The New Anabaptists: Practices for Emerging Communities

by Stuart Murray

What does it look like to be an Anabaptist community in the modern world? And why does it matter? A new incarnation of Anabaptism is blossoming--but not where we might expect. In the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and other post-Christendom contexts with little historical Anabaptist presence, Christian communities are embodying novel expressions of Anabaptist faith and practice. In this companion to The Naked Anabaptist , author Stuart Murray identifies twelve common practices of such churches and communities that are shaped by an Anabaptist vision. Murray explores how these practices--which include encouraging economic radicalism in the face of rampant consumerism, truth-telling in a "post-truth" society, accountability in an individualistic culture, peaceful activism in a world in conflict, and faithful witness in communities that no longer know much about the Christian story--might shape and grow emerging Christian communities and inspire those that seek fresh expressions as cultural changes accelerate.
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The New Anabaptists provides foundational resources for followers of Jesus in many different contexts as they rise to the challenge of embodying faithful and radical discipleship in local communities.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published January 30, 2024

About the author

Stuart Murray Williams works as a trainer and consultant under the auspices of the Anabaptist Network. Based in Bristol, he travels widely in the UK and overseas and works with local churches, mission agencies, denominational leaders, conferences and individuals. He has worked with at least 25 denominations in recent years. His particular areas of expertise are in:
•Church planting
•Emerging church
•Urban mission
•Mission in post-Christendom
•Anabaptist history and theology

Under the name Stuart Murray, he has written books on a number of topics, including:

The Challenge of the City
published by Sovereign World in 1994

Explaining Church Discipline
published by Sovereign World in 1995

Church Planting: Laying Foundations
published by Paternoster Press in 1998

Hope from the Margins
(jointly with Anne Wilkinson-Hayes) published by Grove Books in 2000

Biblical Interpretation in the Anabaptist Tradition
published by Pandora Press in 2000

Beyond Tithing
published by Paternoster Press in 2000

Coming Home: Stories of Anabaptists in Britain and Ireland
(jointly with Alan Kreider) published by Pandora Press in 2000

Church Planting: Past, Present and Future
(jointly with George Lings) published by Grove Books in 2003

Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World
published by Paternoster in 2004

Church after Christendom
published by Paternoster in 2005

Changing Mission: Learning from the Newer Churches
published by Churches Together in Britain & Ireland (CTBI) in 2006

Church Planting in the Inner City
(with Juliet Kilpin) published by Grove books in 2007

Planting Churches: A Framework for Practitioners
published by Paternoster in 2008

Reviews

[Sarah M. Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring work for church planters who long to return to a more Jesus-centric expression of church.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: An effort to describe the practices emerging Anabaptist communities embody with three case studies as examples.

In 2010, Stuart Murray published The Naked Anabaptist, articulating the core convictions that have shaped the Anabaptist movement. In recent years, working with Mennonite church planting efforts, it became evident that a follow-up work was needed to, as it were, “clothe the naked Anabaptist” (this was considered as a title for this book). What Murray offers here is a description of common practices, reflecting Anabaptist heritage, that characterize these emerging communities. In six chapters, he explores twelve practices common to these communities. Following this, three case studies of diverse Anabaptist communities exemplify these qualities.

Murray’s first practice is a commitment to start with Jesus. He offers examples of war, baptism, tithing, oaths, and women in leadership to show how a commitment to start with Jesus works in each of these matters. Rather than treat the Bible as a “flat” book in which all parts have equal weight, he proposes that Anabaptists read all scripture in light of Jesus and treat the gospels as starting points.

Building on this, the other practices include baptism of would-be disciples and communion as a peace meal. Communion is understood as a celebration of Jesus’ radical work of peacemaking and it is a real meal, enjoyed in community. Closely related to this is the Anabaptist practice of hospitality, extending from shared meal to offering refuge. A commitment to a multi-voiced church in which members listen to each other include multi-voiced worship and biblical interpretation, non-hierarchical leadership, and consensual decision-making. I especially appreciate these last two in light of the abuses of leadership power and the stifling of dissent in authoritarian churches. Murray follows this by practices of truthtelling–mutual accountability and truth-telling, extending beyond not needing oaths to trustworthiness in our speech and actions.

