Jesus focused his ministry on a mission to his co-religionists--beginning
at Jerusalem and then Samaria…. Christians need to follow Jesus'
lead. Mennonites need to be missional as Jesus was missional.
"Binding and loosing" (or "brotherly/sisterly address") is important not only among members in a congregation, but also among congregations in a denominational family and among denominations within the larger church of Jesus Christ
The Anabaptists of the 16th century took the initiative in contacting and seeking conversation with their opponents, who called themselves Christian--even those responding to their initiatives with force and violence."
In the past century, Mennonites have moved out in overseas efforts in the Mennonite Central Committee and in mission. Much of the overseas work of MCC and Mennonite mission boards has involved relationships with Christians of other backgrounds.
Christendom in America has been polarized between mainline churches and Evangelicals. The mainline groups have had their roots in establishment churches that historically have sought to wield political power over their adversaries. Evangelicals in the "Religious Right" have sought to use political means to achieve some of their ends. At their best, Mennonites have represented a third "post-establishment" way.
In North American, the Mennonite mission commissions and boards work with other mission boards and missiologists, the educators with other church educators, and the publishers with other publishers.
Mennonite Mutual Aid works with other groups interested in mutual aid.
Mennonites have worked with other Christians in peace efforts--in North America, most recently, in Every Church a Peace Church, and the Christian Peacemaker Teams.
MCC and its Washington, Ottawa, and United Nations offices have contacts with other groups.
The North American seminaries have sponsored inter-confessional conversations.
Many Mennonite congregations and leaders have contacts with Christians of other groups in local settings. Mennonite pastors are in local ministeriums. Mennonite evangelists and teachers minister in community-wide and other interdenominational meetings.
Many Mennonites in other locations are members of the councils of churches in their countries.
Most Mennonites in the U.S. and abroad have had relationships with Evangelical
Christians in their countries.
Mennonites in Congo, Germany, and the Netherlands are members of the World Council of Churches.
Some Two-Third World churches that have existed as small majorities in predominantly-non-Christian societies are asking what they can learn from Mennonites who have had a history of living as counter-cultural minorities in different parts of the world.
Mennonites find themselves today in a situation unique in their 480-year, often-dramatic history of flight, expansion, new frontiers, and near collapse in some places. Today Mennonites are in a time of change and new openness. Others are asking what they can learn from the experience of Mennonites who have opposed establishment understandings of the church for over four centuries.
This is the context within which Mennonites are called to interchurch contacts and mutual address today.