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Why Interchurch Relationships?

Why relationships with other Christians? Why do we spend money and time getting in touch with Christians of other churches?

  1. Because it is a part of God’s intention in creating humankind in the first place.

    The whole Old Testament is the story of God’s attempt to create a people—a community of persons in fellowship with each other and with their Creator. The story culminates in the coming, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We are the part of the story that then began at Pentecost.

    God’s purpose was not having all kinds of little groups going their separate ways and fighting each other. It was that we all—Jew and Greek, slave and free…--should come together to the hill of the Lord and prepare to worship together around the throne of the Lamb.

    (Ps. 66:1,4; 67:2:1-5;82:8;117:1; 106:47; Phil. 2:2-5; I Cor. 12:12-26; Rev. 7)

  2. Because one of the ways we hear God’s speaking to us, supporting us in God’s work, and correcting us when we stray is through the voices of our brothers and sisters.

    From our beginnings in the 16th century, Mennonites have said that we need to follow what the Anabaptists called "the rule of Christ" (Matt. 18:15-20). When we have differences, we need to go to one another. We need to help one another be faithful to God and we need to work continually at learning from one another as we seek to make our differences occasions for growth rather than division.

    We believe we need to live in the church. We do not want, as individuals, to be
    "Lone Ranger" Christians. But God’s church is a worldwide church. We do not want our individual denominations or national churches to be "Lone Ranger" churches. We need to work continually toward the goal of being a faithful, worldwide body of God’s people.

    (1 Cor. 1:10-15; 6:1-7)

  3. Because it is foundational in our evangelistic task as Christians of pointing others to God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ.

  4. Jesus said, "That they may be one, that the world may know that you have sent me."

    When Christians going their separate ways and fighting one another all claim to be followers of Jesus, it makes it difficult for anyone to believe that there is one Lord, and that God is actually at work in their lives. When Christians of various backgrounds and nations transcend their natural differences and join with one another in a common life and witness, it is a powerful testimony to God’s self-revelation in Christ and the ongoing work of the Spirit.

    (John 17:20-23; 2 Cor 5:17-20; Eph. 2:12-22)






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