The next two practices affirmed are simplicity and sharing. The author argues here against tithing, which he believes to have no New Testament foundation. Rather, the call is to live an uncluttered and generous lifestyle. This is reflected in a commitment to mutual aid and commonality. Finally, he describes practices of Anabaptist witness. This includes ethical evangelism: inviting without inducing, persuading without pressuring, friendship without strings, sensitivity without compromise, and humility that foreswears having all the answers. Anabaptist witness is also a peace witness. This means emphasizing restorative justice. And it means building bridges of understanding between different cultures and faiths.

In the second part of the book, three women offer case studies of emerging communities. Alexandra Ellish describes the Incarnate project of planting Anabaptist communities in the UK. Karen Sethuraman describes one of these communities, SoulSpace Belfast. She also shares the core values of a spinoff, Soulspace Bristol, an embodiment of Murray’s practices. Finally, Juliet Kilpin offers an account of Peaceful Borders. It offers support to a concentration of asylum seekers and refugees in Calais, France. Appendices to the book summarize core convictions and practices, and offer a liturgy for gathering around the table.

In concluding, Murray proposes that what he is doing is to articulate the spirituality and practices of post-Christendom churches. I think he properly diagnoses our moment. Rather than trying to return to the Christendom project, Murray returns to Jesus and practices reflecting a gospel-centered understanding of discipleship.

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Disclosure of Material Conection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

[Tim Chesterton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've often reflected on the fact that most Christian churches and organisations seem to feel the need to have a 'statement of faith', so that others can see 'what we believe'. A lot of time and effort goes into producing those statements of faith, but to be honest, I'm not very interested in them. I'd far rather see a 'statement of practice'—i.e. 'Because we are followers of Jesus, this is what we do...'

That's what Stuart Murray has given us in 'The New Anabaptists: Practices for Emerging Communities'. His earlier book 'The Naked Anabaptist' was built around the core convictions of the Anabaptist Network in the UK. This new book goes on to identify the habitus of emerging neo-Anabaptist communities.

Context is important. This is not a book written by a Mennonite for Mennonites. It's written in Britain, where there are no Mennonite churches or specifically Anabaptist denominations, and it comes out of the lived experience of a loose network of people who identify with Anabaptism and are now moving toward planting specifically Anabaptist 'churches' (I put that word in quotation marks, because the word 'church' has many meanings, and if the meaning you assume is firmly attached to Christendom institutions, you likely won't be able to grasp what Stuart Murray is on about).

Here are the practices he discusses:
1. Interpreting and following the way of Jesus
2. Living Simply
3. Multivoiced worship and biblical interpretation
4. Baptizing would-be disciples
5. Communion as a peace meal
6. Nonhierarchical leadership
7. Consensual decision-making
8. Practicing mutual accountability
9. Practicing peacemaking
10. Practicing mutual aid
11. Telling the truth
12. Witness in word and lifestyle

None of these are intended to be set in stone; they are a work in progress for emerging communities. At the end of the book, discussion questions are provided to help groups continue to explore these themes.

[Lisa Dyck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a an interesting read as the wife to an evangelical Mennonite church pastor.
But also from a perspective of someone having grown up in a non evangelical Mennonite church.
It was fascinating to compare the author’s writing of some Anabaptist practices with the ones our church currently is practicing or possibly has drifted away from.

This book has given me much food for thought, some of which I look forward to discussing at length with my husband and other ministerial friends in the Anabaptist tradition.

It does have a strong stance for egalitarianism and affirming and inclusive churches of the LGBTQ+ community within the emerging Anabaptist community which in my experience would be quite controversial in many North Americans Anabaptist communities.

Overall an interesting read with a strong focus on peace, community and doing life together as believers vs. Programmed church.

I received an advanced EBook through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.