The Mennonites believe in the Holy Spirit, declaring with
conviction the empowerment of Jesus and the church by the Holy Spirit. We believe the Spirit of God participated in
the creation of the world, inspired the prophets and those who wrote Scripture,
ignited the disciples at Pentecost, and continues to ignite, call, and
transform her church.
The role of the Holy Spirit tends to be an edgy one in most
churches, and of course out-right denied in others. Some churches seek, cater towards, and wish
to somehow cultivate the power of the Holy Spirit in them, leading to outbreaks
of tongues, miraculous healing, being slain in the spirit, in some places snake
handling, and the odd outbreak of animal noises. In other places, the Holy Spirit is almost
completely ignored or denied, maybe because things get a little crazy when the
Holy Spirit shows up.
Into this the Mennonites assert that the Holy Spirit is an
important part of the Trinity, making space for the Holy Spirit to work in power
by proclaiming what the Holy Spirit has already done and continues to do. We find the Holy Spirit to be empowering of
people with love, reconciliation, hope, and healing. In a culture where spirits and new age
religion is finding a hold, we continue to proclaim and look for the power of
the Holy Spirit to embolden us to pick up the cross each and every day to
follow after Jesus.
Want to learn more?
Here is Article 3 of the Mennonite Confession of faith: http://www.mennoniteusa.org/about/confession-of-faith-in-a-mennonite-perspective-1995/confession-of-faith-%E2%80%94-article-3/
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