregations into the future. They鈥檒l also gain intercultural perspectives on how reading the Bible in community can help them connect with others more authentically in their present and future contexts.

According to , MDiv, who oversees the planning of the annual conference for Christian leaders, the idea for the 鈥淎nabaptism at 500鈥� theme came from Jamie Pitts, PhD, bg真人 Professor of Anabaptist Studies, more than a year ago.

鈥淛amie鈥檚 idea was to have a conference not for academics, but for church leaders 鈥� to reflect on our history and consider the importance of Anabaptism today and into the future,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e hope participants will gain insights into the gifts and burdens of the Anabaptist tradition and be able to take some new tools back to their congregations to lead in the midst of uncertain times.鈥�

The conference, which is hosted by bg真人鈥檚 , will begin at 7 p.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 17, and conclude at 12:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 20. Participants can attend in person on the bg真人 campus or watch via livestream.

Speakers

The event 鈥� which will include worship, prayer, teaching sessions and 28 workshop options 鈥� will feature the following speakers (pictured l. to r.):

• Monday: John D. Roth, PhD, of Goshen, Indiana, is Project Director of 鈥淎nabaptism at 500,鈥� an initiative of MennoMedia, and General Editor of the Anabaptist Community Bible. He formerly served as Professor of History at Goshen (Indiana) College; Director of the Mennonite Historical Library; and Editor of The Mennonite Quarterly Review. He also was the Founding Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen College and Secretary of Mennonite World Conference鈥檚 Faith and Life Commission.
• Tuesday: Kelbessa Muleta Demena, MDiv, of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is Vice President of Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) in Ethiopia, the largest member church in Mennonite World Conference. In this role, he focuses on capacity building for MKC pastors and church leaders. He has served with MKC for more than 35 years in various roles, including as a pastor and board member. He was Chair of the Meserete Kristos Seminary Board, Chair of the MKC Theological Commission and a member of the Mennonite World Conference Mission Commission. 
• Wednesday: Lesley Francisco McClendon, DMin, of Hampton, Virginia, is Senior Pastor of C3 Hampton, a Mennonite Church USA congregation in Hampton. She has a passion for empowering leaders and bridging generational gaps. In 2022, she founded Herstoric, Inc., a nonprofit organization and emerging leadership group that helps women of faith discover, recover or refine their voice. She also serves as an instructor for Duke University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, and as an adjunct professor of preaching at two seminaries.
• Thursday: Panel discussion and Q&A with all three speakers

Additionally, the Lost Luggage Jazz Trio of Goshen, Indiana, will provide entertainment at an evening banquet for conference participants.

Workshops

Twenty-eight different workshops will be offered during four time slots, with seven unique workshop options (including one livestream option) to choose from in each slot. Sample titles include:

• A beautiful and beloved mess: Becoming a multicultural church in a fractured world
• Anabaptists sing! Learning from faith communities around the world
• Commemorating Anabaptism at 500: Ideas and resources for your congregation 
• Conscientious objection and Gen Alpha: Encouraging a lifestyle of peace in adolescents
• From Antioch to Addis: Strategies for church growth
• Let the children come to me: Nurturing Anabaptist faith
• Looking but not seeing: Anabaptists and Indigenous neighbors
• Preaching club: Reading the Bible together by teaching lay people to preach

Schmidt noted that the conference will offer participants various opportunities to connect with other leaders and to engage in spiritual formation 鈥� such as participating in small groups, taking time for individual and communal prayer, responding creatively in an art room, and exploring mindful movement.

Registration

for the event vary for individuals, married couples, and students. Discounts are available for first-time participants, those who bring a friend who has never attended Pastors & Leaders, and those needing financial assistance. The registration deadline is Feb. 10, 2024.

Participants who attend all plenary, worship and workshop sessions may earn 1.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Information about the conference schedule, meals, lodging, transportation and registration is available at .

Leadership Clinics

Also, six daylong in-person Leadership Clinics will be held on Monday, Feb. 17, before the start of the conference: Biblical Interpretation Across the Two Testaments; Healthy Boundaries 101; Introducing the Anabaptist Community Bible; Orienting With the Word; Starting with the Spirit; and Worshiping with the Global Church. See:  

Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world.

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