page_title: Mennonite Church in the Netherlands
section_title: General characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Mennonite Church in the Netherlands / General characteristics
context_page_description: The Mennonite Church in the Netherlands, or Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit, is a body of Mennonite Christians in the Netherlands.
  The Mennonites are named for Menno Simons, a Dutch Roman Catholic priest from the Province of Friesland who converted to Anabaptism around 1536. He was re-baptized as an adult in 1537 and became part of the Dutch Anabaptist movement.
  In 1811, different regional churches merged to form the Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit. The Mennonite Church in the Netherlands is a member of the Mennonite World Conference and in 2015 reported 7230 members in 111 congregations.
context_section_description: The doopsgezinden (literally: baptism-minded) or the Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit (General Baptism-minded Society) are a religious community in the Netherlands that can be considered the Dutch branch of the Mennonites. In the Netherlands they are at times also called Mennists.
  The current Dutch name "doopsgezinden" (baptism-minded) arose around 1800 to replace earlier names like "mennonieten/me(n)nisten" or "dopersen". The name refers to the movement's specific views on baptism. Rather than baptizing infants as is usual in many other denominations, baptism is reserved for adults. Prior to baptism a person writes a personal statement of confession and becomes a full member of the community upon being baptized. The confession is not necessarily based on any prescribed forms or dogmatic rules, in contrast to what is customary in the "Protestantse Kerk in Nederland", the largest Protestant denomination in the country; a denomination that unifies a number of Calvinist and Lutheran traditions.
  Another characteristic of the doopsgezinden is that they reject military service and the bearing of arms. In the past, this stance has extended to all service for the state. In the days of the Dutch Republic, this position brought the community into conflict with local and Stadholderly authorities, because the church members refused to participate in the city's militia. In place of such service, however, they often did participate and contribute to the fire brigades in many places.
caption: Jan van Leiden ca 1535
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