While the story of Anabaptism, originating in Switzerland in 1525, spans 500 years, its meaningful history in Korea is relatively short, at 75 years. Nevertheless, Korean Anabaptists recently came together for the first time in Korean Christian history to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism.
The week-long celebration in February included various events:
“Accidental Anabaptist” storytelling session led by Mennonite Church Canada Witness worker Bock Ki Kim, featuring speakers from 10 communities and organizations;
“Return to the Early Church: Patience and Resistance” lecture and discussion by the Korean Kreider Study Group;
Professor Duk Man Bae’s lecture on “The History and Present of Korean Anabaptism”;
Professor Allan Rudy-Froese’s lecture on round-table preaching.
The events attracted approximately 250 participants from 26 groups across the country. This marked the first time Korean Anabaptists, who had been maintaining diverse, separate communities, came together in one place.
Jeremiah Choi and his wife, representatives of Mennonite World Conference Northeast Asia, attended as external guests.
The gathering revealed the diversity of Korean Anabaptist groups, some operating like Hutterites with shared property and labour, while others have formed faith communities similar to the Amish. Additionally, there were communities focused on education, housing, farming, addiction recovery, culture, care and peace movements—all rooted in Anabaptist faith.
The highlight of the commemoration was the “Korean Anabaptist Gathering” celebration in Chuncheon on February 15. Designed as a sharing and networking opportunity rather than a teaching event, it brought together churches, communities and individuals sympathetic to the Anabaptist faith movement in Korea. The gathering revealed the existence of many self-grown Anabaptist groups across the country, in addition to the organized Mennonite-Anabaptist groups supported by North American Mennonite churches.
The celebration included:
Video messages from overseas Mennonite brothers and sisters;
Introduction of participants from across the country;
Interactive games to foster connections;
Displays and booths introducing each participating group; and
Small group discussions in 12 circles, sharing experiences and current lives as Anabaptists.
The final day featured a united worship service with a sermon on discipleship by Pastor Bock Ki Kim (whose faith story is found on page 46). The event concluded with children’s worship and communion, affirming unity in Christ despite years of separate development. Many participants showed interest in the Mennonite hymns sung during the event, requesting information about the beautiful lyrics and melodies.
Participants expressed a desire for regular meetings, deeper fellowship and the creation of an Anabaptist faith movement network. Suggestions included creating a map of Korean Anabaptists, sharing event information and establishing online newsletters and prayer meetings. After the meeting, in response to the participants’ desire for continued gatherings, it was decided to revitalize the Korea Anabaptist Fellowship. Sang Wook Nahm willingly agreed to take this responsibility in coming years.
The week-long event felt like a dream, with anticipation building for the next gathering of Korean Anabaptists. After the event, I reflected: We are Anabaptists. We are disciples of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
As organizers, we pray that the work of the Holy Spirit that bound us with cords of love experienced on Korean soil will be shared with Anabaptist brothers and sisters worldwide.